Eur opean Rev iew for Med ical and Pharmacol ogical Sci ences 2014; 18: 2966-2981 Writing for Publication in in High Impact Journals

S.A. AZER 1, D.M. DUPRAS 2, S. AZER 3

1Professor of Medical Education, Chair of Curriculum and Research Unit, College of , King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Primary Care Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 3Department of Surgery, Urology, Austin Hospital, , Melbourne, Australia

Abstract. – BACKGROUND: One of the key Introduction priorities of a scholarly teacher is to demon - strate the ability to contribute to the advance - In a scholarly environment a culture of writing ment of knowledge, and transformation of new for publication is a necessity. Through publica - knowledge into applications that can be of val - ue to the profession and the teaching/learning tion academics have the opportunity to share community. However, successful contribution their work and innovations with other academics to a scholarly activity such as publication is and researchers 1-4 . While publishing fosters the challenging particularly when academics lack advancement of knowledge in related disciplines, confidence in their writing skills. academics publish their work for a number of AIM: The aim of this article is to highlight keys reasons including 5-7 : for successful publication in medical education. • Sharing experience, innovation and lessons METHODS: We reviewed the current literature, recent medical education proceedings, and As - learnt with other professionals and educators. sociation of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) • Stimulating scholarly debate and suggestions Guides and explored the basic principles for cre - for future development that could prompt new ating a scholarly publication. We have also re - research and further studies. flected on our collective long experience as re - • Improving the standards of students’ education viewers to educational, scientific, and clinical and learning and hence the standards of career journals as well as our roles on editorial boards of medical education and scientific journals. development and the quality of patients’ RESULTS: Using the methods described, we healthcare. have developed the following twelve tips: (1) • Contributing to the advancement of the profes - Start with the end of mind, (2) Sharpen your idea, sion and enhancing the body of theory and un - (3) Select the right journal, (4) Discuss author - derstanding. ship, (5) Adhere to ethical principles, (6) Prepare • Contributing to the improvement of research the manuscript, (7) Avoid common mistakes, (8) quality in the university where researchers See it from the reviewer’s eyes, (9) Prepare a cov - er letter, (10) Respond to the editor’s and review - work, and improving academic standing and ers’ reports, (11) Don’t be discouraged by rejec - their opportunities for research funding and tion, and (12) Reflect on your experience. promotion. CONCLUSIONS: Writing for publication in • Gaining recognition and prestige for their re - medical education, particularly in journals with search/publication contributions. high impact ratings, is a challenging task. How - • Receiving feedback from the peer reviewers ever, becoming passionate about your con - tention, and working on transforming your idea and editors that can help in improving the into a published work necessitates self-regula - work as well as the publication. tion, resilience, visualization of outcomes, and • Establishing a network of academics working implementing scholarly approaches. Overcom - on similar projects and sharing the same area ing challenges and focusing on your goal can of research interests. be reached if these tips are applied. Those who are keen to maintain their contribu - tion to research can help establish a research en - Key Vords: vironment in their workplace and encourage Publishing, Medical education journals, Keys for success, novice researchers to master research skills and Writing skills, Reviewers’ reports, Cover letter, Authorship. write for publication.

2966 Corresponding Author: Professor Samy A. Azer, MD; e-mail: [email protected] Publishing your work

Writing for publication is a challenging and following key words, “Writing research”, Writ - demanding job. This could be related to inade - ing publication”, “Writing for publication”, quate knowledge and skills in writing for pub - “Writing paper”, “Writing medical education”, lication, lack of time and commitment to write, “Writing scientific paper”, “Writing skills”, and a lack of confidence and motivation to “Publishing scientific papers”. To enhance the start writing 8. Also some researchers feel de - search outcomes, we examined the abstract jected and not encouraged to resume their writ - books of the Association for Medical Education ing, particularly after receiving a rejection of in Europe (AMEE) conferences from 2006 to their manuscripts from one or more journals 9. 2012 as well as reviewed books and documents Overcoming these situations may necessitate created by AMEE on the topic. We also explored further training on how to write for publica - our collective experiences in medical education tion. Those who are interested in publishing, research as full time academics and researchers not only in peer-reviewed journals but also at universities in Australia, USA, Japan, South high impact publications, may need further East Asia, and the Middle East. The following 12 training 10-12 . tips aim at outlining approaches and keys for There are several resources and a wealth of successful preparation of a manuscript for publi - literature on developing writing skills and writ - cation in high impact medical education journals ing for publication including a series of articles (Table I). by the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology on suc - cessful academic writing 13-16 , textbooks on writ - ing research papers 17 , online resources; includ - Tip 1 ing the Purdue University Online Writing Lab, OWL (https://owl.english.purdue.edu), and the Start with the end of mind Online Research Skills Module by University One of the keys for success of a project is to Graduate College, Cardiff University visualize what you will end with. This should be (http://cardiff.ac.uk /ugc/training/online-re - established from the outset. Explore the different search-skills-modules) and BMJ learning aspects of your idea and visualize how the audi - (http://learning.bmj.com) and crash courses on ence will find it. It may be a good idea to sum - medical writing for health profession 10 . Writing marize the outcomes and possible conclusions of skills can be improved through collaborative your paper in 4-6 lines. Then critically analyze writing groups 18,19 , seminars on writing, peer what you will end with. Think about your re - coaching to support writing development 11,20 , search/paper idea and whether you need to modi - and short courses 12 . However, most of these re - fy it to make the whole idea and outcomes much sources are designed for postgraduate students clearer to the audience 23 . and focus on skills needed for basic science and Remember a good paper is usually triggered biology manuscripts. There are limited re - by an innovative idea or a problem that will be of sources designed to help medical educators interest to other researchers and educators. This write scholarly manuscripts 21,22 . is particularly important if the idea or the chal - While many researchers and educators focus lenge that moved the researchers represents a on the number of papers they can publish, more common phenomenon experienced by other edu - important is the quality of the work and impact on their disciplines. Interestingly, two of the 2013 Nobel Prize laureates in Physiology or Table I. Twelve tips on writing for publication. Medicine, James E Rothman and Randy W 1. Start with the end of mind. Schekman have a publication record as per 2. Sharpen your idea. PubMed of 228 and 23, respectively, and the 3. Select the right journal. number of citations their research have scored 4. Discuss authorship. 5. Adhere to ethical principles. ranged from 2148 to 11 and 366 to 26, respec - 6. Prepare the manuscript. tively. This emphasises that the quality and origi - 7. Avoid common mistakes. nality of publication is vital in achieving your 8. See it from the reviewer’s eyes. scholarly goals (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 9. Prepare a cover letter. pubmed/?term=schekman+rw). 10. Respond to the editor’s and reviewers’ reports. 11. Don’t be discouraged by rejection To develop these tips, PubMed, MEDLINE 12. Reflect on your experience. and Google Scholar were researched using the

