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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz
ISSN: 1678-8060 EISSN: 1678-8060
Vol. 93, Num. 3, 1998, pp. 423-424
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Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 93 (3), May/June 1998, pp.423-
424
Book Reviews
Code Number:OC98082
Sizes of Files:
Text: 11.3K
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How to Write and Publish Scientific Papers
Author: Robert A Day
Publisher: Organizacion Panamericana de la Salud, 2nd edition in Spanish,
525 Twenty-Third Street, N.W., Washington DC 20037, USA. US$ 18.00
Every researcher has - or needs to have - a bit of the writer in him/her,
since the purpose of scientific research is the publication of results.
This view may worry mainly researchers who are starting their scientific
career and feel they lack the skill to write, which may be seen as a
consequence of their not having received an adequate training in the art of
writing. Indeed, is not an easy task to put on paper our hypotheses,
results, and above all, discuss them, since this requires time and
training; let us not forget that, in our profession, we are assessed on our
ability to convey our ideas and impart information. Thus, it is not
surprising that several authors have dedicated themselves to the production
of works that deal with scientific writing. Perhaps the earliest example of
a book teaching how to write and publish scientific papers is found in
Fishbein and Sunyer's work, published in English in 1948 and translated
into Spanish in 1954, by Prensa Medica Mexicana, under the title
Normas de Literatura Medica. Later on, many other books were published
in different languages, including Portuguese. The most important example in
Brazil is provided by the book Como Publicar Trabalhos
Cientificos, published by Dr Luis Rey in 1972, being re-published in
1992, well extended, under the title Planejar e Redigir Trabalhos
Cientificos. It is an obligatory reference book and currently one the
most consulted on this issue in Brazil. More recently, Organizacion
Panamericana de la Salud has taken the initiative to translate into Spanish
How to Write and Publish Scientific Papers, by Dr Robert A Day
(1996).
This book, in 30 chapters, five appendices and one glossary, instructs in a
didactic and very clear style the guidelines authors should follow, in
order to improve the quality of their scientific papers, theses and article
reviews, among other topics.
In the first chapter, Dr Day emphasizes that scientists ought to be learned
and well-read, but he also points out that a scientific text is not a
literary work and therefore, the language should not be overtly complex.
Scientists should avoid the use of metaphors or anything that may alter the
style and context of the paper. The author discusses the origins of the
scientific terminology as we know it today, which is focused on
Introduction, Methodology, Results and Discussion. In subsequent chapters,
he presents, in a clear and objective way, all the necessary steps authors
must take in order to make their paper worthy of publication. He also gives
instruction on how to write the title and stresses that since this title
may be read by thousands of people, scientists are advised to be cautious
regarding its elaboration. He explains that a good title shall be brief,
with carefully selected words, so as to describe appropriately the content
of the paper. He draws attention to the importance of the syntax, since he
believes that most grammatical errors are caused by flaws in word order. He
warns against the improper use of titles in series as well as abbreviations
and slang, practices that must be avoided at all costs.
In chapter five, he shows how to cite authors with their respective
addresses in the text. My view is that in this chapter, the author could
have been more objective, since six pages of his book are given over to
discussing the position of each author in a scientific publication.
However, as he himself argues, this is a delicate subject, devoid of a
conventional set of rules, which in turn may lead to controversy and may
raise ethical issues.
In the following chapters, Dr Day describes in detail how to prepare the
Summary, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion. In
his own view, it is wise to begin writing the article hand-in-hand with the
research in progress, since this approach facilitates the task of writing.
The summary should be an abridged version of the article; it should be
written in the past tense and should contain no information or conclusion
beyond those found in the article. References only rarely might be included
in a Summary.
Regarding the Introduction, he provides some practical rules including: (1)
to expose the nature of the problem with insight, in order to catch the
reader's attention; (2) to check carefully the relevant bibliography, with
the purpose of guiding the reader; (3) to select the method, in such a way
that the reader understands what the problem was and how it was solved; (4)
to mention the principal results of the survey; (5) to define the principal
conclusions suggested by the results. In his opinion, the reader must not
be kept in suspense as regards the obtained results.
