Section outline

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  • Module 1: April 7 to April 20

    Lecture:


    Preparing Research Abstracts: Few Words, Big Impact

    and

    Grace Under Fire: Oral and Poster Research Presentations



    Faculty:  Alison Huang, MD, MAS
     
    This session will focus on preparing structured abstracts for scientific conferences as well as for full-length manuscripts. How do you craft a research abstract that highlights the strengths and significance of your research and adheres to rigorous scientific reporting standards, while staying within required word or space limits?  What factors should be considered when deciding when and where to submit a research abstract to a scientific conference?  What process do conference organizers use to evaluate abstract submissions for poster, oral, or plenary presentations, and what common mistakes can result in abstract submissions receiving less consideration than they deserve?

    This session will also address strategies for preparing effective oral and poster research presentations as well as discussing one's overall scientific mission at professional meetings. What are the best practices for creating visually appealing oral research presentation slides and research posters? How do you prepare talking points for research presentations that complement visual content without being overshadowed by it? How should you responds to questions and comments during research presentations, including hostile or multi-part questions and criticisms?

    • Pre-Recorded Lectures (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Preparing Research Abstracts: Few Words, Big Impact Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only
    • Grace Under Fire: Oral and Poster Presentations Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Lecture Slides:

    • Preparing Research Abstracts: Few Words, Big Impact slides File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Grace Under Fire: Oral and Poster Presentations slides File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

      Browner WS. Publishing and Presenting Clinical Research, 3rd Ed, Chapters 1, 2, 11, and 12

    • Optional Reading:

    • Lara Varpio, et al. Writing competitive research conference abstracts. Medical Education 2006; File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Optional "Live" Session (Access restricted to registered students):

      (See updated instructions 4-7-20-- meeting password needed!)

    • Live interactive critique of two sample draft abstracts (see abstracts and instructions for Zoom session posted below) via Zoom meeting on Tuesday, April 7, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm

    • Live Session 1 Slides File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Abstract example 1 for critique during live session File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Abstract example 2 for critique during live session File

    • Assignment #1:

      Option 1: Submit a draft abstract for a research study you are currently conducting or have just completed, formatted according to the guidelines of a professional/scientific society or a peer-reviewed journal - due by noon on Tuesday, April 21.

      Option 2: Use "track changes" to edit and improve a draft abstract for a study of a smoking cessation intervention  - due by noon on Tuesday April 21.

    • Assignment 1, Option 1 instructions and template File
    • Assignment 1, Option 2 instructions and template File
    • Upload Assignment 1 here
    • Watch a video of one approach to editing the abstract in Option 2 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

  • Module 2: April 21 to May 4

    Lecture:


    Good Beginnings: The Introduction Section of a Research Manuscript

    and

    Nuts and Bolts: The Methods Section of a Research Manuscript

    Faculty:  Alison Huang, MD, MAS

    This module focuses on the introduction and methods sections of original research manuscripts. How can you structure your introduction section so that it offers a compelling rationale for your research project and provides all necessary contextual information to frame your research goals?  How can you acknowledge past research on your topic, without turning your introduction in a tedious, rambling literature review? What are best practices for crafting a methods section that provides all critical information about the design and implementation of your study without using excess words? How can your methods section anticipate readers' questions about the conduct of a research project, while avoiding unnecessary detail?

    • Pre-Recorded Lectures (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Good Beginnings: The Introduction Section of a Research Manuscript Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only
    • Nuts and Bolts: The Methods Section of a Research Manuscript Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Lecture Slides:

    • Good Beginnings: The Introduction Section File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Nuts and Bolts: The Methods Section File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • "Live" Session Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Live debate about "Research Writing: The Finer Points of Style" on Tuesday, April 21, at 3:00 pm by Zoom
    • Instructions for optional "Live" session 2 File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Live Session 2 Slides File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Required Reading:

      Browner WS. Publishing and Presenting Clinical Research, 3rd Ed, Chapters 3 and 4

    • Optional Reading:

    • Lingard, L. Writing an Effective Literature Review: Mapping the Gap, from Perspectives in Medical Education File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Lingard, L. Writing an Effective Literature Review: Citation Techniques, from Perspectives in Medical Education File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Manuscript Preparation and Publication" by David Holmes, et al. in Careers in Circulation, 2009;120:906-913 File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Assignment #2:

      Option 1: Submit a draft ~3-paragraph introduction for a manuscript based on a research project you are currently conducting or have just completed - due by noon on May 5.