2967 S.A. Azer, D.M. Dupras, S. Azer cators from other countries regardless to their • Examine the related literature and what was culture, educational system or subject matter. Al - published about your idea – what do we know though such problems may be highlighted in the and what do we need to know? literature or there may be a few papers touching • Assess your idea again and examine if it adds on it, your idea explores new approaches and ex - anything new to our knowledge in this area. amines different perspectives not examined be - • Sharpen your research question, write down fore, and could bring a better understanding to the hypotheses behind your work and critically the problem. evaluate what you are trying to prove. Many of us may have similar experience but • Examine the methodology you are planning to few of us think about going further to explore use. If you are planning for a research project, their ideas and possible new applications. Do not would you use qualitative, quantitative or mixed waste such opportunities. This may be the start - research? What is your justification? Are the ing point for a research project or a study that methods you plan to use valid and reliable? Do you may become passionate about and could lead they enable you to answer the research question? to a scholarly publication. • Plan the statistical methods you will use and Why is a new idea or a common problem that whether these methods are optimum to inter - has not been studied in detail important? A new pret your data analysis and answer your re - idea could: search question. • Open new doors for further understanding or • Re-examine the strengths and weaknesses of give more accurate analysis of the situation. your work and what you can do to clearly out - • Enable the advancement of knowledge in a line the outcomes of your work. particular area. • Write down the possible impact of your pro - • Establish a nucleus for an original research ject. Do not exaggerate. work. • Engage the reviewers and the editor assessing At this stage you may: the work. • Assess the longitudinal plan of the study, the • Provide new insight for readers and re - stages of the project, and identify a rough date searchers. of submission. • Discuss authorship and who you think could At this stage you may need to ask yourself: be a potential co-author and bring something • What do I need to say? useful to the project. • How can I critically analyze my idea? • Work out ethical approval required for your • What is the right format to transfer this idea project. into a scholarly work? • Think about challenges that may interfere with Before going further with your idea, you may your plans and how to manage each of these need to examine if the idea is worth study. More challenges. importantly can you complete your work within a • Think about the journal you will publish your reasonable time? Do you have the resources and work in. expertise needed for the project? Do you need collaboration? Whom should you invite to join you? What can co-authors bring to the project? Tip 3 This reflective process will enable you to visu - alize the whole project and what exactly is need - Select the right journal ed. It will also enable you to become engaged Thinking about the journal you would like to with the idea and motivate you to move from the publish your work is vital at this stage for a num - stage of “finding an idea” to “transferring an idea ber of reasons: into a project” 24 . • Visualize your final product and what you will end with. • Think about the type of papers published in Tip 2 medical education journals and which type is suitable for your idea. Sharpen your good idea • Examine papers published in the journal and To further explore your idea and strengthen it learn whether the journal publishes the type of you will need to 25 : work you plan to conduct.

2968 Publishing your work

• Form an idea about the audience of the jour - seeking authors to publish randomized control nal, the focus and areas of interest to the jour - trials (RCT) because these are the types of stud - nal. ies that affect practices the most and may give • Check the average time between submission of insight into long-term effects 26 , in education a manuscript, finalization of the review RCT are not favored and very few papers stud - process and the final acceptance and publica - ied medical education problems using RCT. tion. Therefore, understanding these differences as • Study the author’s guidelines, the journal’s re - you select the correct journal for your work is quirements, and whether you need to discuss important 21 . However, some general medical your idea with the editor first. journals with high impact ratings may publish Another benefit for selecting the correct jour - papers on medical education; see Table III for nal at this early stage is to identify the Journal examples of such journals. Impact Factor, the journal’s rejection rate, and Print out 2-3 examples of papers published in whether there are processing fees for publishing the journal you finally decide on. Also peruse the your paper or printing coloured illustrations. It is authors’ guidelines, the journal requirements in - also important to know whether the journal is an cluding the style, organization of the manuscript, open access journal, a paper journal or both. the needed subtitles and the way references are The guidelines for authors will help in identi - presented in the manuscript. fying the type of papers published. For example, Currently there are at least three models for (http://www.medicalteacher.org/medteach_wip/p commercial publication of scholarly journals: ages/authinfo.htm). The manuscripts currently published in medical education with high impact 1. Subscription-based journals that allows access can be summarized as follows: to the articles only upon the payment of insti - • Original research: Academic Medicine, Med - tutional or individual fees. In this model, all ical Education, Medical Teacher, BMC Med - authors have to sign a Copyright Transfer ical Education, and Advances in Health Sci - Agreement (CTA) to the publisher as a condi - ences Education. tion of publication. • Systematic and brief reviews: Academic Medi - 2. Open-access (OA) journals in which contents are cine, Medical Education, Medical Teacher, freely available online (http://www.doaj.org). BMC Medical Education, and Advances in The authors in this model retain the copyright Health Sciences Education. of their work but have to pay an Article • Twelve tips : Medical Teacher Process Fee to the publisher. Some journals in • Articles: Medical Teacher , Academic Medi - this model are not fully open access and a sub - cine. scription is required for some articles. • Short communications : Medical Teacher 3. Hybrid open-access journals. This is a recent • How we…: Medical Teacher move made by subscription-based journals of - • Around the world: Medical Teacher fering authors an open access option. In this • Commentaries: Medical Teacher, Medical Ed - case authors have to pay an additional fee to ucation, usually by invitation. publish their article online. The publisher may • Reflections : Advances in Health Sciences Ed - not allow the authors to retain the copyright of ucation. the work. • Letters to the Editor: Academic Medicine, Medical Education, Medical Teacher, BMC With these options in mind, authors have to Medical Education, and Advances in Health select the journal that best matches their needs Sciences Education. in terms of quality, Journal Impact Factor, con - Some journals like Advances in Health Sci - tents, affordable processing fees, copyright ences Education publish special columns from conditions, and average duration it takes the time to time such as “Methodologist’s Corner”, journal to review papers and publish accepted “From the Archives”, and “If I Had Known work. Then” as special invited submissions. Table II You have to be realistic about the end product summarises journals on medical education with and the correct journal to choose. If you aim too high impact ratings. high, you may face rejection and have to revise Although general medicine journals with the manuscript to match the new journal style be - high impact factor (e.g., JAMA, and NEJM ) are fore resubmission.

2969 S.A. Azer, D.M. Dupras, S. Azer d e u . t e g s n s i n e n e t i e i t e t h . n n s i h h t t n m o o a c v ( i l i s o c a t h t m i s . , e y n t c a c e s o e t r n e l a a a t T r i t s o r f c e h b s , s v i y t t i a r . t , u a a r , n r r o a i r s d T o o m e t , e w t t c e . e l i ) s e & p w n a o s u v a s d s e r r h a e i y t e n r s n d o i . r v o c o E t p c s g n e i k e c s g v i . o c b o t e . n t i e ( o t p e . i e s s s h i c r a s l c s i d d . p ) s r e l a r t h e e e c s b o ’ m e r o e s s s a o e d t s r l l l r , e s t p e f i r r r . p r o p o p t d h c c c s h o n a r s E x s s r t y o e b e i i r i o y s s i i e u c e . l i e c e I t t t t p e t u e r i m b r p i o g e n r t g s . w w r r r o s t a k a d e p a s n r s e f t r a a p a o e e i y h y o a a a c r e o e o n n s g n I n e a l l i i e E n p t i a l n r t p r e e d t d g . . t t o a e i u o c n , o . u r f o v v h h h h h . o , o t o l t l l i p i i s s s s e e n a o e o i s e b i s o t o t t t s s e e c t c c c c c e l l l c t d a a t t i n s e h e n r r r r r r l r e a c f p c e e e a w w w w n e m a a r r t w c i o t o n n r - r l l l y v a a a a a i i i p g , i e e e e e i i u v c t a o m i e k k a t h e c c i i i i o o h e e e e e c c r s r . w e l l n m e w t d o t i g g i e n t h w o o b m s s s s i f s v v v v e e b t t i i t p l u i y n g m e u e u c e u s n e c m e r o r s r r e o e e e o e e e e e e o i a e l t p p o h a o o r r o c n l r n n p i D R B R 7 M S R L R S B L R I R A i V S R I H p O U f a a R M & O R p S I R p c A t a y a • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • T • c i l b t l r u c p a o a t r n p c 0 5 7 1 2 r o f 1 4 0 4 6 9 a u m 4 8 2 5 0 2 I F d ...... o e 1 0 1 1 2 J 3 t p e s . n c , e c a c y g n l c r a I e ) i t a s s l B r t s s l P n s t d n i e r r i o s n o n M d C e r u k m m c a o n C l p , B l e A e o i l n a t S a r A f J ) i h l a U l A e p o f r c p y I W S o ( s a n n t h & f o s o p g , t P c a a n n i i y o i s W e e o & y c c o n e r c l A r c i i L g / B i e e ( s o r r a N t o l o s c C ; o e i t i p e e a d l r t e n r y m i c m A h y d e e a t o e g h r t a c i a m m i W i s e e i l e n c g / a i s o c i w l F l l d A A e p e e l l n h s c y o u M o t i f i n p p s l b i o s i e e P o h r o o a s i i h h u p O L B A f A S P W K C r B B o T T S P A o t c a F c / t e u c n d i a e c p d i e d m / 9 I e l m 5 a l c M a 4 n r c n 0 m i r u 1 b / u / o m l j o e / a m J d n o m , r a c 9 o c . L g u 2 l r c o . R A a 4 j o / y r / . 3 t U e y - l m n m i g 9 g o e o o 3 n c c w l c i . . g . x 5 d o r r y d p i 1 w e r e o ) u s s . a l g w a m y e r l . N c n . t o h p b i n l S i s j i r i p l l u . b a S p a . . e I a n n s ( f n n . w w a o / i r e i k l v 2 t u w w d n n d / a 0 i o s w o w a l j c 0 / / / / / / e u / / / / / / 1 : : : : : : . g L d p p p p p p 0 a e t t t t t t R t 1 t t t t p t l h h h h h U h a t n e C d C U d U n D a C D E , L l E U n L a O H D c o O i M i T E I M t d D R L U S C e a D E i A M A D Y U m E v l E E E H M H D e a n P M r H P H E L o n D J b I C r s C O V V A l b I u C O a M D D C M I a B S o n r B B A A A J A u o y l j g a l f o d c s a l i o n e t n o a c s r i u l l n u e i a y B e c a c o r y n n i t i r t J a i i n n n n n g c s e a e d i c l o o o o o s s o n S m e n i l i i i i i l D e e r u i t t t t t a m a o h c c a c c a a a a a m c . M i e t i i I e n n h c c c c c l e n s r I l h d a a r a u u u u u d P C y e c o e v v e a d d d d d u e h f o l m d d c M i E E M E o P E E H M o b B B A A A J A a T

