Workshop
Packaging data into one of the following documents:
- medical journal abstract
- medical journal manuscript
- magazine article
- professional magazine article
How to write a manuscript for a medical journal report (not a review)
Here I explain the format of the abstract, how it should look, content is another story
- Do the research first
- Organize the data into tables and figures
- Write the Results section giving only the results that are in the tables and figures, or help explain teh data in the tables and figures
- Write the Methods section, giving only the methods you needed to prepare the results.a. first set of paragraphs: explain the experimental animal, the population of humans, the plants, b.explain the experimental or observational techniques. This is where you explain your search strategies, and how you measured something physiological, c. explain how you prepared the statistical analysis
- Write the abstract. An abstract is a manuscript with the juice squeezed out: it has all the structure you need to see what was done, how, and why, but it doesn't give you enough information for you to decide whether the conclusions are born out by the data.
a. 1 introductory sentence
b. 1-3 methods sentences
c. 1-3 results sentences
d. 1 conclusion sentence
- Write the Introduction. Take the introductory sentence and expand it into a short paragraph, to explain why you did the study. Add a second paragraph, explaining where the study fits in the literature. Add a third paragraph, introducing what you did in the study. The introductory sentences explain why the study was done, and you have to give good reasons. Because no-one did it before is not a reason, and stating that uses precious space that could be better used to explain your argument.
- Write the Discussion. The first paragraph is explaining the conclusions from the data you presented in Results. The second sets of paragraphs explain how the data fit in the literature. The final paragraph is a conclusion.
How to write an article for a medical journal which is a review of all the literature
A thorough review of literature is needed for an NDA; every article or abstract ever written on the drug needs to be referenced. These articles do not end up as a thoughtful opinion piece (and a review is always opinion, and cannot, cannot, ever be referenced in an article for data, only for opinion).
The steps needed to be followed, in this order:
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Formulate the question you are asking that the review will answer, eg, how effective are oral diabetes drugs in maintaining normal FBG (fasting blood glucose) in obese males between 30 and 60?
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Plan the search according to how you answer the question: is the review exhaustive (do you want every article every published anywhere on this topic) or narrow (every male between 30 and 60 who is living in Benin) or an article or 2 (2 articles that may or may not be representative of the literature).
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Do not include in your search any review articles if your goal is to review the data.
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Do include in your search review articles if your goal is to review opinion
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Read all the articles and write an outline which tells a story
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Write an interesting story that is worth reading, between 1000 and 3000 words
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Every statement needs to be backed up with original data; for example, dont say "in Africa, men of 45 are dying from lack of treatment for diabetes" when you have as a source a single paper from a single village in Guinea that is a case report of one man.
How to write a magazine article
If you give data, you must, must, must, explain where you got the data. If you do not give data, what you are doing is giving your opinion. Make sure you understand that.
How to explain where you giot the data: an example is "according to a MMWR report puiblished by CDC in 2005," or.... "According to a 2007 report from the Nigerian ministry of health downloaded from the WHO website."
Assignment
Write an abstract for a medical journal article that you are given
Answer these questions:
- How do the 4 forms of articles listed above differ?
- How do popular magazine articles differ from magazine articles on health and drugs?
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