In the chapter dealing with Materials and Methods, he explains that
"this section has a critical importance because the cornerstone
of the scientific method requires that the results be
reproducible". According to him, a good referee should pay special
attention to this section of the text; in case of doubt regarding the
possibility of reproducing the experiments, he/she should reject the paper,
even if the results and conclusions are outstanding.
In the chapter on Results, he advises that the text be short and objective
without verbosity. The data need to be presented simply and clearly, since
they represent new knowledge emerging in the world. He warns against the
tendency to repeat in words results already exposed in figures and/or in
tables, a recurrent error, mainly in young researchers.
Regarding the Discussion, once again he stresses the importance of avoiding
redundancy and makes clear that in this section of the paper results are to
be explained and commented upon, but never summed up. He asserts that
scientists must be level-headed, but not shy, exposing with lucidity and
courage the theoretical consequences and the possible practical
applications of their researches.
Even apparently simpler issues, such as the section of acknowledgments,
have not escaped attention in his book. He also shows how to cite
references and how to devise tables and useful illustrations. He provides
instruction on how to write a thesis, how to prepare a lecture, how to
elaborate a congress poster and how to produce a book report. He
demonstrates how to proof-read scientific papers and how to deal with the
editorial board of the journal where the manuscript was sent. He advises
the issues of ethics and the rights of the author and discusses the care
that is required to ensure the originality of the paper, in order to avoid
accusations of plagiarism or of any violation of intellectual property.
Dr Robert A Day's book is, consequently, an important reference book for
researchers, whether beginners or not, post-graduate students and referees
of scientific reviews. It is written in clear, simple and humorous
language. In my view this is what makes the reading of the book lighter and
more pleasant than most texts on this subject, although it may be
considered irrelevant by orthodox readers.
The initiative by Oficina Panamericana de la Salud to translate the
book into Spanish was commendable, extending its availability among
biological and biomedical researchers, thus adding one more useful textbook
on the art of writing scientific papers.
Marli Maria Lima
Laboratorio de Biologia e Controle de Insetos Vetores,
Departamento de Biologia,
Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Av.
Brasil 4365, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
Book Review
Manual para el Control de las Enfermedades Transmissibles
Author: Abram S Benenson
Publisher: Abram S Benenson, 16a ed., Washington, D.C. 1997, 569 pp. -
(OPS. Publicacion Cientifica, No. 564), price: US$ 20.00 ISBN 92 75
31564 7
The "Manual para el control de las enfermedades transmissibles", 16th
edition, in Spanish, edited by Abram S Benenson, is a translation of the
Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, an extraordinary publication from
the American Public Health Association, produced with the direct
participation of World Health Organization and Pan-American Organization
for Health. Its applicability can be assured by the concise presentation,
which covers a wide range of issues with respect to transmissible diseases
in the world. Special attention is given to new emerging diseases like
Ebola, AIDS and Hanta virus. The book is very nicely presented, well
organized, easy to read, and to consult. The diseases are classified by
the "International Classification of Diseases" according to the last
revision (the 10th) in order to avoid misunderstandings by health care
professionals from different countries. The reader finds in all chapters
uniform information covering a brief clinical picture of the disease and
practical data about the ethiologic agent, for example the nature of the
infective agent, its distribution, mechanisms of transmission, advice on
quarantine, control and prophylactic therapeutic measures. The scope of
these data qualify the health professional to solve the common problems of
dealing with transmissible diseases: how to care for the sick people and
how to protect the community. Nevertheless, as it is not a therapeutic
guide, it sometimes lacks sufficient information about treatment
schedules. On the other hand, Tuberculosis, today an emergent disease in
both industrialized and developing countries, is given nine pages of
extensive and detailed information. There are other peculiar and
practical points to be mentioned; these include the provision of the CDC
phone number to help physicians in the United States to obtain uncommon
drugs for exotic diseases or new drugs which are still being tested, and a
glossary detailing some very important definitions. Taking into account
the richness of information it contains, we can say that, instead of
being a simple manual, this small book is in fact a true textbook about
the control of infectious diseases in pocket format. As such it should be
recommended for all personal involved with public health and control of
transmissible diseases.
Marise S Mattos
Hospital Evandro Chagas
Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz
Av. Brasil 4365 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
E-mail: mmattos@dcc001.cict.fiocruz.br
Copyright 1998 Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz
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