2970 Publishing your work d e u g n n i i t n n r s o a e c e l l c e i l t & r b a g a n T e s . i s g n h e c d o . t . i r r r r r a e t u n s e o o o o o t a t t t t t t o i g . d h h i i i i i i c t s s s n s c t o i o c r s s t d d d d d t i t r e e r a s n h t r e r l l s n h a t t E E E E E s a c c t i e u c c . e p o e i i g e i e e u i i n s l l s s i t e e e e e a r w d t p s t s s p c s m e i s a a n r r b g e n a h h h h h p m e e y - e n i t n t t t t t a b u a r r a n n o u e n d r s d m m i o i i v n h h o g s l o l l l p p i s s s s s t e h o o o o o e i u o p i t s s e t m e d c s c d t t t t t a t a a a t o t e a c t y t r r c r r f o s e e a w w w w w e e n r E r r s w r c r n n n n l a r l r r r l r d i s m a a o p t m e e e e e y i i i e i e v a c o l e u k o e E o c e c e e e c e f i i i i i r n e e e e r l t e t a c e u o t i t g g t g g t i t p w m o r v s f s s p s e u v v v v v o t t t i i t i i t t t s r u s s a o c e d n e p r o M s r i r r r r e o e e e e o a e e u e e e e e h d e e s e h r e o o e c n p t R D R A L S A H A L A T C R O E R H R O L F F I R B O C R R P O C L R R E A F L a y p • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • T • • • • • e c c a t l r c s a r o a t e n p c 5 4 6 4 1 9 2 8 p r a 3 2 4 3 2 6 1 8 a u m p 9 8 5 6 3 2 0 1 I F ...... o f 0 1 3 1 1 0 1 J 1 o e . p p l p c p u u p / a / y n l / m / u o o u t ) e c / I a r r e a r l i c ) y o o t p r i E d s r a r r p o d . G G E n o g f e e c n n e o c r l m e i G G M r o s s a h g o a e n u y M i i r t d r u s s t M D C I r c S d c c e i i S E P u r i e E o r r a s c n n c A i t o d S f A n c o o M a a & c n n n y S c n e ( i f F o f r r i ( a a o n o a g A g y i r r F F n n n n n S S M o F r e n n n r n F F l s o l i o o o o f t o o o o i i r e i i i i n r o & & i i i t f u t t t t & c o i t t t o a e & & h a r r a a a n a t i a W a a a c y i i i i i B y s c y c i r o o r t v p t c c c i c c c c l l e r n l u l d e e e o o l n l u u u o o o o r i e l y y l m i h s d u i b o e s s s s d d l d I t c a a y y o E s s s s m u l o a a E T J E S E D T E C W C a T A A A S T A P A n r u o J , L e R t U m / / / l l l g a a a n X n n i n r r 8 r d u u 5 / / u u o o c c 5 l o j j - j c / / / o o / t t 4 n / / i m m m 5 m 3 9 o o o m m 5 o n 2 7 c c c o o 1 c . . . o 9 5 . ) i c c y y y 0 . . t e 2 0 g 0 e e e N r r - - e e g a l l l g g i i i a r c o 5 0 S 1 n n . 1 i i c o u v 6 0 S l l w w w . d v h . . . I d 5 3 6 n n t e d ( 5 y y y l e i 1 / 1 1 o o e r r r F ) ) a f f c l 2 L a a a g s e k a d d r r r r 0 N N t e O h 8 n n b b b u 0 f S S n i i i a a s a i Z l l l 1 Y e t j t l S S . . . . . 4 e e e I I m 4 d 0 ( ( r n n n w w w w U / / i i i 1 U . o d l l l / . / 1 1 f w w w w l / n n n n 0 1 1 n a 0 a w i o w o w o w 2 1 1 n / / / / / / / / 2 , / / / / / / / / r l 1 1 e : : : : : : : : m . . L a u l b p p p p p p p p 0 0 t c j t t t t o t t t t R i t t 1 t t j t r t t 1 t h d h h h h h h h U h e m n D C o E C U s l U M D a C E D n N r n U I E C u R o D C C i o H T U j A t E S U C C N f a D E i D U E o N H A E E L v I l E F D T E s D I e l T a G H L i E T r L L J n a N - R C A b t r O D D e E R O I E A b U u E E B S C B a D E U H o T M M J J J E J C . ) . d s l s n e a n e l o e c u o c r a i i i t h e n n n s t g a f i r e h r s c i t o u c n e u c i u n f a l o n l g S i d S J n n n n e a o l a & n o e n f r f o o o o g E n a T i c e o n n l i i i i t i r C o p o g i f i n l l t u t t t a ( t i i n a g u l l n c a a a a a a n h e a i i e n I a i o a L o t c c c c c c n r c t l p I l h d i i J n n r u u u u D a a u n o o c e r r E d d i d e d d r d e u e e f a d o e e u u l B h u e M E h e c E B E o E L o o o b T M M J T J E J C a T

