66 Enhance the Value of a Research Paper: Choosing the Right and Writing them Accurately Sandeep B Bavdekar 1 Art of Writing Abstract help readers identify and locate sources used for justifying the need for conducting the research study, verify methods employed in the study and for discussing the interpretation of results and implications of the study. It is extremely essential that references are accurate and complete. This article provides suggestions regarding choosing references and writing reference list. are a list of sources that are selected by authors to represent the best documents concerning the research study. 1 They constitute the foundation of any research paper. Although generally written towards the end of the article-writing process, they are nevertheless extremely important. They provide the context for the hypothesis and help justify the need for conducting the research study. Authors use references to inform readers about the techniques used for conducting the study and convince them about the appropriateness of methodology used. help provide appropriate perspective in which the research findings should be seen and interpreted. This communication will discuss the purpose of citations, how to select quality sources for citing and the importance of accuracy while writing the reference list. Purpose of Citing of methodology. They also add support to the interpretations suggested, suppositions made and inferences drawn. 2 Properly selected references add to the manuscript s scientific prestige. In addition, editors scan reference lists to choose reviewers. help peer reviewers to evaluate the research work with greater effectiveness and efficiency. Readers use references to check on details of a method cited. Reference lists also constitute a pool of resources regarding the referenced topic and students and other readers use these lists to locate relevant material to enhance their understanding. Reference lists also bring credit to individual scientists when their work is cited. Organization of Investigators perform a thorough search for relevant literature while planning the research, writing the protocol and even while the study is going on. Once the results are analyzed and interpreted, another round of literature search is undertaken to look for relevant evidence that may have been generated in the intervening period. They cannot use all the material that has been read as citations in the manuscript. They are required to separate the most suitable and relevant sources from those that may be only remotely related. Given the restrictions on the number of references that can be cited; even all the relevant sources cannot be cited. The authors are in fact, forced to select only a few from the pool of relevant material. This selection which entails that the authors cite the most reliable and the most appropriate sources from this pool of highly relevant material is the first part of organization of references. The second level of organization is to decide which sources or references go to what section of the article. The IMRaD format clearly defines the purpose of each section of a research manuscript: Introduction section is used for providing background information so as to allow the readers to judge the need for conducting the research study, methodology section is used for describing the manner in which the study was done, results section provides the study findings and, as stated earlier help authors explain the rationale of the study and provide details 1 Professor and Head, Department of Pediatrics, Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Ch. Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra Received: 10.12.2015; Accepted: 17.12.2015
67 Table 1: Variability in the way references are cited in text and listed in the reference list Parameter Citing reference numbers in the text Author names in the reference list Journal details Variations The relevant reference numbers are cited as an Arabic number. However, some journals put it in plain text, while others put it in superscript. The reference number may be quoted as such, within parentheses or within square brackets. Also, some journals require that the reference number is placed after a punctuation mark, while others advise authors to do just the opposite. Journals vary in their recommendations regarding the number of authors names to be stated when the source has multiple authors. Journals request to insert et al after names of two, three or four authors Some journals subscribing to Harvard format require an abbreviated name of journal, while some require the full journal name to be included Some journals require the issue number to be included in the parentheses in addition to the journal name, volume number and page numbers. Most journals need the first and the last page nos. of an article cited. For some, stating just the first page no. of the article suffices. A few journals require the journal s name to be written in italics discussion section offers a forum to describe the interpretation and implications of the study findings. Various statements in these sections (with the exception of the results section) need to be supported with references. cited in the methodology sectionhelp clarify the laboratory methods and diagnostic criteria used in the study and sample size estimation methods, among others. Although some material clarifying methodological issues may have to be used in Discussion section to justify certain aspects of methodology, generally this is easy to decide. However, there is a great overlap between the references that may be cited in the introduction section to provide background information and those that are cited in the discussion section to compare the study findings with the observations made in previously published articles. Although there is no bar on citing the same study in two different sections or even repeatedly in the same section of the manuscript, this is generally done only exceptionally and that too for a highly relevant material. Citation and Reference Formats There are several styles for citing references. 