PUB HLTH 445: Writing and Peer Reviewing for Publication

MSCI 445 Syllabus Revised 08/04/2016 Northwestern University Master of Science in Clinical Investigation

MSCI 445

WRITING AND PEER REVIEW FOR PUBLICATION IN MEDICINE – 1.0 Credit

FALL Quarter 2016: September 22 – December 1, 2016

THURSDAYS- 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Classroom Location: Gray Seminar Room in the Lurie building

Course Faculty – Denise Drane, PhD, MPH Director for Research and Evaluation Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching Northwestern University [email protected] Phone: 847-491-2628 (Direct Line) Office Hours: By appointment, as requested

Prerequisites – PH 304 - Intro to Epidemiology and PH 302 - Intro to Biostatistics

Highly desirable – Prior research experience with readiness to write your own research reports. One assignment requires a full paper to be written, so data of some sort is absolutely required.

Class size will be limited to 12 students. This is an interactive, workshop-style class where participants share and give peer feedback on drafts of their work during class time. Therefore, attendance and class participation are critical to your learning and to the skills you will develop in the course. Please plan to be at every class as missed classes cannot be fully made up since class discussion as a major part of the learning.

Course Objectives At the end of the course, students will be able to:

 understand what medical writing entails  know how to assess their research findings and identify a suitable publication venue  create effective data displays including graphs and tables  write and edit a complete manuscript reporting their own research (or a meta-analysis of published studies)  critically evaluate a manuscript as a peer reviewer and thoughtfully respond to peer reviews of their own work  understand ethical issues facing writers of medical and scientific research

MSCI 445 Syllabus Revised 08/24/2016 Northwestern University MSCI

Fall 2016 Course Description

This course provides a HANDS-ON experience that will review and discuss the steps involved in preparing, peer reviewing, and revising manuscripts for publication. Students are expected to prepare and hand in written work for most of the classes and to attend and participate actively in class discussions. Advance reading and writing are essential for this course. The course should be of benefit to anyone interested in improving medical writing skills and in more effectively understanding the biomedical publication process. Approximately 3 hours of preparation will be required for class each week.

Text – You are not required to purchase any text for MSCI 445. All assignments will be provided as library references or PDF’s. In my opinion, the best text is currently out of print, but if you can find it on Amazon, or elsewhere, you might want to buy it. It is: Writing and Publishing in Medicine, by Edward J. Huth, published 1998. Used copies are available for purchase on amazon.com for $7.50-$23.50. I believe it is worth owning and reading.

Final Grade

The final grade will be determined as follows:

Written assignments for each class 65 % There are 7 written assignments, totaling 65 points. Points are based on the quality and completeness of the work, as well as submitting the assignment on time.

Class participation 35 % There are 9 class sessions, each worth 4 points. Points for participation are based on being actively engaged in all aspects of in-class discussions including, but not limited to, providing meaningful and constructive comments related to written assignments, presenting relevant issues for group discussion based on previous reviewing and publishing experiences, and posing questions and providing responses to practical aspects and issues involving the scientific publication process.

Course Evaluation

The MSCI administers a web-based course evaluation to students for each course near the end of the quarter. Your completion of both the unit (course) and faculty evaluation components is required; failure to complete either of the evaluations will result in an incomplete grade until the evaluations are submitted. You will be sent the web link and instructions via email later in the quarter. You will have about two weeks to complete the evaluations before grades are submitted.

Academic Integrity

Every Northwestern faculty member and student belongs to a community of scholars where academic integrity is a fundamental commitment. The Program in Public Health abides by the standards of academic conduct, procedures, and sanctions as set forth by The Graduate School at Northwestern University. Students and faculty are responsible for knowledge of the information provided by The

Fall 2016 Graduate School on their Web page at http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/about/policies/academic- integrity.html

Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:  Receiving or giving unauthorized aid on examinations or homework  Plagiarism  Fabrication  Falsification or manipulation of academic records  Aiding or abetting any of the above

The MSCI follows The Graduate School’s procedure for evaluating alleged academic misconduct, as outlined on the TGS website. http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/policies/academic- integrity/principles.html

Faculty reserve the right to use the “Turnitin” anti-plagerism software that is part of the Canvas Course Management System to evaluate student assignments. Information about this tool can be found at https://canvas.northwestern.edu/courses/1580/pages/turnitin-in-canvas

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Class Schedule

Week 1 – (Class 1) – Thursday, September 22, 2016 TOPIC: The Medical Literature and Scientific Publishing

1. Review backgrounds and goals of the members of the class 2. Overview of course a. Review syllabus and class schedule b. Discuss grades and attendance policy 3. Discuss the medical literature and the scientific publication process 4. Discuss bibliometric measures 5. Deciding where to submit your paper

ASSIGNMENTS (CONTINUES ONTO PAGE 4):

1. Readings: a. Garfield E. The history and meaning of the journal impact factor. JAMA.2006:295:90- 93. (PDF available on Canvas).

b. Chipperfield L, et al. Authors' Submission Toolkit: a practical guide to getting your research published. Curr Med Res Opin. 2010 Aug; 26(8):1967-82. PubMed PMID: 20569069. (PDF available on Canvas). This article can be skimmed now for overview. We will return to this paper in more detail later.

Fall 2016 c. Durieux V, Gevenois PA. Bibliometric indicators: quality measurements of scientific publication. Radiology. 2010 May;255(2):342-51. doi: 10.1148/radiol.09090626. PubMed PMID: 20413749. (PDF available on Canvas)

d. SCIENTIFIC WRITING BOOKLET (See Canvas).

e. Wall Street Journal article – how many authors does a paper need? (See Canvas)

2. For discussion: a. Be prepared to discuss your goals and expectations for the class b. Be prepared to discuss your previous publication experience and issues c. Be prepared to discuss the content of the 3 assigned papers.

3. Instructions for Assignment #1 (due next week): Prepare and e-mail to Dr. Drane by 1:00 pm on September 29, a detailed, written review of a manuscript. Manuscript will be distributed after Week 1 Session. NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS.

Week 2 – (Class 2) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 TOPIC: Peer Review Process

ASSIGNMENTS: 1. Readings: a. Cummings P, Rivara P. Reviewing Manuscripts for Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002; 156: 11-13. (PDF available on Canvas)

b. Lovejoy TI, et al. Reviewing manuscripts for peer-review journals: a primer for novice and seasoned reviewers. Ann Behav Med. 2011 Aug; 42(1):1-13. PubMed PMID: 21505912. ( PDF available on Canvas)

2. Written Assignment Due: Assignment #1 Prepare and e-mail to Dr. Drane by 1:00 pm on September 29 a detailed, written review of a manuscript (Manuscript will distributed after Week 1 Session).

3. For discussion: a. Be prepared to discuss your previous experience with the peer review process b. Be prepared to discuss your approach to reviewing a paper c. Discuss what you learned from the 2 papers that were assigned concerning the peer review process. d. Discuss the reviews of the paper.

4. Instructions for Assignment #2 (next week’s assignment). Prepare - and send to Dr. Drane by e-mail no later than 1:00 pm on October 6 - a detailed outline of an original research paper, meta-analysis, or systematic review (preferably something you are working on currently or just getting ready to begin). The outline should be detailed enough for others to understand the continuity and flow of your ideas. Two full pages is about the right

Fall 2016 length, including title, abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion (no references needed at this stage)

Week 3 – (Class 3) – Thursday, October 6, 2016 TOPICS: Anatomy of a Research Paper – Part 1 – Using an Outline: Getting ready to write ASSIGNMENTS: 1. Readings (All On Canvas): a. Huth, Chapter 5: Critical Argument and the Structure of Scientific Papers; 1999. (PDF). b. Huth, Chapter 6: The Research Paper: General Principles for Structure and Content; 1999 (PDF). c. Huth, Chapter 12: The first draft: Text; 1999 (PDF).

2. Writing assignment due (assignment #2): Prepare and email to Dr. Drane BEFORE class (by 1:00 pm on October 6) a detailed outline of an original research paper, meta-analysis, or systematic review (preferably something you are working on currently or just getting ready to begin). The outline should be detailed enough for others to understand the continuity and flow of your ideas. Two full pages is about the right length, including title, abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion (no references needed at this stage)

3. For discussion a. Be prepared to discuss and share your work with the class b. Be prepared to discuss your strategy for formulating the outline c. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of using outlines or other approaches to the early phases of a new paper.

Week 4 (Class 4): Thursday, October 13, 2016. Anatomy of a Research Paper - Part 2: TOPICS: Writing an Informative Title Writing a Quality Abstract Writing the Introduction and Methods Sections

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Readings: a. Pitkin RM, et al. Accuracy of data in abstracts of published research articles. JAMA 1999;281:1110-1111. (see PDF in Canvas)

b. Cummings P, Rivara FP, Koepsell TD. Writing informative abstracts for journal articles. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158(11):1086-8. (PDF in Canvas)

c. Winker MA. The need for concrete improvement in abstract quality. JAMA. 1999 Mar 24- 31;281(12):1129-30. PubMed PMID: 10188667. (PDF in Canvas)

d. Huth; Chapters 13 and 14. (See PDF’s in Canvas)

Fall 2016

3. Written Assignment Due: Assignment #3 Prepare - and send to Dr. Drane by e-mail no later than 1:00 pm on October 13 - an informative title and an abstract of 300 words (not longer) for your manuscript.

3. For Discussion (see next page) a. Be prepared to share your title and abstract b. Be prepared to discuss the quality of your title and the quality of other titles in the class c. Be prepared to discuss the quality of your abstract and the quality of other abstracts in the class.

