7 Steps to Write Your Research Paper Faster
Categories Scientific Communication

Spending Time Just Scribbling Your Manuscript?

Documenting the results of your research in the form of a manuscript is harder than conducting a research itself. Many scientists are clueless on where and how to begin writing a medical manuscript.

But, not when you have these 7 steps in mind!

7 Steps to Write Your Research Paper Faster

 1.Outline the format of the paper

  • Introduction to research topic
  • Hypothesis of research
  • Materials and methods used
  • Key findings
  • Discussion on the results of research

2.Introduce your research topic

  • Provide relevant background information on the topic
  • State the implications of your work with in-text citations

3.Define your hypothesis

  • Write in present tense
  • Give brief overview of your experimental design

4.Materials and methods used in research

  • Write in past tense
  • Organize it in sub-sections with headings

5.Key results of research

  • Organize it in sub-sections with headings
  • Use tables, figures, and graphs to support the data

6.Discussion of results

  • Describe the main findings of your research
  • Address the hypothesis showing evidence from your results
  • Report how the results relate to the previous studies in the field
  • Conclude by summarizing the outcome of the study

7.What to avoid?

  • Long, complex, and vague sentences
  • Unnecessary detail
  • Unnecessary use of technical terms
5 Quick Steps to Avoid Plagiarism and Improve Scientific Writing
Categories Scientific Communication

5 Quick Steps to Avoid Plagiarism and Improve Scientific Writing

Plagiarism, simply known as literary theft, is defined as the practice of using other’s work or ideas in your scientific writing without giving them due credit and passing them off as one’s own in publication journals to gain recognition.

Publishing their research in high-impact journals is a matter of reputation for every scientist or research scholar. However, plagiarism can blemish this reputation and you stand a high chance of rejection by the journal.

If you don’t want this to happen to you, avoid plagiarism and improve your scientific writing

with these easy-to-follow steps:

  1. To gain expertise in planning and executing your research and drafting your manuscript, join a team of experienced researchers working on few projects.
  2. Do not copy-paste the exact verbatim from the reference source, understand the idea and paraphrase it to restate in your own words.
  3. Cite correctly and appropriately any content taken from the reference paper or from your previous published paper.
  4. Use plagiarism check websites to check for any accidental plagiarism in your manuscript.
  5. Before submitting your manuscript for publication, get it proofread and edited by professional scientific and medical editors.

Remember, there is no shortcut to success; neither to scientific research, nor scientific writing!

If your deadline for project submission is near? You don’t have the time to edit and proofreads your scientific paper?Cognibrain is there for you, offering its advanced scientific writing services and editing services with quick turn-around time.

5 Unethical Practices to Avoid While Publishing Your Research
Categories Scientific Communication

5 Unethical Practices to Avoid While Publishing Your Research

Performing a medical research and documenting the findings in a research paper are painstaking and time-consuming process. Nevertheless, the research authors must conform to the scientific ethics at each stage of performing a research and documenting its results.

‘Ethics’, derived from the Greek word ‘ethikos’ are a set of principles for right conduct in a particular field. They carry a greater significance in the field of medical research and publication as these are directly related to the suffering humanity.

In recent times, there has been a gradual neglect towards the ethical principles guiding a scientific research paper writing, and its publication. The misconduct in behavior may be intentional or may arise due to ignorance. Whatever be the cause of misconduct, the consequence is the same. And it not only affects other authors, reviewers, and editors, but also the common man. As a research author, it’s absolutely essential to abreast yourself with these ethical principles and avoid any scientific misconduct.

Here is a list of 5 common unethical practices you must avoid while publishing your research paper:

1.Duplicate Submission

Submission of your research paper or its publication in two or more identical journals with or without acknowledgement to another is called duplicate submission/publication.

Such a practice is done by authors to increase their number of publications. But, bear in mind! It’s unethical as it wastes the time of journal reviewers, publication resources, and renders no benefit to humanity or scientific community.

You can query multiple journals for submitting your research paper, but finally submit to one only!

