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Writing a research article

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The aim of this paper is to assist readers and potential contributors to the APJHM to write research articles suitable for publication.

The paper represents the third educational strategy offered by the College directed at developing skills in writing a research article. Other strategies include the 'Guidelines for Contributors' and the Journal's peer review process. The latter is designed to be independent, rigorous, objective and developmental. Our aim in asking reviewers to provide developmental feedback is so that authors may learn from the review and so feel that they have gained benefit from the process.

What the APJHM looks for in a research article

Like all scholarly journals, the APJHM expects that original research articles submitted for publication adhere to the central laws of all scientific communication. [1] Importantly, does the content and structure of the article demonstrate objectivity, utility, integrity, accuracy and reproducibility and does the article adhere with accepted professional and ethical standards as well as generally accepted standards of good taste?

To meet the requirement of reproducibility a study should be reported in such a way that it could be repeated by qualified third parties.

To assist authors to meet the central laws of scientific communication the APJHM has developed a set of Guidelines for Contributors which recommends the use of the following structure:

1. Title

This should be short (maximum of 15 words) but informative and include information that will facilitate electronic retrieval of the article.

2. Abstract

This should be structured using the following headings:

• Objective
• Design
• Setting
• Outcome Measures
• Findings
• Conclusions.

3. Main text

This should be structured and contain the following sub-headings:

1) Introduction - with a clear statement of the research question or issue or hypothesis, background information, and definitions.

2) Methods - in sufficient detail to permit an interested reader to:

1. comprehend what has been done to generate and analyse the data reported;
2. replicate the study if necessary; and
3. understand strengths and weaknesses of the methodology.

3) Results - clearly, succinctly and honestly reported using tables, graphs etc as appropriate.

4) Discussion - a structured approach guided by the following subheadings:

1. Statement of principal findings;
2. Strengths (eg, contribution to the body of relevant knowledge) in relation to other studies, discussing particularly any differences in findings;
3. Weaknesses in methodology and steps taken to address same;
4. Meaning of the study (eg, implications for health and aged care services managers or policy makers);
5. Unanswered questions and future research.

5) Conclusions - short, punchy and justifiable.

General guide - 3000 words (this does not include tables/figures etc).

4. References - Full and accurate including all sources of consulted and cited information.

General guide - no more than 30 references.

Further information about how to write a good research article

Perneger and Hudelson (2004), two experienced researchers and editors, have developed a very useful and readable guide about how to write a good research article titled 'Writing a research article: advice to beginners' and available at:

<http://intqhc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/16/3/191>

The title of the article implies that the article is only useful to beginners, this is not the case. The APJHM recommends that all potential contributors of research articles consult Perneger and Hudelson's paper prior to submitting their article. The article details information that should be included within each section of a research paper and also contains two very useful tables, titled: 1) 'Typical structure of a research paper' and 2) 'Common mistakes seen in manuscripts submitted to this journal' (viz, International Journal for Quality in Health Care).

Writing for publication - a useful online tutorial

'Publish Not Perish' is the title of a free online tutorial designed to introduce graduate students, junior faculty, and other potential authors to the mysterious world of scholarly publishing, from getting ideas and choosing a journal to submitting and revising a manuscript. Available at: <http://www.publishnotperish.org> Accessed 26/01/07.

References

1. National Institute of Health (NIH). NIH Policy Manual. 1184 - Scientific and professional information presented by NIH employees: review, approval, and distribution. Available: http://www1.od.nih.gov/oma/manualchapters/management/1184/main.html (Accessed 13/09/06).
2. Perneger TV, Hudelson PM. Writing a research article: advice to beginners. Int Journal for Quality in Health Care. 2004;191-192. Available: http://intqhc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/16/3/191 (Accessed 11/10/06).

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