Demystifying writing papers for biomedical journals

ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to demystify the publication process in biomedical journals by offering simple step by step recipes on how to write and get published. The author relies on a narrative review and personal experience as a fellow student of publishing to achieve objective. Five stages in the publication process were identified Planning, Writing, Submission, Managing editorial decisions and Post-acceptance. Planning is probably the most neglected yet the most important stage. The author begins by making sure that all necessary resources are in place, develops careful outline, decides on authorship and selects potential journal for publication. The paper will typically have three sections. The title which contains title of the paper and the list of authors and also key words is the first section. The abstract and the body of the paper are also the second and third sections. The title and abstract are critical and are usually revised many more times than the other parts of the paper. Choosing key words carefully increases the chance of the paper being read and cited. The body of the paper follows what is called the Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion structure. Submission begins by writing a cover letter that makes the case for the article. Following all the key steps of the submission process avoids early rejection. Respond speedily and graciously and in sufficient detail to reviewers' and editors' comments. Following publication,the author should ensure that the published knowledge is disseminated widely. Overall, writing for biomedical journals is not too mysterious. However, there is no short cut learning to write successfully takes time and practice