Targeted Participants

This two-day (18 hour) workshop is for those interested in starting their scientific writing or refining their scientific writing skills. This is a hands-on practical workshop that can accommodate up to 24 participants

The educational methods will vary from didactic lectures, interactive lectures, hands-on exercises, group discussion, and team-based learning. The workshop will start with ice breaking and defining the learning objectives of the learners so as to tailor the workshop accordingly

Session I: Introduction and generating research questions.

This session is an ice-breaking session in which the participants will introduce themselves, highlight why they are attending this workshop, and what is expected from it. The group will define the workshop learning objectives which will be documented to evaluate, at the end of the workshop, whether these objectives were met. There will be a short presentation about why people do medical research, and the need to push medical science and knowledge. 

A proper research question is the most important component for a research project. You have to define exactly what you want to study. Selecting a wrong research question makes the whole study flawed. This is similar to horse racing in which the eyes of the horse are covered by eye blinkers so the horse can go only in one direction (forward) to win the race. If the blinkers are removed, the horse will look around and slow down. Accordingly, the researcher should spend a significant time to define the aim of the study and concentrate on answering it. After reaching the first aim, then the researcher can remove the eye blinkers, look around, and think of his/her next target, and so on. Each question will generate multiple new questions. It is then the duty of a good researcher to define the next important, relevant, and feasible question to answer.

The participants will then work in groups to define a relevant research question to build the workshop on. This will be presented and discussed whether it fulfils the suggested criteria.

Session II: Ethics of medical writing

This important session will concentrate on ethical standards of medical writing including criteria of authorship and accountability. It will detail all types of research misconduct including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism. Furthermore, it will discuss unaccepted authorship practices including honorary authorship, ghost authorship, salami publications, and dual publications. It will highlight the ethical standards for submitting a manuscript, and the Editors and Reviewers responsibility of protecting science. Methods of prevention of research misconduct with be discussed.

A practical example of a case of research ethics dilemma will be discussed in teams as an exercise. The team will then present their evaluation of the case and the way it could have been properly handled.

Sessions IV: This important session will have two basic lectures:

1. What are the common errors in research design?

These include:

1. Unclear research question
2. Lack of planning
3. Using the wrong research tool
4. Selecting the wrong population
5. Improperly dealing with missing data
6. Confusing correlation with prediction
7. Not understanding the difference between statistical and clinical significance.
8. Improper reporting of the data

Take Home Messages will be:

• The research question is the most important pillar of a study.
• Failing to plan is planning to fail.
• Be transparent and accurate in using your research tools and reporting your results.
• Use your clinical sense 

How to analyze the data

This lecture stems for the personal experience of the instructor as a statistical editor for international high-ranked journals. It will explain these principles:

• Understand the research question and the type of data thoroughly before starting the analysis.
• Defne the number of groups to be compared, number of subjects in each group, and the relationship between the groups.
• Use parametric methods only for normally distributed data. Alternatively use non-parametric methods.
• Do not overuse statistics.
• Do not fish for a p value.
• Ask for help when needed.

 Take Home Messages will be:  

• Basic statistics is easy to perform if well understood.
• There are two main types of statistical comparisons: parametric and non-parametric.
• The correct statistical method will be selected by following the roadmap explained in the lecture.

Session V:

This session will guide the participants in the proper sequence of writing a paper that is different from the structure of the submitted paper. The sequence followed is as follows.

1. One sentence aim (road map)
2. Tables and figures
3. Methods
4. Results
5. Introduction
6. Discussion
7. Abstract
8. Title
9. Fine details: legend to figures, acknowledgement, contribution of authors, conflict of interest
10. References

Following this scheme will reduce the time it takes to write a paper by almost 50% and the reasons for that will be fully discussed. The participants will then have a chance to write a summary of a paper which is a very important skill.

This will be followed by two lectures, one on the process of selecting a journal, preparing the article according to the selected type and the way it should be submitted. Then it will be followed by a practical guidance on how to deal with rejection, major revision, or minor revisions and how to address the Editor in the covering letter.