2971 S.A. Azer, D.M. Dupras, S. Azer d e u s s s t t t s n s s t i s t n n n s t s s t t s s t t t n e e e n t t n n n n e n n e e n n e e o m m m e e e e m c m p p p m m m m m p p m m o o o p e p p l l l p p o l o p p o o l l o e e e l o o b l o o l l l e e l l v v v e e e a e e v v e e e e e v v v T v v e e v v e d d d e e e e e e d d d d d s s s s d d d d s s s s s s s w w w w w w w w w e e e w w w w w w w w w w w w e w w e e e e e e e n n n e e e e e e e e i i i i e e e e n n i i i i i i i n n n s n n v v v v n n g g g v v v v v v v r g e e e e g g g g n n n e e e e e e e g g r r r r g g n e i i i n n r r r r r r r n n i n n i r r r n n i i i i i i i r i i p i i i i i i i i i r r r s e e e r r r n n n n r r e s s s s s e e n n n n n n n e a i i i i e v v v e e s s s s s s s d e e i i i i i i i v w e e e e e v v v v e e e e e e e v v o o o p v v e e o m m m m v v v v v o o o o i m m m m m m m c c c o o / / / / v v v v v v v i i i i i t o o c c f / / / / / / / i i i i i i i c t t t t t c c s s s s c c v c c t t t t t t t s s s s s s s s s s p s c c c c c s o e s s s c c c c c c c s s s s e e e w w w w e e e e e e r e e l l l e w w w w w w w e e l e e e e e e e e e e e l e e e e l l l p p p p p l l c l l e i e e e e e e e c c c i i i i c c p p p p p p p c i i i i i i i s s i i s s s i c c i c c c c i c n v v v v s s s s s s s i t t t i p i t i i i i t r r r r r i v v v v v v v t t t t t t t r r r r r r r r r r r r e e e e a e e e e e y r r r r r r r e e e e e e e e e e e e e e T A M R P P A A R A P R P P A R A A P P A R P R A R A P A P R P R R A P R • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • t l r c a o a t 2 8 9 0 6 5 8 8 5 3 0 n p c 6 2 7 2 0 7 6 5 7 1 5 6 r 3 0 2 3 5 9 4 6 9 2 8 0 a u ...... m 5 I F 1 . 3 6 4 3 6 1 9 7 2 9 o 0 1 J 5 2 1 3 . . e s r d e & t e g r e l i e u s L o l l a v s s l l J p l a t c s e m e p a t ) o i a a i y c s a d g f u c t i e l M d c i g d i s C e e n i l o s o e d e W t e l t n l E i d B r s a t i d l i i u e i / / n i y c e g n e s o f h S M a W w n n n n o m a i M n m W c o m c i , i g o o o o L C M i r M S i h a i i i i a o t ( e e c n r L t t t t n s e t s i L l T e e i n n d i n n e s a a a a a s s r o t i a a a g i i i i h i r r a m a h i n a e c l r y c c i s c c c c c c e e c m r i s o i i i i i a i i g n h u i d o o l o o k s r r r i l d d M B A A v v l n s a s s t s P S b e e i e e i p e e s s s s s b n n e e e e r f f u i s p s m m u a l h i h h h l u p M W o o A A M p A A s E T S L A T P C T T A A E e l c i / t r s a n ? o s n x e g o / i p g n t r y s i r a u a d . e c s l a - g u a e f r / d n o u R e e r - / s r n l u f e i o m a o o g c h j c o i s m e t / i l l f c d u l . x a d c e m r . o e m p n A t e o c s i m o n # n - c m / a . c a v e 1 . n m . / l r e - u k h m a e o r r 6 s s a a s m c o l . c n i u o 0 k n i . i / l c e o t r c r l . . 6 n m g / c b w r i e e s u n . r m t x 1 a l o l g u e c o e - o o o p 1 c s c a w m j p l g . - . n / . . s c n / j l a n a s . n a a u w a a - r j g y i a m l a s j . l r j d r . e t r a m u e n l m j e m s e o m e p m r h o h . . l . a t u m k s j c n b t v u j s s - a ...... i a . l l t w f o f n n a a w w w a w w w w j a o r e / w u - n n h l u w w w w w w w m d l t = a n n / w o a a / s a w w j w a w j w w w s d n / n / / / / / / / / / / / l i r e : / / / / / / / / / / / r a : e : : : : : : : : : k s : g L t u n p p p p p p p p p p n p p a r t n t t o t t t t t t t i t t R t i t t j P t t t t t t t l t t u h h h h h h U h h h h h h o j l a c i g r u s d / l e n d a g d e o r c M e i d i u t e M d n S M a e r e i J n l r M A e d r l t v g m l o d J a e r o n M l t e p a e c l I u t r a C a n A g n J r S e S I A g b n J M r e n c e A n m t n n n A b M e n u i n i E J n J n n r e G a h a A S o M g A K J A J A J c T N B M L f o l y e l l a l s l g y a m d c a l a e a r i e r e n l n a c l n e d r e i l d a p n r e g l u n r a d o e r e e g m e t o c e u e s l a u n C M J l a h h n n n i o n n a G t t t o A f l S I i a e x o M J h i n n E c o g e e e e i r a c c f f f o t i s s f f t l a a S E e i i r c i n n n n l l n o a o o o l l l e t d a o o t i i i a c c g w i d d a n L i u a . i i i p s a a a a c e l l l r c c c c i i I e c e e r r s s r c a n i i i i a u I a a n a n n n s l l u A n d r o e e o I r r r d d d d g N B L M e a a n n n r h s a e M M S s A i N e r r e u r u u e e n t m n n s m s o n e e e e u e i c f f f f u u o u o o n l a N n n a h h h h S S o o I M A o M J A o J J M A M A o o o o b K A J A J A J C J T T T T a T

2972 Publishing your work

Tip 4 s s s s t t t t n n n n e e e e m m m m Discuss authorship p p p p o o o o l l l l All authors should carefully read the jour - e e e e v v v v e e e e nal’s guidelines and adhere to the journal’s reg - d d d d s s s s w w w w w w w w e e e e ulations. The role of each author should be dis - e e e e i i i i n n n n v v v v e e e e g g g g cussed early and the final list of authorship po - r r r r s n n n n r i i i i i i i i r r r r e n n n n sition should be finalised based on the actual e e e e i i i i p v v v v m m m m o o o o a d / / / / contribution of each author to the research c c c c s s s s p e s s s s t f w w w w e e e e work done and the writing and editing of the l l l l p e e e e o i i i i c c c c e i i i i v v v v t t t t c e r r r r e e e e manuscript. If there is disagreement, the con - c p A R A A R R A R a y flict should be discussed among the authors. If T • • • • • • • • not resolved, a final decision should be reached t l r c a o

a by the principle researcher based on the out - t n p c 3 8 7 3 r 8 7 1 9 a comes of the discussion with the team and the u m 5 0 7 0 I F . . . . o J 1 1 1 1 supportive evidence for contribution of each co-author 27 . , , . a s p e i s n u , d e

, Recently the prevalence of honorary author - m o o d n u e i t o r . I t s s d L s a , R G u ship in biomedical publications has been stud - i l n c f d , s o i t a a g s o s e l 28 l t c . r n H L e i b

i ied . While this trend is relatively common in g i y r o t u K f d t n n h T P i e e o s P o i U E r i

d biomedical publications, there are no studies out - i V e l c t e , , M e E n w P b a o n n i i m o i h u h lining this problem in medical education jour - S o a c o c c s o i i n s P d d i l i o s u l d d k y t a s n n J l i e e d

d nals. However, regardless of the areas of publica - s b n r y o o a r i e t M o e u B L A M M L I s P B R M V tion, authors should comply with the Internation - e l c i al Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ (ICM - t r a JE) criteria for authorship Recently, the ICMJE n o i p

t added a fourth criterion for authorship to empha - s a a t c .

n size responsibilities of each author to the design u s e d u r t e r of work, interpretation of data, critical input to u l u o a c g / b c t r intellectual contents, revision of the final version, i a n / o d . e e t m

w and being accountable for all aspects of work n o m e i o c 29 . h v c published (http://www.icmje.org/ethical_1au - m e / s e i r o n l i m c n l b

. thor.html). o a j n u c e . o p m p b b m o y u . r a g p n u p e e m j e . . g p t a o w w a j

s Tip 5 . h w w t s m r b j w w s / / / / l / / / / a : : : : L n p p p p Adhere to ethical principles r t t t t R t t t t u U h h h h o All authors of a paper should declare to the j l a journal any potential conflicts of interest in rela - c i g

r tion to their submitted work. The form is usually u s

/ supported by the journal or is included as part of l i n a d d c o c e e i i S the online submission system of the journal. d t d l e M M a e N o i

d Most journals will not process the submission c c M E v m l a a o P r l e v a S r a g e m further unless they receive the completed form O t n r r b y s r R e J a o b o r n u h and a statement of approval from the appropriate M e R P a u P o g J B J J E institutional review board (IRB). In this regard f o s l the International Committee of Medical Journal e a d l w l c e a n p i i Editors (ICMJE) developed an electronic uni - a y g e v m o t e l o e a a l a n

R form disclosure form in 2009. Since then the i R x c u o n e i f f c s c d E e i n n l d o o e a i a y p d

a form has been modified and the current version is . e a r t c l l c I e e i m e I a a g n O n i r t p I M d e n n r M J s c a available at (http://www.icmje.org/coi_instruc - i o r r e r r u e o o c h f u u o l M u P S f M o S P o o o tions.html). Forms created by the journals are b J B J J E a

T usually based on the ICMJE recommendations.