2.Falsification/fabrication of research data

Falsification is the manipulation of the methods used in research or its key findings to produce a desired outcome. Fabrication is the false recording or recording of a fictitious data when none exists.

Such practices are more common in pharmaceutical industry where results are fabricated to promote a particular drug in the market, ignoring its side-effects. Not only unethical and wastage of limited research resources, such fabrications have negative effects on the physician’s clinical practice and creates mistrust amongst the consumers or general population.

3.Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the practice of using other’s work or ideas in your scientific writing without giving them due credit and passing them off as one’s own in publication journals to gain recognition. Even using your own text from other publications in the current writing without due reference is considered plagiarism, more specifically called self-plagiarism.

If you think you are smart and your plagiarised content will escape the eyes of the journal editors, you are highly mistaken. Detection of plagiarism has become easier with the advent of numerous plagiarism checking tools.

Sometimes plagiarism is not intentional, but happens accidentally. However, you can avoid it by providing references of all the sources you have used for writing your scientific content.

Always cite the author appropriately whose work you use in your research paper, even if they are from your past publications.

4.Authorship Conflict

As per the International Committee of Medical Journal Editor (ICMJE) guidelines, any person who contributes to the conception, designing or acquisition of research data, analysis of data, drafting or revision of the article, and its final approval before publication is entitled for the authorship of that paper.

Following unethical practices surmount to an authorship conflict:

  • Not including the name of the person who contributes to the research in any manner.
  • Failure to obtain consent from a person whose name is cited in the manuscript.
  • Adding an extra author or removing the name of an existing author before or after publication.
  • Citing a person as an author just on the basis of seniority, family or professional relationship when none of them contributed to the research or its writing.

The conflict can be prevented by deciding the authorship in the beginning of the research. That’s the reason why journals ask the authors to submit their checklist for the criteria of authorship.

5.Conflict of interest

Conflict of interest is a situation in which the author of the research study may be influenced by personal and/or financial considerations to affect the quality or the end result of the research.

If any such conflicts of interest arise, be they personal, financial or any other, they must be disclosed with complete honesty to the editorial team.

Though our publication support services experts guidelines and principles exist to prevent any misconduct in research and publication, ideally you shouldn’t require them. Self-restraint and welfare of the fellow members of the community must be the sole driving force for conducting an honest research and publication.

How Medical Editing Can Get Your Manuscript Published
Categories Scientific Communication

How Medical Editing Can Get Your Manuscript Published?

Getting your manuscript published in a high-impact journal is a crucial part of gaining recognition for your medical research. So, it’s highly essential to acquaint yourself with the steps to be followed in getting your manuscript published.

Doing a thorough research on your medical topic and medical manuscript writing in strict accordance with the principles of scientific or medical publication are the preliminary steps you must pay heed to. However, it’s generally seen that 30-50% of the medical paper get rejected even before they are passed on for external peer review.

And one of the reasons for rejection is the use of poor language in the manuscript. Some authors do not take the initiative of proofreading their medical manuscript before submission, while others get it proofread by their colleagues.

If you think that writing a detailed medical article of your research and submitting it to the journal is the end of your responsibility, you are highly mistaken. It’s not the publisher’s responsibility to correct any grammatical or language errors in your paper. It is the author’s domain i.e. your primary responsibility to make sure that your research paper is in its best form before it is submitted for publication.

This is also important from the view of your reputation; reputation as a research scientist. Why give an opportunity to the publishers to pinpoint on your language and writing skills? Why not let them focus on the quality of your research?

So, proofreading and editing your medical manuscript is of paramount importance if you want to get it published in a high-impact medical journal.

Now, the question arises, what are the options for your medical manuscript editing?

Manuscript editing options

You can proofread and edit your manuscript yourself or get it done by your colleague. This will, of course, save you money, but before proceeding ensure that you or your colleague possesses the necessary skills for doing the job.

