《How To Write A Scientific Paper For A Peer-Reviewed Journal》.pdf

CHAPTER 5 HOW TO WRITE A SCIENTIFIC PAPER FOR A PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL PHIL LANGE INTRODUCTION All of the chapters in this book speak to our aspirations to contribute to addiction science and to have a role in the scientific life of this field. In large part, this role comes through being published in peer-reviewed journals. Susan Savva (2007) A career in addiction science is largely built on the (perceived) quality of publications that a researcher (or a team of researchers) offers his or her colleagues. If these publications are numerous and of high quality, they lead to research funding and employment. To gauge the contribution of a researcher to addiction science, fellow researchers may consciously or unconsciously compute the number of worthwhile publications that a colleague has produced in relation to the number of years she has published. The greater speed of release for journal articles when compared with books, typically months versus years, means that those who wish to influence their field of study need to publish in peer-reviewed journals in order to communicate quickly their research results. This chapter offers the novice author a step-by-step guide to prepare a paper for publication. Annotated bibliographies and references listed at the end suggest further readings worth consulting about specific problems. The chapter begins with the proviso that good paper written by a graduate student or a junior investigator may be highly praised by faculty and colleagues and yet fall short of being publishable. Indeed, editors regularly receive