Scientific writing and manuscript preparation

Writing Skills

One of the primary roles of a researcher is to communicate their research to the broader healthcare or science community. Whether in written or oral form, scientific communication is a critical skill for an early career researcher to develop and master. However, scientific writing is often not explicitly taught during training.

If you are looking for help, there are several excellent resources at Mount Sinai to enable you develop those all important writing skills. You can learn more about these resources below.

 

Where to Publish?

If you have recently written a paper or an article, or are in the process of writing, but you are unsure which journal to submit your work to, the JANE website may help.

JANE (Journal / Author Name Estimator) uses the title or abstract of your paper to compare your research with existing PubMed documents to find the best matching journals, authors or articles. Just cut and paste your abstract into their finder, and they will offer you a range of journal options based on impact and relevance.

 


Mount Sinai Levy Library

The Levy Library  is a great place to start, as they offers workshops on a range of writing-related topics. Below are some examples of workshops that are run on a regular basis. Visit the Levy Library Event & Classes page to see what is currently on offer: http://libcal.mssm.edu/

  • Introduction to EndNote: Discover what millions of researchers, scholarly writers, students and librarians already know about the power of EndNote to search online databases, organize references, images and PDFs.
  • Reference Management Walk-In Clinic: Help to get started with a Reference Management tool like EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley, and the answers to any questions or concerns about the tool you’re using now.
  • Scientific Writing and Publishing: Academic Integrity and Reference Management: This class provides an overview of Academic Integrity in relation to the Scientific Publishing landscape, and ensure that you understand how to properly utilize a reference manager to format your in-text citations and bibliography.
  • Scientific Writing and Publishing: Best Practices for Manuscript Preparation and Data Visualization: This session will provide the skills and tools necessary for finalizing and packing your manuscript.You will learn important tools and skills for presenting your data in an accessible and visually appealing manner.
  • Scientific Writing and Publishing: Submission, Promotion and Impact: This session will familiarize attendees with the scientific publishing landscape and provide tips & tricks for creating a professional online presence that will allow their work to be noticed and cited.

The Levy Library also recommends a range of titles on scientific writing, which you can find by searching the Levy library catalog or seeing their suggested resources here.

You can also use their Ask a Librarian function if you have a specific question or query. In addition to answering queries, Levy Librarians can also help you conduct a literature review or systematic review related to your research.

Clinical Research Education Program

In April and October each year the Clinical Research Education Program at the Graduate School offer a full-day Scientific Writing workshop. These workshops are instructed by Judith Swan PhD, Associate Director for Wiring in Science and Engineering at Princeton University.

  • Effective Scientific Writing – From Data Dumps to Clear Research Statements
  • Perfect Pitching
  • Writing Responsibly with Sources in Science: How to Engage with Literature Efficiently and Stay Out of Trouble

These workshops are interactive, engaging and consistently receive excellent feedback.

These workshops are free and open to all. To inquire about these sessions, please contact Stephanie Wolfe stephanie.wolfe@mssm.edu

External Resources

Preparing and Publishing a Scientific Manuscript