Many are of the opinion that proofreading and editing a medical manuscript is easy and requires just a perfect grasp of the English language, which, however, all do not have. Many of your colleagues do not have the necessary language as well as the scientific expertise to fully grasp a research paper. This may end in a level of editing that doesn’t match the requirements of the publication journal. It will only waste your time and ultimately nothing will come in hand.

Taking help from a professional medical editor can save you from such pitfalls. Before proceeding to hire one, you must understand what is medical editing and the role of a medical editor in getting your manuscript published.

What is medical editing?

Editing of a medical manuscript is way beyond eliminating the grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation errors in the document. It is the procedure of revising your manuscript to make each piece of information contained in it clear and precise. The language you use, the sentence construction, flow, and the clarity of the presented information are checked and revised during medical editing. After all, your manuscript is for the readers; to inform and instruct them about the new advances in the medical field. And it will be useless to publish a manuscript that doesn’t serve this purpose, that doesn’t engage your readers in reading your research paper. So, editing of a medical manuscript is crucial before it is submitted for publication.

Role of a medical editor in getting your manuscript published

As said before, editing of your medical manuscript is compulsory before submitting it for publication. And a professional medical editor is the person who carries out this responsibility in a flawless manner.

He/She is the one who is a language expert with precise knowledge of the scientific language and will make your manuscript ready for submission to the publisher. He/She will remove all the language errors, jargon, and awkward phrases used in the manuscript to make it readable and interesting for your audience.

Furthermore, they will ensure that all the facts, data, and figures enlisted in the manuscript are consistent with the guidelines of a scientific publication. He/She might inquire with you about the issues regarding logic and organisation of information or any missing piece of information in the manuscript.

So, don’t argue with your medical editor even if you hold a different opinion than him. He/She is not your critic, rather a support who helps you to present your manuscript in its best form. You might fear to lose your voice of opinion or style of writing in the hands of a medical editor.

However, that’s not the case. A competent medical editor views your manuscript from the reader’s point of view but also upholds your voice of opinion. In fact, he strives to make it better by rectifying all the loopholes which you might have missed.

Therefore, acknowledge the comments and queries placed by your medical editor for resolving the lapses in your manuscript.

Moreover, even if you are an expert in your field of medicine, writing a medical manuscript doesn’t come easily to you. You need to be a language expert too. And a medical editor is two-in-one. He/She possesses the knowledge of the scientific domain as well as the proficiency of the language used in the medical manuscripts.

So, hiring a professional medical editor is not a loss. It will indeed raise the chances of your manuscript being accepted for publication.

But, you must look for the following qualities in a medical editor before handing over your manuscript for editing:

  • They should possess a general scientific knowledge of the fields covered in the publication and be skilled in the art of writing, editing, and critical assessment.
  • They should be familiar with the general principles of statistics.
  • They should be able to make rational changes in the manuscript and notify you according to the set deadlines.
  • They must be impartial and honest in his editorial decisions.
  • They must be able to maintain confidentiality about your submitted manuscript.

Maintaining a positive relationship with your medical editor will go a long way in increasing the success rate of your manuscript publication.

Don’t Stop Here ! Contact our medical editing services experts to get your manuscript published.
How to Publish a Medical Manuscript in a High-Impact Journal
Categories Scientific Communication

How to Publish a Medical Manuscript in a High-Impact Journal?

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your research being published and visible to the outside world. After all, scientific publications connote an ongoing progress in the medical domain, and being its part is everyone’s dream.

Medical publications are the means to let the readers know about the advances in the knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, and medicine. Therefore, the knowledge they provide must be accurate, valid, trustworthy, and clinically useful. In other words, medical journals must exist primarily for their readers; to inform and instruct them about the new advances in the medical field and not only advertise about one’s work.

However, to get your medical manuscript published in a high-impact journal, you need to have the basic knowledge of the principles of scientific research and publishing, which is the mainstay of this blog.

Let’s highlight the essential steps to follow in order to publish your medical manuscript in a high-impact medical journal.

I. Do a good research

What makes up a good medical research?