2973 S.A. Azer, D.M. Dupras, S. Azer

Authors should be aware of misconduct that Introduction could damage the researchers’ reputations. Mis - This section should introduce the topic and conduct in relation to authorship includes: include background information to allow the • Fabrication or falsification of data and results reader to understand why you chose to write the of a research paper. article and what question you are seeking to an - • Duplicating a manuscript. swer. It is also important to indicate why the • Submitting the same manuscript to another topic matters to the readership and how it is rel - journal at the same time. evant 15 . In a research manuscript the final sen - • Self-plagiarism (using sentences or paragraphs tences often explicitly state “the goal of the from one of the author’s published work) study was…” • Plagiarism (using ideas, words or work of oth - ers without acknowledging their work). Methods • Using a published method or a research proto - In writing this section, the author should seek col without giving credit to the original cre - to answer the question, “If someone wanted to ator. repeat this study, is all necessary information Plagiarism detection tools (such as http://pla - here to allow them to do this?” If the answer is giarism-detection.com; http://www.plagiarism - yes, it suggests that the critical elements are in - scanner.com; http://www.scanmyessay.com) are cluded. It is also the section that editors and re - available and most journals scan papers submit - viewers use to determine whether the study is ted for publication for plagiarism prior to decid - likely to be valid. This includes a critical look at ing to ask an associate editor to decide if the the study design, assessment methods, statistical manuscript is suitable for peer review or not 30 . analysis, and risk of bias. Studies in medical edu - cation may use any one of a number of qualita - tive, quantitative and mixed methods. The validi - Tip 6 ty and reliability of the method used should also be evaluated 15 . Prepare the manuscript The structure of the current scientific paper Results “Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion This section reports the findings and evidence (IMRAD) first appeared in the 1940s and by the that provides a framework for the following dis - 1980s was the only format used in original re - cussion, summary and conclusions. It should be search papers 31,32 . Individual studies may differ in organised in a logical fashion with the most im - the specific elements in each section, but should portant findings presented first. If there are follow a formal structure. The other element that many findings, grouping them into sections will is now commonly included in a manuscript is a make it easier for the reader to see that each structured or unstructured abstract which pre - item was addressed. This is usually where cedes these sections. In writing a paper you must graphs and tables are included. One common ensure that each section is organised and includes mistake is to include data both in the text and in the appropriate information 8,33 . Table IV sum - a figure. Generally this should be avoided. Re - marises resources that can help authors in prepar - dundancy generally only serves to lengthen the ing their manuscripts. manuscript. There should be no interpretation of the data in this section. It is critical to make Abstract: sure that the results reported agree with those An absolute essential element of a good manu - reported in the abstract. When deciding whether script is that the abstract accurately reflects the to include data in a group, figure or chart, keep body of the manuscript. Research has shown that in mind that there should only be one message there are frequent inconsistencies in the informa - from the data. The figure and accompanying tion contained in the abstract and the results. This text including legend, titles, axis labels should is a common mistake that is likely to result in be sufficient for this to be a standalone piece of quick rejection 34 . Many journals specify both the information. The specific journal requirements format and number of words that can be included for type of figure, graph or chart may differ, so in the abstract. The abstract should convey the pay close attention to this as it is again a com - key points of the paper in a clear and concise mon area for mistakes that can lead to rejection way. of the manuscript 14 .

2974 Publishing your work / / / / s s s / s k d d d t o a a a f n o o o o d e l l l / b p / p p p s . m l e u u u d u / / / a f g a c e e e m n a d o t o b b b l o u p h . i o o o p . f D g t r r r d e u d t t t c n + / e t p e a e S S S m . n l / / / s n c t f i o / - r r n n n + e t / d b s i i i h t u s o 6 s / / s / p n e . o s e h m 2 m m m f o y l r w o s 3 n o r o r i d d d d s e c e % f c c c 1 a t o t a a a - / p / i - r . + t _ _ _ e e e R n t p l l l l / b i 7 b h n 4 4 4 a i i i i - u g g u s 2 f f f l w o f v v v y d i r r / / / - / / a i g p r g l / o _ _ _ f t n o o g g g 6 g g r n t t t a d - . . g g e a r r r e r r - i l s s s o s s n n n s c n i i i . d o o o t o o n e s i l l l t . . . / . . m i i e e o o u c t t t t o s f i i - i k k k n k k i a n l d t t l n n n m e r r r r i y c c c e 3 f t e g t a a l e e e g o a o o e e e i / / / 1 r r w n r e m c s h h h - g g g 0 o o m m m / w w o o d 7 m e m e r r r c c c t t . c i / t e e e 2 - b b r c k t i o t t t o o o e e / / _ _ _ a u e a a f 6 . . . u n c t a a a m l l i n n . g g . n e e e E E E t t t 6 l l t s e G - - r r r o g s s s - u r r n n n - 4 o o n e B B B c r o o - - - j a m . a a a . . c c o o e 0 - L g e e e o r r r t t i - e e e e O O O e e . s t n j j m b b b P a a c h h h 0 h e e i R R R s a s o o o c c c m m u u r s i 2 t h n m m - r r r M T T T e e r i o o o a q q s p t t t 0 c c l n - s c c c b b m e i e i p s e s s S S S A 4 e ...... / o / / e - - S s s s r d w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w / t t t i i 1 e s s s - 7 u u c i i i w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w 8 l l l 0 q g n / w w w w w w w w w w w w w s w w w 7 k k k a _ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 3 c c c 9 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / e d : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : i 1 e e e s L p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p u 0 a h h h t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t R t t t t t t t e c t t t t t g t 2 t t c c t t h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h U h , e l , b n n w a s e o e , i g m t t c N r n r c a , i o d d d . t u u n s r e e e a N o d . l p l o M d d d s s . . n . a l y o p m p e u u u i p o P E l l l a r t b e h x o c u r r c c c s t s n e n s r s t f d r o n n n e t s n k e e h e e d r e i i i t e i r u e e s l n o A h y r h t o g E i i i o t d o t i o r r a e e e e l t C h j d p a u a o c d r d e M t b b b g a w , M t i l m s u e e e f o n c S t n s B n d s a n e r d d d e E f i I g a o s . l l l t . l c , l e s c n o E v h m o r c r i n t i s l B r J n l a R u u u a b s i a e c i o h h l e p u f d a n n g o d r o e r t o o o n u P e s n i c i i s t p g i e o e t i n i o t h n u m p t u h h h o p , l t o d i t k n n d i s a d a o s s s r d n a a t o m i t m n r i e u o u m r e d V a o C m e r e e c a o t t t t t e c s t i l a f r i a r g o t f a h n i r n p h a a a u a d s m e c t a y s c r i g u s n b a r t s s t s e y s h v h h d n S s u t t i s k t t a i s t b g P s n t t t - y r i , o t h d r l n e e i k c a i l y o i n n a l f f s e , l e e y t r d r g g o s s s b o i l l r o r a e s i e e o n i s K o a s m b e s o n e C h r a r l u d e k d n t o a b e i b m u m m w t t e s i c m m U t o r o p U a m L d w v c w d l e e e i w r o i q o n f d n n c c / u u c r t t t w e l o i i , n e d n o i i i i d p f s n n r o y . c c l c d u o i t a c h f n i a l e f g g i e b l a a a o i S f f f e o m o o e t s a c r e o f R f e t h f o n n r o , i l i d i o o o a d s d d h a s m i i s o i e l t c t m g , n s i R r o e l g t t t t s y s e s t e l t t t t e s t n b n e n i r r r e e n t n u r o i n o n e - F s s s s e d i l n i n s c a t p i e e u c c i i i i c r a o o o r i g i r t b o h i r t l c i l l l l i e b r r d f l r a u l l e P p p p E E r l a l a a r c s t t f c h k k k k s u u u e u n l d f J J E e e e e s c . e s o d c P s l c o c c c c e i r e p r r o o d I r o n d d n c S l s c t p n f . e i o e e e e s s e y n M M g o n r n o x c e a n n n n n e o n u e e h h h h A h i t D G c C a i a b a r c i & o i e i i C C t A R R A I E G I C C S T C C D r a g n i s r e a l k p c r i e t o r r h E p a , w c J t h e s r ) f t ) c c y e r l i a l M o t s u E f o m a r t e i t i d r d C s e a t h I c l t M o o e n n i m f H , g o ) u l h o e E n R ) t f s s i a t n h c m d r i o e e B s n f c E c t r i o ( n o i e s e t s n o o t S c o r m i r a i i a h C c ) f f l n ) k a t e n f n r t k l A ) d d w ) ) ) l e d l e t o s i i o p s o n c t t t o o a r o t r i k a n g a e E d n n i E t s c e t s u e o r c o i n n n i b i i t o o n u i a n n a j i r i t ; e l n c a t f o f e e e b o a i a d e t u b i s r o i o l d a o r t n e s i i c g a s d t i a r u l s i r d d i r u w e e m m m c c t n h G t u n c n n t G t o w s o n t d m n i u r e P s e e e o s a o t d t t t e a e u e t t t e o e a y o u i s M u s E i i n C i l s l e i a a a h E n l d A E v a p s e s r d c t o a & t t t s v L d a H i l e p r e l s o e J a E f e e R d E n s d l S S S a c A o n n t l P r R M a i n l r I l t d l o y m e a o y n a a n n n p a e e n d S i n l e a A a e n O c I E E E o h i o s c r e M U t n o I e r c i e ) o a a c u ( i g l c f e i s c m r e T c i h i t d t a o K i B B B t i n e e n i c n a R A Q t n i y E i s l s u e n c a c d g i r a d e c A m t d p s a c . h J i a s v P S S O O O s s t i b t y i o e l - h e v a n n e e c - r o u V t e t r m t U c o i i m r E u e r a R R R i r e e e a I l s f n e l t M s C M f o t e o l o e t S M o i e r i M p t i d s d t a u h h Q h c o T T T t e p t r i a s i s h C s c e e e e r s f f f n e s o t e E S I T T E T a S S l n n n u u i b u e e o r e h h y t i o P o w r ( i ( ( o m u ( ( ( i h ( ( ( n b I T B T G R G Q D S C S C R O a T

2975 S.A. Azer, D.M. Dupras, S. Azer

Figures & Tables poor quality. The findings in the tables are re - Each figure should make one point and a fig - peated in the manuscript under the results and ure should be freestanding. Labels should be or in the discussion. Educational values of clear and legible and must be readable in publi - each figure and table were not carefully stud - cation. Use consistent sizes, fonts, styles in all ied to sharpen the focus of the paper. graphics across the manuscript. Tables should be • The paper is not free from typological and standalone pieces of information and designed in grammatical errors. a way that clearly shows key results and calcula - • References do not follow the journal’s style, tions used. contain mistakes, some citations in the manu - script are not listed in the references, citations Discussion are not up-to-date, and important related pa - This section should use the same framework pers are not cited or incorrectly cited. as the results section. The data should be inter - • The title of the paper does not match with the preted to provide a coherent story of what the re - abstract, the research question and/or the work sults mean; what is the significance of the find - done. ings? One should also ensure that statistical sig - • The methods used are not valid or reliable and nificance is differentiated from meaningfulness. do not enable authors to answer the research The results should also be discussed in the con - question. text of what is known about this topic with a goal • The statistical methods used are not well se - of showing how the new information adds to the lected, and the results are over interpreted. body of knowledge (literature) around this topic. Confounding factors were not carefully con - It is important to discuss not only the strengths of sidered in the data interpretation. the study, but also the limitations. The authors • The paper contains several inconsistencies and need to be careful not to generalise the findings current research findings are ignored. beyond what is supported by the data. The limita - • The paper contains too many medical and sci - tions can also serve a platform from which to entific terms; not suiting the general reader - launch ideas for further study 16 . ship of medical education journals. Studies have reported that many of these are References common reasons that medical manuscripts are re - This is also an area of common mistakes. jected 38,39 . Make sure to use the correct format for the refer - ences and verify that they are accurate. Using a tool such as Endnote can greatly simplify this Tip 8 provided the data inputted is correct. Research li - brarians can be indispensible for helping with See it from the editors’ and reviewers’ eyes this. Most authors forget the fact that the first read - ers of their paper are the editors and the peer-re - viewers allocated to examine their paper. There - Tip 7 fore, it is vital to see your manuscript from the editors’ and reviewers’ eyes. Remember the edi - Avoid common mistakes tors and reviewers do not look at the same issues. Common mistakes may damage your submis - Editors are concerned about a number of key is - sion and in many cases may result in an editorial sues: (1) Does the work match the needs of the decision not to send the paper for peer-review 34- journal’s readers and the journal’s style? (2) Does 37 . These common mistakes include: the work match with the standards set by the • The submission does not follow the journal’s journal? (3) Does the work help in the advance - guidelines to authors. ment of our knowledge in the area addressed? • The paper is too long with redundant informa - What exactly does the paper add to what we tion or too short and incomplete. know? (4) What type of criticism is raised • The manuscript is not written in academic against the paper from one or more reviewers? English and is generally below the standards and (5) Is there an ethical issue, conflict of inter - of the journal. est or plagiarism? • Too many tables and figures. Tables are poorly On the other hand peer-reviewers focus on the designed and the figures/illustrations are of following questions/issues:

2976 Publishing your work

• Is the research question original and well de - • Research method used and a brief justification fined? for selecting that method. • Is the data sound and well controlled? • Key findings and the meaning of what was • Are the methods used well described, valid found. and reliable? Did they enable the authors to • Significance of work done to the readers of the adequately answer the research question? journal. • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the • Name of corresponding author and contact de - study? tails. • Are the statistical methods used the right Some journals ask for the inclusion of a state - methods? Is the interpretation of the results ment that the paper has not been submitted to any sound and have any biases or confounding fac - other journal and is not under consideration else - tors been considered in the methodology de - where, none of the paper’s contents have been sign, analysis of data and interpretation of previously published and the authors have no findings? conflict of interest to declare. • Does the title of the paper reflect the abstract, work done, and the overall conclusions? • Are the references cited up-to-date and a re - Tip 10 flection of our current knowledge? • Are the tables and figures clearly presented? Respond to the editor’s and reviewers’ Are there any areas that need improvement? reports. Usually it will take 6-8 weeks for the authors Authors should consider these points while receive an email from the journal’s editor about writing and revising their paper prior to submis - their submission 41 . The decision made may be sion. Important questions to be considered here one of the following options: may include 39,40 : • The article has been accepted without addi - • Is the abstract within the word count? Are there tional changes. any inconsistencies between the paper’s title, • The article is accepted subject to satisfactory abstract content and other parts of the paper? amendment being made. • Has the paper met the guidelines for authors • The article has major problems and is rejected. and the journal’s requirements? The editor of most journals usually allocates • Have you prepared a suitable cover letter to the review process to one of the associate editors. the editor to accompany submission? The associate editor has to review the paper first • Are the references correctly cited and con - and decide if the paper is suitable to be sent for tained in the list of references? review process or not. If the paper is found not • Have you reviewed the whole manuscript for original, has major problems or does not help in any spelling or grammatical errors? the advancement of our knowledge in the area studied or not reflecting the needs of the jour - nal’s readership, the associate editor may decide Tip 9 to reject the paper and send a letter to the corre - sponding author without sending it for peer-re - Prepare a cover letter view. The rejection letter in this case is usually The cover letter submitted with the manuscript received within 2-3 weeks after submission 42 . constitutes an important component in the sub - Most journals ask 3-4 reviewers to review the mission. Most authors do not know how to write submitted paper. Once the reviewers’ reports are a cover letter and what exactly should be stated received by the journal, the associate editor for - in the letter. Therefore, letters are usually direct - wards a letter to the corresponding author outlin - ed to the journal’s editor with a brief statement ing the editor’s decision and the peer-reviewers’ such as “please find enclosed a manuscript sub - reports. If the decision was to submit an amended mitted for publication”. A good cover letter version addressing the reviewers’ concerns, usu - should include: ally the associate editor states in his/her letter • Title of the paper, authors’ names, name of the that the revised version will be revaluated by the institute, and type of paper. original reviewers and that this invitation does • A brief statement about the problem/rationale of not guarantee eventual acceptance of the manu - the paper and what the research question was. script.

