Writing Materials and Methods
Prof. Bünyamin ŞAHİNOndokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine
Department of Anatomy, TURKİ[email protected]
Objectives
• General information• Writing style• Materials– Animal groups, Patients-volunteers, Imaging,
Gadgets, Solutions, Drugs• Methods• Statistics• Final comments
The Sections of the Scientific Paper Content Section of PaperSummary in a nutshell AbstractDescription of the problem IntroductionSolution way of the problem Materials and MethodsFindings to solve the problem ResultsInterpretation of the findings DiscussionMentioning the contributors Acknowledgments (optional)Used references Literature CitedExtra Information Appendices (optional)
General Information
• The method has already mentioned• The reasons has already mentioned• It’s time for detail • All the details are given like receipts• They must be sufficient to repeat the
experiment
Style
• Report methods in past tense (we measured)• But use present tense to describe how data
are presented in the paper• Don’t say I, say we• Passive form
Style
• Appropriate terminology-Jargons!• Short and clear sentences• Punctuation marks, abbreviations and units
must be correct• Subheadings• Parallel to the results
• A square grid test system with d= 0.5 cm between teste points was used to estimate the sectioned surface area of the slices( Fig. 1A) .
• To estimate liver volume , the modified formula used for volume estimations of radiological images was applied.
Style
• Be clear and concise avoid from unnecessary words or phrases.
• Write briefly. • Follow the general rules.• Do NOT use colloquial speech or slang.• Do NOT use contractions; spell everything out.
Materials and Methods
Explain clearly how you carried out your study in the following general structure and organization: • permissions• time and duration• the organism(s) studied• a description of the study site• the experimental or sampling design• the protocol for collecting data• how the data were analyzed
Permissions
• Studies on patients or volunteers need approval from an ethics committee and informed consent from participants
• Appropriate written consents, permissions, and releases
• Ethical approval of the animal studies• should be documented in your paper.
Animal Groups
• Describing the groups– Grup1, 2 or a, b ?– Pure control, sham control, short term or long term
exposure groups• Number, weight, age, sex and species of
animals• Sampling protocol• Taxonomic writing (Felis domesticus)• Source
Patients-Volunteers
• Groups• Ethical permissions and informed consents• Selecting the groups, subjects and matching• Numbers of the participants• Weight, age, length, BMI and gender• Socio-demographic structure
Imaging
• Source of the images• Imaging center• The name, produces, brand name, model and
producing country's name• Inclusion or exclusion criteria• Institutional permissions
Gadgets
• Names• The name, produces, brand name, model and
producing country's name, if it is required• Technical details• Processing details
Solutions and Drugs
• Ingredients• Brand name, if it is necessary• Source• Preparation method• Administration, dose and periods• Instead of 1st solution• 0.9% NaCl solution
Method
• Experiment, observation, measurement, application and design
• Chronological presentation• Receipts in cookbook• Exact, clear and easy to follow• In case of new methods detailed description
• If any of your methods is fully described in a previous publication, you can cite that instead of describing the procedure again.
Example: The chromosomes were counted at meiosis in the anthers with the standard acetocarmine technique of Snow (1955).• Notice the format of mathematical
expressions. Equations are spaced apart from the text.
Method
• Explain the reason for the method• What variables were measured• Pictures and flowcharts• Tables related to the method• Do not mention any of your result
Method
• Methodological limitations should be given• Reviewers will notice if you hide• Explaining basic data must be mentioned in
the discussion• Assistance of a collogue for intelligibility
Statistics
• In the last paragraph• Significance level should be mentioned
(p≤0.05)• Quantitative data (mean± standard error)• Two digits decimals (1540.39 cm3)
Statistics
• Type of data and used statistic• Standard statistics-without explaining• Details-inexperienced author?• Reference may be given for advanced or rare
statistics• Software
Statistics
• A Paired t-test was used to compare mean flight duration before and after applying stablizers to the glider's wings.
• One way ANOVA was used to compare mean weight gain in weight-matched calves fed the three different rations.
• Comparisons among the three pH treatment groups for each variable were done using one way ANOVA (with Tukey's post hoc test) or a Kruskal-Wallis Test (with Dunn's post hoc test).
Problem: The Methods section is prone to being wordy or overly detailed.
• The petri dish was placed on the turntable. The lid was then raised slightly. An inoculating loop was used to transfer culture to the agar surface. The turntable was rotated 90 degrees by hand. The loop was moved lightly back and forth over the agar to spread the culture. The bacteria were then incubated at 37 C for 24 hr.
Improved Examples
• Each plate was placed on a turntable and
streaked at opposing angles with fresh
overnight E. coli culture using an
inoculating loop. The bacteria were then
incubated at 37 C for 24 hr.
• Each plate was streaked with fresh
overnight E. coli culture and incubated at
37 C for 24 hr.
Final comment
• Write the paper as clear as possible• Avoid redundancy• Do not lose the main axis of the study• Follow the standard rules• Carefully follow the instructions for authors• Prepare a good arrangement for paper
Final comment cont..
• Take professional assistance of a statistician• Keep yourself away from the manuscript for a
few weeks before submitting it• Request a revision from your colleague
Summary of M and M
• Materials and techniques• Group features• Details of the techniques• Statistics• Clear writing• Reproducible• Showing the experience
References
• Babor TF, Stenius K, Savva S, O'reilly J. A Eds. Guide for the Perplexed, Second edition. Phil Lange Chapter 5: How to Write a Scientific Paper for a Peer-Reviewed Journal, 2008, 70-81.
• Day RA, How to Write and Publish A Scientific Paper, 1994.• Fathalla MF. A practical guide for health researchers. WHO
Regional Publications Eastern Mediterranean Series, 2004.• Guidelines for writing scientific papers, honors organismal
biology laboratory. Bates College writings, 2012.• Woodford FP. Scientific writing for graduate students.
Council of Biology Editors, 1989.
PROF. BÜNYAMIN ŞAHINONDOKUZ MAYIS UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF MEDICINEDEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY, TURKİ[email protected]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH….
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