      Option 2: Use "track changes" to edit and improve a draft introduction for a sample manuscript about a study of a smoking cessation intervention - due by noon on May 5.

    • Assignment 2, Option 1 instructions and template File
    • Assignment 2, Option 2 instructions and template File
    • Upload Assignment 2 here
    • Watch a video of one approach to editing the introduction for Option 2 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

  • Module 3: May 5 to May 18

    Lecture:  

    Research Results: The Visual Display of Data

    and

    Good Endings: the Results and Discussion Sections of a Research Manuscript

    Faculty: Vivek Jain. MD, MAS and Alison Huang, MD, MAS

    The first half of this module (led by Dr. Vivek Jain) will focus on preparing visually compelling tables, graphs, and figures to present research data. Dr. Jain will consider examples of effective and ineffective presentation of research tables and figures and discuss strategies for improving the format or presentation.

    The second half of this module (led by Dr. Alison Huang) will focus on writing manuscript results and discussion sections. How do you develop written text that effectively frames the visual display of research data? How can you highlight your most important findings in the discussion without simply restating information from the results? How do you acknowledge the limitations of your research in a discussion section without undermining its strengths? How should you gide readers in interpreting your study findings in the context of previous work?

    • Session Slides:

    • Research Results: the Visual Display of Data File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
    • Good Endings: The Results and Discussion Sections File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Pre-Recorded Lectures (Access restricted to registered students): 

      (Note that Dr. Vivek Jain's lecture is a recording from 2019, due to his current COVID-related responsibilities)

    • Watch 2019 Recording of "Research Results: the Visual Display of Data" URL
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only
    • Good Endings Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

    • Required Reading:

      Browner WS. Publishing and Presenting Clinical Research, 3rd Ed, Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8.

    • Optional Reading:

    • Excerpts from Edward Tufte’s The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. File
      Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

    • Assignment #3:

      Option 1: Submit a table and a figure from your own research that present the same research data in two different ways, along with text to summarize the most important findings and describe their implications – due by noon on May 19.

      Option 2: Use "track changes" to edit and improve the draft results section of sample manuscript based on a study of a smoking cessation intervention - due by noon on May 19.

    • Assignment 3, Option 1 instructions and template File
    • Assignment 3, Option 2 instructions and template File
    • Upload Assignment 3 here
    • Watch a video of one approach to editing the results section for Option 2 Media Resource
      Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

  • Module 4: May 19 to June 1

    Lecture:

    Running the Gauntlet: The Manuscript Review Process

     and

    Special Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editor Roundtable

    Faculty:  Alison Huang, MD, MAS; Carolyn Gibson, PhD; and editor panelists

    Journal editor roundtable: Sandy Feng, MD, PhD; Deborah Grady, MD, MPH; Christopher Hess, MD, PhD; S. Andrew Josephson, MD; Kanade Shinkai, MD, PhD; Ellen Weber, MD

    This module will address the manuscript submission and review process, including expectations for acceptance versus rejection for initial and resubmitted manuscripts, insights into the perspective of reviewers who critique manuscript submissions, and strategies for responding to reviewer critiques in order to increase the likelihood of acceptance.

    This module will feature a special, interactive "editor-in-chief roundtable" in which a panel of UCSF professors who are also editors-in-chief or senior editors at major peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals will be asked to speak briefly in response to several pre-established questions (see below), in addition to taking additional questions from students.

