13-10 Writing and Publishing Scientific Articles
End with a conclusion that is based on the material you have presented. If your purpose was to answer a question, give the answer that the review has led you to. If your purpose was to encourage certain practices, state what practices you believe should be followed.
Citing References
Use EndNote or other reference management software to simplify the processes of citing references in the text and preparing the reference list. Copying the citations directly from PubMed can help ensure their accuracy — but regardless of what methods are used, you are responsible for the accuracy of all your references. Whenever possible, cite original sources rather than secondary sources (for example, cite papers about individual studies rather than someone’s review article that discussed several studies). Secondary sources aren’t always accurate.
Follow the publisher’s guidelines for citation and reference styles.
Writing the Abstract
Follow the publisher’s instructions for what type of abstract, if any, to include and how long the abstract should be. If an abstract is required, include the purpose of your article and the take-home message from the major sections plus the conclusion. Avoid nonhelpful statements such as “The options for therapy will be discussed” or “The controversies will be reviewed.”
Miscellaneous Advice
For a requested review article, it’s important to meet the deadline in the request letter and to stick to the topic requested. If you find that you will not be able to meet the original deadline, contact the person who issued the invitation before the deadline passes to negotiate a new due date. If you find that you cannot address the topic requested but have ideas on something else that would be useful, contact the requestor immediately to discuss your ideas.
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