Pathophysiology of a scientific paper

Abstract

Scientific paper writing for science journals is highly adroit, competitive, and laborious process. Scientific writing has a constant design, which is confounding for apprentice science writers. The huge amount of impediments is associated with scientific writing which may be reduced by applying some practices and guidelines. The basic structure of scientific articles mainly comprises of the title, abstract, keywords, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgments, and references. The pathophysiological aspects which minimize the chances of publication of an academic paper are rarely discussed in the literature. Early career of physicians and researchers is not well acquainted with the components of scientific paper. This study established an approach to understand the basic characteristics of pathophysiology of scientific writing.

In this modern era of science and technology, scientific writing is gaining popularity among undergraduate, postgraduate students, physicians, and research scholars who are fascinated in a profession as an academic scientist.[1] Research paper writers understand the basic scientific writing skills[1,2] as it is vital to comprehend the anatomy and physiology of the various sections of the scientific paper. This article highlights the pathophysiological characteristics which should be avoided while writing the various sections of the scientific paper.

Title

The title is an extremely imperative section of an academic article. This is the first fragment that an editor, reviewer and reader reads, which helps comprehend the contents of the scientific paper. It gives the first impression to the readers about the article and makes him decide to either read it or leave it. The main pathophysiological characteristics, which minimize the importance of the title, are being too difficult to understand, not easy to catalogue and fascinate the readers.[3] If it is too long, too short, unclear, or humorous, the title dilutes the strength of the study. The large, unspecific title with abbreviations does not convey the main idea to readers.[4,5] A poor title does not comprise of the basic key words, which reflects the core contents of the article. “A poor title is like a quarantine sign; the readers read it and go away”[3] The title must be simple, small, and explicit without any abbreviations and biased representation [Table 1].[3]

Table 1.

Pathophysiological features in various sections of a research article

Title  Too small or too lengthy  Ambiguous  Unable to attract the readers  Too difficult to cognize  Not easy to catalogue  Poor description of the manuscript  Contains abbreviations	Abstract  Too short or too long  Contains over 300 words  Missing important information  Fails to summarize main findings  Fails to follow structured or unstructured pattern  Citing reference
Introduction  Unable to identify the subject area  Poor settings  Irrelevant literature  Unable to summarize the existing problems  Unable to discuss the hypothesis and problems  Fails to clarify rationale and gaps  Poor citations with old references	Methods  Fails to discuss study design and settings  No inclusion and exclusion criteria  No description of sample size and groupings  No description of measuring tools  No statistical tools description  No Ethical statement  Poor data analysis
Results  Fails to provide key findings  Reports only positive findings  Unable to report negative results  Unable to discuss differences and relationships  Poor description of “significant” and “non-significant” findings  Lengthy analysis and duplication of information	Discussion  Fails to answer to testable hypotheses  No description of results with other’s findings  No discussion of contradictory findings  No alternative explanations  Discussion of prior work without references  No discussion of study strengths & limitations
Conclusions  Too concise and not clear  No reporting of principal findings  Highlighting unproven findings  No accuracy  Vague and biased  No satisfying ending	Declaration  Poor acknowledgement  No declaration of ethical statement  No declaration of conflicts of statement  No declaration of study funding  No declaration of any association with journal etc.,

Avoid all above pathophysiological features while writing the various sections of the scientific paper

Abstract

The abstract is the very vital part of the scientific manuscript. The readers frequently read the abstract and decide to read the article or move on. A clear, concise, short and expressive abstract serves as a core for the manuscript.[6] A well-written abstract sets the tone for the article and develops an interest among the readers to read it and describes the evidence from the segments of the article using a summary of the background, methods, results, and conclusions.[7] The main pathophysiological features of an abstract are failing to describe the major findings of the article. A short abstract with insufficient information and a lengthy abstract with unnecessary details or unclear ideas are the major drawbacks of the poor abstract. These often confuse the readers, and they stop reading the article, giving it a miss [Table 1].

Introduction

The introduction section of the paper is indispensable in telling the targeted audience about the reason for conducting this study. It is vital to elaborate the allied research literature and recapitulate the understanding of the gaps. An author should talk about the literature, objective of the study in the form of a hypothesis, questions, or problems investigated and should give a brief and rational explanation. It is essential to recognize these key topics that the study deals with.[8] The introduction section of the scientific article begins with ascertaining the area of interest, and focuses on the topic. The introduction section of the scientific paper is like an entrance gate of a scholarly city. A good introduction attracts the attention of readers, whereas, poor introduction misleads them.[9]

Methods

The method section is the most important part on which the excellence of the article is grounded. It allows the learners to understand the basic methodological aspects of the study and this section also provides information on which the study's validity is judged.[10] It contains evidence to enable the readers to understand “what was done, where it was done, and how it was done”.[11] The study “design, settings, control, exposed or treatment groups and variables measured” should be discussed stepwise in the methods section. It is also essential to provide the “study protocol, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size”, grouping,[11] materials, equipment, data collection, experimental handling, measurements and procedures. A poor method section fails to provide this crucial information [Table 1].

Results

The results section is the core of an academic paper for reporting the data to justify the conclusions.[11] This section, emphasizes the major findings in a balanced progression, reports both negative and positive findings, organizes the data in tabular or illustration format and provides associations, variances and magnitude of the findings with adequate interpretation. It is crucial to avoid discussing or interpreting the results reporting background information to explain the findings.[11] The results section should include both text and illustrations to provide better understanding of the theme.

Discussion

The discussion piece is the most important component of the scientific paper, it provides clarifications on synthesis of the findings and issues. This section should start with the obtainable main study findings, and should debate the results with the findings of others for providing enough interpretations. The author discusses the contrary findings with explanations and reliable reasons using the standard references. The discussion section should be like an inverted pyramid, from general to specific, and it should relate the findings with that to the literature. Before concluding the discussion, the study's potential strengths and limitations should be identified.[12]

Conclusion

The conclusion is the most significant and last part of the scientific paper, it must summarize the entire article as it is what readers always recall. The conclusion section must cover the principal findings and should be considered as the take-home message. The authors provide factual scientific justification and suggestions. The conclusion section should contain an enjoyable ending to the reader's utmost satisfaction.

To understand the pathophysiological aspects in the various sections of the scientific paper, it is essential to identify the basic characteristics, structure and functions of an academic article. The author(s) also understand the pathophysiological processes in the various sections of the scientific paper that minimize the chances of publication of the scientific paper. The researchers must learn the art and science of the scientific paper writing.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.