      Possible questions:

        1. "In your experience, what is one of the most common mistakes made by authors in preparing or submitting research manuscripts that result in their manuscripts not being given the consideration they deserve?"
        2. "Can you think of an example of a manuscript that was turned down by your journal that you feel should have been accepted, or an example of one that was accepted that you think should have been rejected, and explain why?"
        3. "Aside from the reviewers' critiques, what other factors do you as a journal editor weigh in deciding whether to accept or reject a manuscript?"
        4. "Are there circumstances in which it may be appropriate or feasible for an author to appeal a decision to reject made by a journal; if so, what are they, and how should authors go about this?"

        • Pre-Recorded Lecture:

        • Lecture Slides:

        • Journal Editor Roundtable session slides File
          Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

        • "Live" Session Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

        • Live webinar involving a panel of UCSF faculty who are also editors-in-chief or senior editors of major peer-reviewed journals on Tuesday, May 19, at 3:15 pm by Zoom -- come prepared to ask questions!
        • Zoom webinar instructions for Journal Editor Panel session File
          Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
        • epi212.journal.editor.roundtable.5.19.20 Media Resource
          Not available unless: You belong to a group in Registered Students Only

        • Required Reading:

          Browner WS. Publishing and Presenting Clinical Research, 3rd Ed, Chapters 10 and 13

        • Optional Reading:

        • Preparing Reports for Publication and Responding to Reviewers’ Comments" by Gordon H. Guyatt and R. Brian Haynes, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2006;59:900-906 File
          Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

        • Assignment Due Date:  (e.g.,  1 pm on April 1 2013” or  “At the beginning of Small Group Section”)

      1. Bonus Module: June 2

        Lectures/Sessions:

        Being Newsworthy: Sharing Your Study Results with the Lay Press
        and
        Public Medical Writing: Communicating about Research with the Public, Policy Makers, and Funders

        Faculty:  Margot Kushel, MD and Louise Aronson, MD

        This module will include a live Zoom session (led by Dr. Margot Kushel) that will focus on strategies for disseminating study results in the lay press, including working with university media officers to prepare concise but engaging press releases, summarizing study results in a way that is both scientifically appropriate and easy for lay audiences to digest, and addressing subsequent questions, interview requests, and comments from reporters, media outlets, and the public.  Dr. Kushel will discuss how to decide whether a study is "newsworthy", when to start preparing a press release for a study, and how to respond to time-sensitive media inquiries about their research.

        This module also includes a pre-recorded session (led by Dr. Louise Aronson) that focuses on preparing articles for "public" audiences. Researchers who have the greatest impact on healthcare, patient lives, and the medical system often write both for professional colleagues and for the public, policy makers, potential funders, and health system leaders. Opinion and story-based articles are among the most effective ways to reach wider audiences and have significant, real-world impact. This session introduces the four main types of public articles-- thought pieces, perspectives, narratives, and op-eds. Dr. Aronson dissects sample articles of each type to identify keys to their success and discuss how to determine the right article type, audience, and approach for your research goals.

        • Session Slides:

        • Lecture slides-- Being Newsworthy File
          Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only
        • Lecture slides--Public Writing File
          Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

        • "Live" Session Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

        • Interactive session with Dr. Margot Kushel and Laura Kurtzman, UCSF Senior Public Information Representative-- get guidance on
          preparing a press released about your own research  on Tuesday, June 2, at 3:00 pm by Zoom
        • Instructions for interactive Zoom session, "Being Newsworthy" File
          Not available unless: You belong to Registered Students Only

        • Pre-Recorded Lecture (Access restricted to registered students):

        • Required Reading:

          Browner WS. Publishing and Presenting Clinical Research, 3rd Ed, Chapter 8

        • Optional Reading:

        • Aronson - Story as evidence, evidence as story File
          Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
        • Dahlstron Using narratives and storytelling to communicate science File
          Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
        • Meisel and Karlawish- Narrative vs Evidence-Based Medicine File
          Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
        • Steinner Use of Stories in Clinical Research File
          Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
        • Kwok R. Communication: Two minutes to impress, Nature, 494, 137-138 (2013) doi:10.1038/nj7435-137a URL
          Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

        • Optional Assignment #4:  Draft a thought piece, perspective, narrative, or op-ed article related to your research - please e-mail to Louise Aronson at Louise.Aronson@ucsf.edu.