2977 S.A. Azer, D.M. Dupras, S. Azer

This is a great opportunity to the authors to • Reading was not engaging, flow was difficult submit an amended version within the time frame and several statements were not scientifically allocated by the editor in his/her letter. To re - correct and/or not justified by the literature. spond to the editor’s and reviewers’ reports, the • Poor English and writing style. authors should: • Problems with the study design; several con - Carefully read the reviewers’ reports and the founding factors not addressed in the study associate editor’s letter and identify what is ex - could explain the study findings. actly needed. • Methods selected are not valid and/or cannot Distribute the work among the authors and enable authors to answer their research ques - agree on the type of changes needed. All changes tion. made to the manuscript should be in a different Problems in statistics, methods used, the way colour, bold, or underlined. Track changes should results are presented and/or the interpretation of not be used. findings. The corresponding author should prepare a re - The possibility of rejection is generally high sponse letter addressing in a point-by-point for - when one or more of these reasons are highlight - mat each point raised by the reviewers and the ed by the peer-reviewers or earlier by the editor. changes made to the manuscript including page Rejection is part of our academic life. Very number, and line numbers of each change made. few authors get their submission accepted fully at If changes were not made to an item/query the first submission or are only asked by the edi - raised by a reviewer, the authors have to present tor to make minor changes. Grief reaction should in the response letter a strong argument for their be managed as soon as possible and researchers decision. have to learn how to use rejection to improve The authors should ensure that the changes their future scholarly work and the quality of made are meaningful, and have helped in im - their publications. Before submitting to another proving the manuscript and targeted the points journal, authors may need to: raised by the peer-reviewers. • Readjust or rewrite the title if needed. • Discuss with your co-authors the best journal to submit your paper. Tip 11 • Review the whole paper guided by the new journal’s instructions including the way the ab - Don’t be discouraged by rejection stract is written, titles and subtitles needed, ci - The reject rate of scientific and medical educa - tation and the way references are presented. tion journals, particularly those with high Journal • Consider the comments highlighted by the Impact Factor, is in the range of 70-80% and in peer reviewers and the editor from the last some journals up to 90%. Rejection may be (i) an submission. outright rejection made at the editorial level (5- • Prepare a new cover letter directed to the edi - 10%), (ii) rejection and invitation to resubmit (5- tor of the journal selected. 20%). If major revision is needed, the editor may In case your paper was rejected by several state that there is no guarantee that the amended journals, you may in the end decide to review the version will be accepted and the submitted ver - whole study, work on the design, the research sion will undergo peer revision, and (iv) rejection question, revisit the method used and conduct the (60-70%) because of poor design of the study, study again. Although such a decision may be major problems in methodology and the way the hard, you will ultimately produce a stronger paper presented 35,43 . These percentages vary de - study, particularly if you are passionate about pending on the journal’s rejection rate, the jour - your original idea. nal Impact Factor, number of issues per year, and whether a journal is open-access or traditional. There are several factors for rejection and au - Tip 12 thors should be aware of common causes for re - jection: Reflect on your experience • The subject of the paper is outside the scope of Self-reflection is a metacognitive capacity that the journal. is considered central to perception of signifi - • The paper is not original and has low publica - cance, understanding explanations, and evalua - tion priority. tion of performance. Therefore, the process eval -

2978 Publishing your work uated in self-reflection and insight is vital in per - Notes on Contributors sonal growth and learning from mistakes and previous experience. The aim of such exercises is Samy A. Azer , MD, PhD (USyd), MEd not the emotional thoughts and behaviours but (UNSW), FACG, MPH (UNSW) is Professor of rather the collective value of research, scholarly Medical Education and the Head of Curriculum work and the individual targets for quality publi - Development and Research Unit, College of cations. Medicine, King Saud University. He was Profes - As a researcher, self-reflection and insight: sor of Medical Education and Chair of Medical • Are essential for achieving self-regulation. Education Research and Development Unit, Fac - • Facilitate the exploration of future directions ulty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, in research and the demand for quality publi - Malaysia. Formerly he was Senior Lecturer in cations. Medical Education at the Faculty of Medicine, • Enable motivating progress and keep re - and Health Sciences, the University of searchers focused on what needs to be Melbourne and the , Aus - achieved. tralia. He is one of the Associate Editors of BMC • Foster critical thinking processes and motiva - Medical Education and on the Editorial Board of tion. MedEdWorld, UK. Reflection is a skill that needs to be learned Denise Dupras , MD, PhD, FACP is Associate and practiced regularly 44 . However, researchers Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal may not realize the effect that reflection has on Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA. their development, or they might have difficulty She is an Associate Program Director of the In - thinking through a research situation or gaining ternal Medicine residency program. She is an as - insight for making changes and using self-reflec - sociate editor of the Journal of Graduate Medical tion in a purposeful way. Discussing the study or Education. paper with a mentor or colleague may provide Sarah Azer, MBBS/LLB (Hons) (Monash), P new perspective or insight into tailoring the paper Grad Dip Surg Anat (Uni Melb) is a Urology reg - or the study to publication. istrar at Department of Urology, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

––––––––––––– –– ––– –-–– Conclusions Acknowledgements The work was supported by College of Medicine Re - The twelve tips discussed in this paper should search Centre, Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud provide novice authors from Medical Education University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Departments as well as module/unit coordinators, –––––––––––––––– ––––– PBL tutors and basic and clinical science acade - Conflict of Interest mics with concrete approaches on how to get their work published. As is the case with medical The Authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. and science-based journals, it is vital to realise that there are standards set by medical education journals and authors have to meet these stan - References dards. Therefore, in order to get published, au - 1) GLASPER EA, P EATE I. Writing for publication: science thors should see their work through the eyes of and healthcare journals. Br J Nurs 2013; 22: 964- editors and reviewers because they are the first 968. readers of submitted work. Planning the publica - 2) DOWLING DA, S AVRIN C, G RAHAM GC. Writing for tion by starting with the end of mind, reading re - publication: perspectives of graduate stu - lated literature, adhering to ethical procedures, dents and doctorally prepared faculty. J Nurs and avoiding common mistakes are key elements Educ 2013; 52:371-375. for reaching your goal. Continuous evaluation of 3) ANNESLEY TM. Writing an effective manuscript re - view: The 6 “Be’s” to success. Clin Chem. 2013; work done and the manuscript is vital. Bringing 59: 1028-1035. these twelve tips into your action plan will allow 4) ARONSKY D, T ALMON J, H AUX R, D E KEIZER N, L EONG you to have a better approach and hopefully suc - TY, S AFRAN C, L EHMANN CU. Writing for publication cessful outcomes with your submission to a med - in biomedical informatics journals. AMA Annu ical education journal. Symp Proc 2008; 6:1229-1232.

