Department of Psychiatry
Career Development and Research Office
Manuscript Writing – A Primer
March 2011
Why do we want to write and publish?
-Types of manuscripts
-How to choose where to publish
-What is peer-review?
-What do journal editors do, anyway?
-How to start a manuscript
Why do we publish?
•-Get our ideas out there
•-Help colleagues, etc
•-Get grants
•-Get promoted
•-Because it’s fun?
•-What else?
Who is interested in what types of writing?
How would you like to proceed?
Smaller groups?
Face-to-face meetings?
Email exchange?
Types of Academic Manuscripts
•-Primary data
•-Metadata Analysis
•-Review Articles
•-Case Studies
•-Book chapters
•-Issue Briefs
•-Educational materials
•-What else?
How to pick a journal
There are two ways to find a journal to submit to (that is, if
you don’t already have one in mind):
•Peruse lists of journals by subject, and (much better),
see where people you are citing have published.
•Once you’ve identified a potential journal to submit to, do
some research. Go and read some articles they publish if
you’re not familiar with the journal, to make sure it’s right
for your approach (ask a colleague / mentor if you’re not
sure).
Here are some lists of journals to peruse:
Directory of Open Access Journals: http://www.doaj.org/
Springer journals (2000+): http://www.springer.com/?SGWID=0-102-00-0
Elsevier journals (2000+):
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journal_browse.cws_home
Taylor and Francis / Routledge: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/
Wiley Blackwell (1900+): http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgibin/home?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Lamar Soutter Library: http://library.umassmed.edu/index.cfm
Journal Impact Factors
Thompson ISI:
http://adminapps.isiknowledge.com/JCR/JCR?PointOfEntry=Home&SID
=4A5bBo1h2OIm@d8nDcg
Impact factor = # of citations per year/# of papers
published in a year
The higher, the “better”
How to submit to a journal
Find their submission guidelines – usually online, but may
also be found in the print version of journal. Then follow
those guidelines scrupulously, especially formatting and
bibliographical style. And PROOFREAD!! Nothing makes an
editor put your submission in the recycle folder faster than
a submission full of misspelled words and grammatical
errors.
Make sure the abstract and introduction are incredibly
clear and compelling so that they keep reading, and write
a short cover letter that SELLS your article: in it, you should
make clear what is new and significant about your
approach.
Peer-review
Peer review is the evaluation of creative work or performance
by other people in the same field in order to maintain or
enhance the quality of the work or performance in that field.
It is based on the concept that a larger and more diverse group
of people will usually find more weaknesses and errors in a
work or performance and will be able to make a more
impartial evaluation of it than will just the person or group
responsible for creating the work or performance.
Reviewers are usually anonymous, while the authors’ names
are known to reviewers.
Why is this important?
OK, so you’ve submitted your scholarly article to a peer-reviewed journal.
What now????
1) It’s assigned to an editor, who reviews it and decide if it goes out to review
-Is this new work?
-Is it important?
-Does it add to the field?
2) If not, the manuscript (ms) is “rejected”. The author may rewrite and resubmit, or
submit the exact same ms to another journal.
Note: Never submit the same manuscript to different journals at the same
time!
3) If it goes out to review—2-4 experts in the subject matter will be chosen to review it.
-Rejected
-Back to review after major revisions
-Back to review after minor revisions
-Minor revisions, no back to review
-Accepted
How to start writing
*** No one way to start
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/tools/report/reportform.html#form
--choose your journal, and pay attention to their format. Some journals
call for a combined results and discussion, for example, or include
materials and methods after the body of the paper.
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
From Archives of General Psychiatry
Manuscript Preparation and Submission Requirements
Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the AMA Manual of Style1 and/or the Uniform
Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.7 Double-space the manuscript and leave
right margins unjustified (ragged). Each manuscript component should begin on a new page, in the following
sequence: title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, figure legends, tables, and figures. Pages
should be sequentially numbered in the upper right-hand corner, beginning with the title page. Do not use line
numbering. The text of the manuscript must not exceed 4500 words, exclusive of references, tables, and
figure legends. The total number of text words should be displayed on the title page of the manuscript.
Cover Letter. Include a cover letter and complete contact information for the corresponding author (postal/mail
address, e-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers) and whether the authors have published or
submitted any related papers from the same study. (See Duplicate/Previous Publication or Submission.)