3 The Council of Science Editors (CSE) describes three systems for documentation of the referred material. All these systems require a reference list at the end of the research paper. This list provides all the information that the readers require to track down the source. The threesystems can be broadly labeled as: citation-name, citation-sequence and name-year systems. 4 In the citation-name system, the sources are arranged alphabetically by the first author s last name in the reference list at the end of the paper. The source is cited using the number in the reference list, which is placed at the relevant sentence. In the citation-sequence system, the sources in the reference list at the end of the paper are arranged in the order in which they appear in the text. In the article, the source is cited using the number from the reference list and positioned at the relevant sentence in the text. In the name-year system, the sources are listed alphabetically in the reference list at the end of the research article. In contrast to other two systems, the sources are not numbered in the reference list and sources are cited by providing the author s last name and year of publication in parentheses. 4,5 Several reference and citation formats and styles are in vogue. These include the Vancouver, 6 the Harvard, 7 the APA (American Psychological Association), 8 the ASA (American Sociological Society), 9 the MLA (Modern Language Association) 10 the Chicago 11 and many other formats. 3 Of these, the Vancouver (an example of the citationsequence format using the consecutive numbering system) and the Harvard system (an example of the name- publication year system) are most commonly encountered. These two formats have their own merits and demerits. The Vancouver system is extensively used in medical and physical science and is considered to be simpler and easier to use, especially while revising manuscript drafts. On the other hand, the Harvard system, which is mainly used in humanities and social science literature, recognizes the contributions of individual scientists by ensuring that their names appear in the main text. However, the discussion regarding the merits and demerits of one system over the other is of limited relevance; as the choice does not rest with the author. He has to follow the format or style that the journal he has chosen to submit the manuscript to, recommends. Here, it will not be out-of-place to point out that the authors need to carefully read the guidelines provided by the journal regarding citing references and take note of the requirements of individual journals (Table 1). Authors Responsibilities It is the authors responsibility to cite the most relevant and the most appropriate references, accurately. As explained by Annesley, 2 accuracy has two components: one, the article should precisely and truthfully quote, report or paraphrase what the source has stated and two, it should provide accurately the various elements of the source such as authors names, article title and journal name, volume number, year of publication and page numbers in the reference list. The first component of accuracy implies that the author has located and read every source that has been cited in the manuscript, has understood
68 Table 2: Consequences of errors in citing various elements of sources in the reference list The Editor is unable to locate the sources mentioned in the reference list. Might begin to doubt the integrity and credibility of the work, hampering the chances of article being accepted for publication. The Editor is unable to use the faulty reference list to invite peer reviewers. Reviewers are unable to locate the source and check the veracity of statements attributed to sources. This has an adverse effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of the review process. Readers cannot use references to get greater details of methodology or for improving their comprehension of the cited study. [1,12] Reference does not get linked properly in the electronic databases. Authors of the source do not get the credit they deserve. [1] what has been stated and then has truthfully re-stated or reported what has been written in the original source. 1 Errors in providing elements of a source are associated with undesirable consequences (Table 2). Many authors use citation management software programs (also called reference managers) such as EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, RefWorks to ensure that the reference list is accurate and devoid of any errors. [1] Tasks Related to These include choosing references for citation, placing the citation in the manuscript text and writing the reference list. General guidelines are listed below: A. Choosing references for citation Authors need to select the most relevant and the most appropriate references from the collected material. Every reference in a research article should be accurate and add value to the research article. 2 Although, review articles are useful in guiding readers about a body of original work, these may not reflect the original work accurately and the referenced statement may represent the opinion of the reviewer. Hence, authors should prefer to cite direct references to original research sources. 13 The guidelines provided by the Journal are of paramount importance. Authors should adhere to the advice regarding the number of references that can be cited for a research article. Authors should ensure that they are citing trustworthy sources as references by determining reliability of the data presented, analysis performed, interpretation offered and arguments made in the source documents. Articles published in reputed peerreviewed journals undergo greater scrutiny through a multi-layered editorial- and peer-review process before they are published. It is advisable to preferably cite articles published in these journals. It is better to avoid using conference abstracts as references, as these are not usually subjected to a formal peer-review process. [13] In addition, they provide only limited information 2 and one is not sure if the abstract is a fair representation of the whole data. Authors need to desist from indulging in self-citation. 