One which is based on some logical rationale, addresses a real problem, has a clear-cut goal, is carried out in a  systematic and unbiased manner, and is replicable, verifiable, and incremental in nature.

5 Quick Steps For Good Research Are:

A. Choose a good research unit with a good mentor
If you are new to the field of scientific research, you need a good mentor from high-impact units to guide you      through the pitfalls and scientific follies associated with the research study.

B. Formulate your research question

which must stem out from a clinically important disease having a significant burden on the society. Go through the previous works and literature on your research topic to know what has been done and what more you can do.

C. Articulate the goal of your research
The ultimate goal of any medical research is to provide verified and valid information about the advances in the    medical field that could be used for the benefit of the suffering humanity. Ensure that your research study will    be able to fulfill this goal. Furthermore, having a clear view of your goal keeps you focused and systematic in conducting your research.

D. Collaborate with national or international groups having expertise in the area of your research. Such studies are more valid and have a higher impact than the ones carried out at one centre.

E. Have a sound study design
Designing your research study, what volunteers you will choose, what age and sex, how will you measure the    results etc. must be clearly defined from the beginning. Choose healthy volunteers as the control group.            Involve  a statistician to calculate and analyse the results right from the start. A double-blind randomized        placebo-controlled parallel group trial design is the most sound.

II. Writing your medical manuscript

Writing a medical manuscript can be compared to writing a story of your research that has a beginning, middle, and an end with a “take home” message.
While writing your manuscript:

  • Use simple language with attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling, and linguistic style.
  • Include content that is relevant to the topic of your paper and provides value to the reader. Keep it plagiarism free.
  • Strictly adhere to the format and word count laid down for the scientific manuscripts: Title, Abstract, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables, and Figures.
  • The title must be catchy, concise, and descriptive, highlighting the contents and the importance of your research study. It should neither be too long nor too short. Write down a few possible titles and shortlist the best one.
  • An abstract is a crisp introduction to the contents of your manuscript. Make it comprehensive and interesting by answering the questions like: What was done? Why did you do it? What did you find and how are these findings useful and important? And what is the “take home” message?
  • Proofread your document carefully or get it reviewed by a colleague for any careless and grammatical mistakes. If you have any queries about writing manuscript please contact our medical manuscript writing service experts.

III. Getting your manuscript published

Check the details of the editorial committee, scope, and remit of your target journal in advance to avoid the possibility of future rejection or conflicts with the editorial staff.

Submit your completed manuscript by writing a cover letter to the editor-in-chief that should:
• Address the editor-in-chief (EIC) by name.
• Highlight the novelty of your work, its importance and compatibility with the journal’s remit and scope.
• Contain previous reviews of your work if any.
• Carry an approval of the manuscript by all its authors and its non-publication by any other journal.

Never submit your manuscript to two journals simultaneously.
After submission, your manuscript will be scrutinized by the editorial assistant, EIC, and the associate editor before it is either rejected or passed on for external peer review.

Now, your manuscript may get rejected or receive a major or minor revision or get accepted.

In case it gets rejected, which is likely in cases of lack of novelty, poor study design, lack of a clear message, and confusing charts, figures or tables, do not react in a rage. Even if you receive a major or minor revision, acknowledge the comments and queries placed by the editorial staff with honesty. Do not view them as your critics, but your supporters and assure them about your capability to rectify the loopholes in the manuscript, even if it requires an additional work on your part. If this is not possible, consider submitting your manuscript to another journal after making the changes as per the previous editor’s reviews. If you disagree with their comments, state your opinion firmly but politely.

And if your manuscript gets accepted, you can celebrate your achievement. But complete few tasks beforehand like completing the copyright assignment, conflicts of interest disclosure forms, editing of the typeset version, and updating your bibliography section.

Your manuscript is now scheduled for “online first” publication and will be provided a digital object identifier (DOI) number, a character string that is used to uniquely identify an object such as an electronic manuscript.

If at any time you have questions about our medical manuscript writing service , don’t hesitate to reach out and ask us.

Good luck with your publication!