Title Page. The title page should list full names, degrees, academic affiliations and locations of each author,
and the name and address to whom reprint requests should be sent. If the paper was presented at a meeting,
include the organization, place, and date of presentation. Acknowledgment of all funding support for the work
should also be made on this page. Titles should be short, specific, and descriptive, emphasizing the main point
of the article. Avoid a 2-part title, if at all possible. Do not number the title, eg, I or Part I. Do not make a
declarative statement in the title. Title length, including punctuation and spaces, ideally should be under 100
characters and must not exceed 150 characters.
Abstract. Include a structured abstract of no more than 300 words for reports of original data, reviews, and
meta-analyses. (See Preparing Structured Abstracts.) For other major manuscripts, include an unstructured
abstract of no more than 200 words that summarizes the objective, main points, and conclusions of the article.
Abstracts are not required for editorials, commentaries, and special features.
Abbreviations. Do not use abbreviations in the title or abstract. Limit their use in the text.
Units of Measure. Laboratory values are expressed using conventional units of measure, with relevant
Système International (SI) conversion factors expressed secondarily (in parentheses) only at first mention.
Articles that contain numerous conversion factors may list them together in a paragraph at the end of the
“Methods” section. In tables and figures, a conversion factor to SI units should be provided in a footnote or
legend. The metric system is preferred for the expression of length, area, mass, and volume. A Conversion
Table is available on the Web site for the AMA Manual of Style.
Duplicate/Previous Publication or Submission.
Manuscripts are received with the understanding that they have the
approval of each author, are not under simultaneous consideration
by another publication, and have not been published previously in
whole or substantial part. This policy applies to the essential
contents, tables, or figures, but does not apply to abstracts. Authors
must disclose in their cover letters if the submitted manuscript
contains any data, patient information, or other material or results
that have already been published or are in press, submitted, or
nearly submitted. Copies of closely related manuscripts should be
submitted to the Editor for examination. Accepted manuscripts
become the permanent property of the Archives. They may not be
republished without permission from the publisher (AMA).
Authorship Criteria and Contributions.
With the cover letter include (1) the statement on and
checklist for authorship responsibility, criteria, and
contributions, (2) the statement on financial disclosure,
and either the statement on copyright or the statement on
federal employment. Each of these 3 statements must be
read and signed by all authors.1(pp127-132) (3) The
corresponding author must sign the acknowledgment
statement. (See Authorship Form.)
1. Authorship Responsibility, Criteria, and Contributions.
Each author should meet all criteria below (A, B, C, and D) and should indicate general and specific contributions by reading
criteria A, B, C, and D and checking the appropriate boxes.
A. I certify that
• the manuscript represents original and valid work and that neither this manuscript nor one with substantially similar content
under my authorship has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere, except as described in an
attachment; and
• if requested by the editors, I will provide the data or will cooperate fully in obtaining and providing the data on which the
manuscript are based for examination by the editors or their assignees; and
• for papers with more than 1 author, I agree to allow the corresponding author to serve as the primary correspondent with
the editorial office, to review the edited typescript and proof, and to make decisions regarding release of information in the
manuscript to the media, federal agencies, or both; or, if I am the only author, I will be the corresponding author and agree to
serve in the roles described above.
B. I have given final approval of the submitted manuscript.
C. I have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for (check 1 of 2 below)
____ part of the content.
____ the whole content.
D. To qualify for authorship, you must check at least 1 box for each of the 3 categories of contributions listed below.
I have made substantial contributions to the intellectual content of the paper as described below.
1. (check at least 1 of the 3 below)
_____ conception and design
_____ acquisition of data
_____ analysis and interpretation of data
2. (check at least 1 of 2 below)
_____ drafting of the manuscript
_____ critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content
3. (check at least 1 below)
_____ statistical expertise
_____ obtaining funding
_____ administrative, technical, or material support
_____ supervision
_____ no additional contributions
_____ other (specify)
Conflicts of Interest and Financial Disclosure.
A conflict of interest may exist when an author (or the author’s institution or
employer) has financial or personal relationships or affiliations that could
inappropriately influence (or bias) the author’s decisions, work, or manuscript.
All authors are required to disclose all potential conflicts of interest, including
specific financial interests and relationships and affiliations (other than those
affiliations listed on the title page of the manuscript) relevant to the subject of
their manuscript. Authors should err on the side of full disclosure and should
contact the editorial office if they have questions or concerns.
Authors are expected to provide detailed information about all relevant financial
interests and relationships or financial conflicts within the past 5 years and for
the foreseeable future (eg, employment/affiliation, grants or funding,
consultancies, honoraria, speakers bureau, stock ownership or options, expert
testimony, royalties, patents filed, received, or pending, or donation of medical
equipment), particularly those present at the time the research was conducted
and through publication, as well as other financial interests (such as patent
applications in preparation) that represent potential future financial gain.