How to Write and Publish Scientific Papers

Abstract

Every researcher has -or needs to have -a bit of the writer in him/her, since the purpose of scientific research is the publication of results.This view may worry mainly researchers who are starting their scientific career and feel they lack the skill to write, which may be seen as a consequence of their not having received an adequate training in the art of writing.Indeed, is not an easy task to put on paper our hypotheses, results, and above all, discuss them, since this requires time and training; let us not forget that, in our profession, we are assessed on our ability to convey our ideas and impart information.Thus, it is not surprising that several authors have dedicated themselves to the production of works that deal with scientific writing.Perhaps the earliest example of a book teaching how to write and publish scientific papers is found in Fishbein and Sunyer's work, published in English in 1948 and translated into Spanish in 1954, by Prensa Médica Mexicana, under the title Normas de Literatura Médica.Later on, many other books were published in different languages, including Portuguese.The most important example in Brazil is provided by the book Como Publicar Trabalhos Científicos, published by Dr Luis Rey in 1972, being re-published in 1992, well extended, under the title Planejar e Redigir Trabalhos Científicos.It is an obligatory reference book and currently one the most consulted on this issue in Brazil.More recently, Organización Panamericana de la Salud has taken the initiative to translate into Spanish How to Write and Publish Scientific Papers, by Dr Robert A Day (1996).This book, in 30 chapters, five appendices and one glossary, instructs in a didactic and very clear style the guidelines authors should follow, in order to improve the quality of their scientific papers, theses and article reviews, among other topics.In the first chapter, Dr Day emphasizes that scientists ought to be learned and well-read, but he also points out that a scientific