How to Write a Scientific Paper

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You should already have started to write your

first/next paper, whether you know it or not!
Ethics committee applications, job applications,
grant applications, protocol presentations etc
allow you to rehearse in writing:
context, background, literature review
emergent hypotheses
a sense of motivation for the study
major study design elements

Introduction (1):
Context, background, literature review
Make a short, simple opening statement of the context
in a few, accessible sentences - avoiding overambitious vagueness or immediately impenetrable
jargon
Hitherto, the nature of consciousness has proved elusive.
AR models of residual autocorrelation will fail for 1/f noise

Background, literature review

remember this is not a review - so be selective, play favourites
remember your paper will be peer-reviewed, by prior autors in the
field, so dont be too selective...
acknowledge history!

Introduction (2)
Hypotheses
inevitable, refutable, empirically specific, statistically testable
written down a priori

Motivation
why should you bother writing this paper and why should I
bother reading it?

Methods
Major study design elements
Sample
size, with respect to power
composition, with respect to population and stratification

Measurements
observational
experimental

Statistical models and testing

factorial structure
test statistics or outcome measures
distributions including priors
hypothesis testing, type 1 and type 2 error control

Results
Use figures and tables with self-contained legends
to convey your most important results at a
glance
Let your readers see as much as possible of the
data for themselves, without losing narrative
coherence
use descriptive statistics/graphics as well as hypothesis tests
oragnise presentation so that logically or substantively related
results are juxtaposed

Discussion
It is OK to use a less constrained, more conversational
style
Start positive, headlining key results in context
return to hypotheses
be thoughtful about any differences between your work and the existing
literature

Do not simply rehearse results

interpretation, synthesis, predictive speculation
avoid blob-by-blob decompositions of complex function in fMRI papers
pay attention to unexpected/discrepant results

Explicitly consider the limitations of your work

Title, authors, abstract:

The really important stuff

Title, authors, abstract:

the really important stuff
The title is the only part of your paper most people
will read - make it clear, self-contained, descriptive
The abstract is vitally important - without doubt the
most important 200+ words in the paper
tailor it to target journal
report results
use key words for literature searching

Authors - first, second, last and corresponding

seek guidance from your supervisor

How to publish a scientific paper (1)

Think about target journals early on

high impact equals tight word count

impact is not always a six letter word
if you aim low you cant subsequently move up the food chain
if you aim high you may have to allow for turnaround time
(rejection) or second album syndrome (success)

Obey instructions to authors

use a bibliography manager
acknowledge grant support, conflict of interest

How to publish a scientific paper (2)

Dealing with reviews
anticipate revision: it is almost inevitable and generally beneficial
organise the final version of the paper and all ancillary data carefully before
submission
try not to take criticism personallyor as a reflection of incompetence on the part
of reviewers
their failure to understand is your lack of clarity

be respectful, exact and direct in responding to the editor

if the reviews are too negative to justify acceptance, incorporate any helpful
comments and resubmit
whatever you do - do it sooner rather than later!

Dealing with proofs

Dealing with fame!