The Elements of Professional Publishing Hal Pollard ASHP

The Elements of Professional Publishing Hal Pollard, ASHP To the U. S. Public Health Service Pharmacist Professional Advisory Committee March 3 rd, 2005 Pharmacists helping people make the best use of medicines

Why Publish? l Professional l Personal advancement satisfaction l Contribution to the profession

Professional Advancement l l l Potentially important for raises and promotions Enhances your name recognition and visibility within the profession Increased visibility may lead to speaking engagements, consulting agreements, other opportunities Opens the door for research funding Sharpens knowledge of specialty (and beyond)

Personal Satisfaction Creates a real sense of accomplishment l Broadens network of friends and colleagues l Validates your work l Generates opportunities for travel l Develops writing and other skills (literature retrieval and review, statistics, computer skills) l Some potential for income l

Contribution to the Profession Contributes to the improved health of patients l Develops pride in profession amongst colleagues l Encourages more research and writing l Informs and educates colleagues l Helps other health professionals and public better understand pharmacy’s role l

My Professionalism Soapbox Publishing spurs profession’s advancement l Gaining respect from other health professionals is essential for collaborative work l Way out of the ‘professional basement’ l Can’t rely on industry to create all the knowledge l

Who is Publishing? Physicians l Pharmacists l Nurses l Technicians l Dieticians/Nutritionists l YOU! l

Forms of Publishing l l l Case reports Clinical pearls Letters to the editor Book reviews Editorials Poster/paper presentations Review articles Survey articles Monographs Original research Book chapters Books (electronic and print)

Other Ways of Getting Involved Review book concepts l Serve on editorial boards l Peer review journal articles l Review book chapters l Serve as section editor for a book l

Common Barriers to Writing l l l Finding the time to write Selecting a topic Finding colleagues to collaborate with Funding Intimidation by the publication process l l l Following author instructions Internal review process Peer review Acceptance, modification, resubmission Rejection!

Making the Time to Write l l l l Make it a priority Schedule time to write each day Outline your concept Create a schedule and stick to it Work with collaborators Get supervisor’s buy-in If you get stuck, talk with your publisher Don’t bite off more than you can chew

Plan the Process Have something important to say l Understand the target audience l l Who cares? l Select the right tone and model l Delivery method l Where to submit? Do your homework on background and references l Pay attention to the submission guidelines l

Authorship Issues l l l l Select a lead author at the outset Decide how work will be divided Select co-authors based on what they bring to the project Plan regular contact with co-authors Avoid the ‘ego trap’ Be professional, not political Writing is a commitment Acknowledge contributions appropriately

Tips on Writing Work from an outline l Don’t kill your own creativity l Use active voice l Enlighten, don’t anesthetize l Have your work reviewed prior to submission l Aim for an error-free final manuscript l Have fun with it l

General Tips Read good writing l Discuss your work, and the work of others l Visit poster sessions l Welcome your editor’s input l Read and reread Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White l Write every day l Did I mention have fun? l

Complete Proposals Should Contain Statement of scope and intent l Physical specifications of the publication l Draft table of contents l Sample material l Curriculum vita l

Statement of Scope and Intent Purpose l Approach l Subject l Audience l Timing Considerations l Illustrations and Features l Delivery Elements l Competition l

Physical Specifications Trim Size l Printed Pages l Illustrations l Other special design elements l

Anatomy of a Scientific Paper l l l Title: Descriptive, concise, and interesting Abstract: Include all components of the manuscript Body: l l l l l Introduction: State objectives, any questions, reason for writing Materials and Methods: Provide details Results: Stick to the facts, make sure it makes sense Discussion: Draw conclusions from your data, compare to previous studies Conclusion: Studies implications, supported by results, and related to objectives References: Include retrievable sources, follow format Tables: Do not imbed in text, follow guidelines, keep simple Figures: Do not imbed in text, look professional Figure Legends: Descriptive and concise

Essential References l l l Strunk, William, Jr. , White, E. B. , The Elements of Style. 4 th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Longman/Pearson Education; 2000 Skillin ME, Gay RM. Words Into Type. 3 rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall; 1974 University of Chicago Press, The Chicago Manual of Style. 15 th ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press; 2003 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 11 th ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster; 2003 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster; 1994 Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. 27 th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000

Reference to Get You Started l l l l l Huth EJ. Writing and Publishing In Medicine. 3 rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1999 Iverson C, Flanagin A, Fontanarosa PB et al. American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 9 th ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins; 1998 Hamilton, CW. How to Write and Publish Scientific Papers: Scribing Information for Pharmacists. Am J Hosp Pharm 1992; 49: 2477 -84 Miller LG. Research Guidelines for the Pharm. D. Practitioner. Pharmacotherapy 1994; 14(6): 740 -2 Zellmer WA. How to Write a Research Report for Publication. Am J Hosp Pharm 1981; 38: 545 -50 Woodward DK, Clifton GD. Development of a Successful Research Grant Application. Am J Hosp Pharm 1994; 51: 813 -22 Motheral BR, Jackson TR. Understanding and Evaluating Original Research Articles. J Am Pharm Assoc 1999; 39: 759 -74 Scientific Writing Links. http: //spot. colorado. edu/~carpenh/links. htm International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication. Updated November 2003. www. icmje. org

Thanks for Having Me! Hal Pollard hpollard@ashp. org 410 -669 -2001 Pharmacists helping people make the best use of medicines