2979 S.A. Azer, D.M. Dupras, S. Azer

5) GLASPER EA, S CHILLING J. Writing for publication in 21) KELLY AM. Evaluating and writing education pa - issues in comprehensive pediatric nursing. Issues pers compared with noneducation papers. Acad Compr Pediatr Nurs 2013; 36: 178-187. Radiol 2012; 19:1100-1109. 6) KNOTTNERUS JA, TUGWELL P. How to write a research 22) COVERDALE JH, R OBERTS LW, B ALON R, B ERESIN EV. paper. J Clin Epidemiol. 2013; 66:353-354. Writing for academia: getting your research into print: AMEE Guide No. 74. Med Teach. 2013; 7) LATHAM CL, A HERN N. Professional Writing in Nursing Education: Creating an Academic-Com - 35:e926-e934. munity Writing Center. J Nurs Educ 2013; 23) SULLIVAN GM. Writing education studies for publi - 52:615-620. cation. J Grad Med Educ 2012; 4:133-137. 8) MORTON PG. Publishing in professional journals, 24) ROEDERER M, M ARCINIAK MW, O’C ONNOR SK, E CKEL SF. part I: getting started. AACN Adv Crit Care 2013; An integrated approach to research and manu - 24: 162-168. script development. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2013; 70: 1211-1218. 9) DIPIRO JT. Acceptance and rejection of manu - scripts for publication in the American Journal of 25) OYA M. Editorial comment to how to prepare and Pharmaceutical Education. Am J Pharm Educ. present scientific manuscripts in English. Int J 2013; 77:66. Urol. 2013; 20:139. 10) CROWSON MG. A Crash Course in Medical Writing 26) BERAL V, B ANKS E, R EEVES G. Evidence from ran - for Health Profession Students. J Cancer Educ. domized trials on the long-term effects of hor - 2013; 28:554-557. mone replacement therapy. Lancet. 2002; 360:942-944. 11) PEINHARDT RD, H AGLER D. Peer coaching to support writing development. J Nurs Educ 2013; 52: 24- 27) WREN JD, K OZAK KZ, J OHNSON KR, D EAKYNE SJ, 28. SCHILLING LM, D ELLAVALLE RP. The write position. A survey of perceived contributions to papers based 12) GALIPEAU J, M OHER D, S KIDMORE B, C AMPBELL C, on byline position and number of authors. EMBO HENDRY P, C AMERON DW, H ÉBERT PC, P ALEPU A. Sys - tematic review of the effectiveness of training pro - Rep 2007; 8: 988-991. grams in writing for scholarly publication, journal 28) AL-H ERZ W, H AIDER H, A L-B AHHAR M, S ADEQ A. Hon - editing, and manuscript peer review (protocol). orary authorship in biomedical journals: how com - Syst Rev. 2013; 2:41. Available at: http://www.sys - mon is it and why does it exist? J Med Ethics. tematicreviewsjournal.com/content/pdf/2046- 2013; 40:346-348. 4053-2-41.pdf 29) LEOPOLD SS. Editorial: Research is a team sport: 13) KOTZ D, C ALS JW. Effective writing and publishing updated authorship guidelines for CORR. Clin Or - scientific papers, part IV: methods. J Clin Epi - thop Relat Res. 2013; 471:701-702. demiol. 2013; 66:817. 30) SUGIMORI E, K ITAGAMI S. Plagiarism as an illusional 14) KOTZ D, C ALS JW. Effective writing and publishing sense of authorship: the effect of predictability on scientific papers, part VII: tables and figures. J source attribution of thought. Acta Psychol Clin Epidemiol. 2013; 66:1197. (Amst). 2013; 143:35-39. 15) CALS JW, K OTZ D. Effective writing and publishing 31) BORDAGE G. Reasons reviewers reject and accept scientific papers, part III: introduction. J Clin Epi - manuscripts: the strengths and weaknesses in demiol. 2013; 66: 702. medical education reports. Acad Med. 2001; 76:889-896. 16) CALS JW, K OTZ D. Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part VI: discussion. J Clin Epi - 32) SOLLACI LB, P EREIRA MG. The introduction, meth - demiol. 2013; 66:1064. ods, results and discussion (IMRAD) structure: a fifty-year survey. J Med Libr Assoc 2004; 92: 17) TURABIAN KL. A manual for writers of research pa - pers, theses and dissertations: Chicago style for 364-367. students & researchers. 8th edition. The Universi - 33) ROBERTS WC. How I prepare a manuscript for publi - ty of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA, 2013. cation in a medical journal. Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J 2012; 8:53-54. 18) NESS V, D UFFY K, M CCALLUM J, P RICE L. Getting pub - lished: Reflections of a collaborative writing 34) PIERSON DJ. The top 10 reasons why manuscripts group. Nurse Educ Today 2014; 34:1-5. are not accepted for publication. Respir Care 2004; 49: 1246-1252. 19) PAINA L, S SENGOOBA F, W ASWA D, M’ IMUNYA JM, B EN - NETT S. How does investment in research training 35) BORDAGE G, C AELLEIGH AS, S TEINECKE A, B LAND CJ, affect the development of research networks and CRANDALL SJ, M CGAGHIE WC, P ANGARO LN, P ENN G, collaborations? Health Res Policy Syst. 2013; REGEHR G, S HEA JS, J OINT TASK FORCE OF ACADEMIC 11:18. Available at: http://www.health-policy- MEDICINE AND THE GEA -R IME COMMITTEE . Review cri - systems.com/content/11/1/18 teria for research manuscripts. Acad Med. 2001; 76:897-978. 20) WINCKLER E, B ROWN J, L EBAILLY S, M CGEE R, B AYLDON B, H UBER G, K ALEBA E, L OWRY KW, M ARTENS J, M ASON 36) EZEALA C, N WEKE I, E ZEALA M. Common errors in M, N UÑEZ A. A novel program trains community- manuscripts submitted to medical science jour - academic teams to build research and partner - nals. Ann Med Health Sci Res 2013; 3: 376- ship capacity. Clin Transl Sci 2013; 6: 214-221. 37 9.

2980 Publishing your work

37) WILSON A, S HARRAD S, R ASMUSSEN P, K ERNICK J. Pub - 41) MUNK -J ØRGENSEN P, C HRISTIANSEN B, L ICHT RW. Your lish or perish: ensuring longevity in nurse educa - paper has been accepted for publication. Acta tion-evaluation of a strategy to engage acade - Psychiatr Scand 2010; 121: 1-3. mics, students, and clinicians in publication activi - 42) KOTZ D, C ALS JW. Effective writing and publish - ty. J Prof Nurs 2013; 29:210-216. ing scientific papers, part XII: responding to re - 38) MCGAGHIE WC. Scholarship, publication, and ca - viewers. J Clin Epidemiol 2014; 67: 243. reer advancement in health professions educa - 43) VENKETASUBRAMANIAN N, H ENNERICI MG. How to tion: AMEE Guide No. 43. Med Teach 2009; 31: handle a rejection. Teaching course presenta - 574-59 0. tion at the 21st European Stroke Conference, 39) AZER SA, R AMANI S, P ETERSON R. Becoming a peer Lisboa, May 2012. Cerebrovasc Dis 2013; 35: reviewer to medical education journals. Med 209-212. Teach 2012; 34: 698-704. 44) ASSELIN ME. Using reflection strategies to link 40) HANNICK JH, F LANIGAN RC. How to prepare and pre - course knowledge to clinical practice: the RN-to- sent scientific manuscripts in English. Int J Urol BSN student experience. J Nurs Educ 2011; 50: 2013; 20: 136-139. 125-133.

2981