Week 5 (Class 5): Thursday, October 20, 2016 TOPICS: Writing the Results and Discussion Sections Appropriate use of References Preparing Tables and Figures

ASSIGNMENTS 1. Reading: a. Chipperfield L, et al. Authors' Submission Toolkit: a practical guide to getting your research published. Curr Med Res Opin. 2010 Aug; 26(8):1967-82. PubMed PMID: 20569069. (PDF available on Canvas). This is a repeat assignment, with emphasis on references, tables, and figures, results and discussion.

2. Homework Assignment #4: Send to Dr. Drane by e-mail by no later than 1:00 pm on October 20 at least ONE TABLE AND ONE FIGURE for discussion in class. These may be your own tables and figures, or figures from papers that you would like to discuss.

WEEK 6 – (CLASS 6) THURSADAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 TOPIC: SUBMITTING A FULL PAPER

ASSIGNMENTS 1. Readings: a. Rivara F, Cummings P. Writing for publication in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Arch Ped Adolesc Med. 2001;155:1090-1092. (PDF in Canvas)

b. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. JAMA. 1997 Mar 19;277(11):927-34. Erratum in: JAMA 1998 Feb 18;279(7):510. PubMed PMID: 9062335. (PDF in Canvas).

c. Macrina FL. Teaching authorship and publication practices in the biomedical and life sciences. Sci Eng Ethics. 2011 Jun;17(2):341-54. Epub 2011 May 1. PubMed PMID: 21533836. (PDF in Canvas)

2. For Discussion

Fall 2016 Be prepared to discuss your approaches, techniques, and strategies for effective and efficient scientific writing.

3. Assignment #5: Prepare - and send by email to Dr. Drane by no later than 1:00 pm on October 27 - your manuscript of an original research report, meta-analysis, or systematic review in a format suitable for submission to a scientific journal.

Week 7 (Class 7) – THURSDAY, November 3, 2016

TOPIC: Ethical issues in Biomedical Publication: Authorship, Conflict of Interest, Plagiarism, Fraud ASSIGNMENTS: 1. Readings: a. Ross JS, Hill KP, Egilman DS, et al. Guest Authorship and Ghostwriting in Publications Related to Rofecoxib: A Case Study of Industry Documents from Rofecoxib Litigation. JAMA.2008; 299:1800-1812. (PDF in Canvas)

b. Roberts J. An author's guide to publication ethics: a review of emerging standards in biomedical journals. Headache. 2009 Apr;49(4):578-89. Review. PubMed PMID: 19338617. (PDF in Canvas).

c. Drane P, Fontanarosa PB. Ending honorary authorship. Science. 2012 Aug 31;337(6098):1019. PubMed PMID: 22936744. (PDF in Canvas)

2. For Discussion: a. Be prepared to discuss and share your experience with authorship issues.

b. Be prepared to discuss issues related to conflicts of interest and financial disclosures

3. No writing assignment this week.

Week 8 – (No class this week) Thursday, November 12, 2016

Week 9 – (Class 8) Thursday, November 17, 2016 TOPICS: Peer Review – Again What to expect from Peer Review

ASSIGNMENTS: 1. Readings

Fall 2016 a. Lovejoy TI, Revenson TA, France CR. Reviewing manuscripts for peer-review journals a primer for novice and seasoned reviewers. Ann Behav Med. 2011. Aug;42(1):1-13. PubMed PMID: 21505912. (see PDF in Canvas).

b. Cummings P, Rivara FP. Reviewing manuscripts for Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002 Jan;156(1):11-3. PubMed PMID: 11772184. (see PDF in Canvas)

3. Written Assignment Due: Assignment #6 Prepare - and E-MAIL before class (no later than 1:00 pm on Thursday, November 17) a written peer review of a classmate's paper. (The paper for you to review will be sent to you by e-mail by November 12).

Week 10 –Thursday, November 24, 2016 No class. Thanksgiving

Week 11 –Thursday, December 1, 2016

TOPICS: Interacting with Journals Corresponding with the Editorial Office Responding to a Review

ASSIGNMENTS: 1. Readings: a. Cummings P, Rivara FP. Responding to reviewers' comments on submitted articles. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156(2):105-7. (PDF in Canvas)

b. Provenzale JM. Revising a manuscript: ten principles to guide success for publication. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2010 Dec;195(6):W382-7. PubMed PMID: 21098168. (PDF in Canvas)

2. For discussion: a. Be prepared to discuss your experience with interacting with journals and editors.

b. Be prepared to discuss your approach for responding to the peer reviewer critiques

3. Written Assignment Due: Assignment # 7 Prepare - a detailed Response to Reviewer Comments based on each point in the critique of your paper.

Prepare and submit a revision of your paper.

Please e-mail the assignments to Dr. Drane by no later than 1:00 pm on December 1.