Interlude: Compelling Titles, Shortcuts, and Research Plans

Here's my latest curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources related to scientific and medical writing.

💌 Round-up 

💻 From My Desk

How to Write a Compelling Title for Your Manuscript
The title is a critical part of your manuscript. It is your reader’s—and reviewer’s—first introduction to your paper. With a strong title, you can help people find your article in a search and pique their interest in reading your work.

15 Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts to Save You Time While Writing
Did know that you lose an average of 2 seconds per minute of work by switching back and forth between your mouse and keyboard? Learning just a few keyboard shortcuts could save several hours over the course of a year.

👓 Reading

Write Simply
"I try to write using ordinary words and simple sentences. That kind of writing is easier to read, and the easier something is to read, the more deeply readers will engage with it. The less energy they expend on your prose, the more they'll have left for your ideas."

Standardizing Terminology for Text Recycling in Research Writing
Researchers often find that they need to repeat some material (eg, methods, background) from their previous articles, a practice called ‘text recycling." But different journals use different language to outline their policies around this practice. This article aimed to develop a new taxonomy to bring consistency to these policies.

New, More Inclusive Journal Policies Ease Author Name Changes on Published Papers
"The new policies allow authors to change their names without public notification of any kind. That marks a break from previous practices, which generally either didn’t allow for a name change or required a correction notice and co-author approval if a change was made."

Citation of Retracted Publications: A Challenging Problem
"...many articles cite retracted publications, with the majority of these references occurring before the retraction. However, very few publications assess the impact of the retracted citations, even though the findings of many might be altered, at least in part, by removal of the retracted citation."

Estimating the Prevalence of Text Overlap in Biomedical Conference Abstracts
"...meeting organizers have an ethical obligation to develop proper guidance in their call for papers and/or submission guidelines about what ethical parameters are expected and what steps will be followed should conference guidelines be grossly violated."

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown 
For those of you who teach or study, this book is for you! The author looks to research as he discusses how to structure courses to improve long-term learning, why weekend conferences and intensive workshops are only beneficial in the short term, and what learners can do to improve their study habits.

🎧 Listening

All About Grants Podcast: Considerations for Developing a Research Pla‪n
In this episode, two program officers from the NIH share their advice on developing a research plan, drafting the specific aims page, and how to avoid common pitfalls in your application.
iTunes | MP3 | Transcript

🧰 Tools

Calendly
I finally joined the bandwagon and signed up for Calendly. I wish I had joined sooner. With this automated program, you can save time by avoiding multiple back-and-forth emails to schedule a meeting.

💬 Quote

"Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction. –Albert Einstein
 

💭 Thoughts

Give the gift of time. Schedule meetings that are 25 minutes or 40 minutes instead of 30 minutes and 60 minutes.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal