Presenting and publishing an article
There is no point in conducting a research
project and then leaving the results unpresented. Even when results of a trial
are negative they are worth distributing; few research projects are worthless.
However, most studies do not provide dramatic results and few surgeons publish
seminal articles.
The
key to both presentation and publication is to decide on the message and then
aim for an appropriate forum. Big important randomised studies merit
presentation at national meetings and publication in international journals.
Small
Most
surgeons publish research in peer-reviewed journals. The work that is submitted
is checked anonymously by other surgeons before publication. If in doubt about
whether to submit to a journal, many editors will give advice about the
suitability of an article by letter or telephone.
Convention
dictates that articles are submitted in IMRAD form — Introduction, Methods,
Results and Discussion. Increasingly, electronic publication and the world-wide
web may change the face of scientific publication and in the next decade these
restrictions on style may disappear. For now the IMRAD format remains
inviolable. The length of an article is important: a paper should be as long as
the size of the message. Readers of big randomised multicentre trials wish to
know as much detail about the study as possible; reports on small negative
trials should be brief.
Introduction
This should always be short. A brief
background of the study should be presented and then the aims of the trial
outlined.
Methods
The methodology and trial design should be
given in detail. It is important to own up to any biases. Any new techniques or
investigations should be detailed in full; if they are common practice or have
been described elsewhere this should be referenced instead of described.
Results
Results are always best shown diagrammatically
using tables and figures if possible. Results shown in the form of a diagram
need not then be duplicated in the text.
Discussion
It is important not to repeat the Introduction
or reiterate the Results in this section. The study should be interpreted
intelligently
and any suggestions for future studies or changes in management should be made.
It is important not to indulge in flights of fantasy or wild imagination about
future possibilities; most journal editors will delete these.
References
This section should include all relevant
papers recording previous studies on the subject in question. The number should
reflect the size of the message and the importance of the work. The Reference
section does not usually have to be exhaustive but should include up-to-date
articles.