13,14 Personal communications may be allowed only if they provide essential information that is not available from a public source 13 and if permitted by the person. If personal communications are cited, name of the person and date of the communication should be cited in parentheses in the text. Articles that have been accepted but not yet published should be designated as in press. Information from articles that have been submitted but not yet accepted may be cited in the text as unpublished observations. This can be done only after written permission is obtained from the source. 13 The authors may choose not to provide a reference for statements and facts which are likely to be known to the readers. 1 Given the plethora of scientific material available online, it is not surprising that online sources from the web are being frequently cited as references. They pose some peculiar challenges. For one, a single error in copying the URL (Uniform Reference Locator) can make it impossible for the readers to locate the resource material. This does not happen in case of a printed resources, as one can locate the source with the help of other elements in the reference or citation. The second issue is the non-permanence of webpage content and even websites, themselves. 15 Their disappearance could be due to failure to maintain old links or closure of the organization maintaining the website. Despite these issues, it is not correct for authors to avoid citing relevant and reliable material available online or for the journal editors to advise authors to do so. Solution may lie in archiving cited URL on the journal servers, using persistent URLs (PURLs) or employing Internet archiving systems so that such content is available on an ongoing basis. 16 At present, most journals advise authors to mention the date on which the cited webpage was accessed in the reference list. Nowadays, many articles are citing information from a tertiary source that can
69 be edited by anyone (for example, Wikipedia). This is a controversial issue posing different kind of challenges. Protagonists of using Wikipedia-like sources as references liken it to an encyclopedia in terms of accuracy and argue that there is a need to recognize that learning modalities are leaning more towards online sources. It is also claimed that being open to everyone and being edited by so many, material posted on Wikipedia website is being constantly reviewed. Those who do not agree, point out that tertiary sources do not satisfy the ICMJE criteria 13 that a reference should direct the readers to original research sources, whenever possible and that the Wikipedia entries are constantly changing, making it difficult for readers to check the veracity of cited material. 17 It may be prudent to suggest that authors may include tertiary sources as references only when a primary, permanent, peer-reviewed alternate source does not exist. 1 B. Inducting citations in the text Authors can summarize the material (data, information or opinion) from other articles in their own words. However, when the referenced source is cited using the same words, phrases or sentences as in the original article (verbatim); this should be indicated using double-inverted commas ( ---- - ). 1 It is imperative to follow the rules regarding the way citation is to be mentioned. These are stated in the journal s Instructions to authors. They may advise authors to place the reference numbers in the text as superscripted numbers or otherwise; in parentheses, square brackets or as plain numbers; so on and so forth. Unless specifically instructed in the journal guidelines, reference number or citation should be inserted right after the information from the source is stated. Hence, a citation might occur in the middle of a sentence or at the end of a sentence. 2 When multiple facts are reported in a sentence, it is prudent to use multiple citations and place them immediately after writing the relevant fact. For example, instead of stating that Multiple studies have reported that factors such as illiteracy of the parents, poor socio-economic status and non-availability of written instructions in doctors prescriptions, instructions in local language on the drug label and calibrated spoons are associated with dosing errors while administering medicines at home (7-13). ; it would be advisable to write the citations in the following manner: Multiple studies have reported that factors such as illiteracy of the parents (7), poor socio-economic status (8) and non-availability of written instructions in doctors prescriptions (7,9), instructions in local language on the drug label (8-10) and calibrated spoons (10-13) are associated with dosing errors while administering medicines at home. If two or more references are used to support a fact, these references may be listed in a chronological order. If two references are from the same year, they can be arranged in alphabetical order considering the last name of the first author. 2 C. Preparing the Reference List It is also necessary to carefully follow journal s instructions regarding the format of referencing, use of punctuations, italic text, abbreviated names of journals, issue number of the journal, etc. while preparing the individual items in the reference list. As the article is being written, revised and edited; portions of the manuscript text are moved. Hence, the reference numbers need to be adjusted with every revision. The reference management software can be of great assistance is ensuring that such adjustments are done precisely. The authors should take care to submit the manuscript only after checking that every citation has a corresponding reference and that every reference is cited at the right spot in the manuscript. 2 To summarize, citations play an important role in a research manuscript; not only because they appear in every section including tables and figures; but because they provide foundation for the study rationale and methodology employed in the study and help readers understand the implications and value of the study. Authors have the primary obligation to cite relevant and appropriate references accurately. Being of immense importance, even reviewers check the correctness of references and journal editors use software to ensure that references are cited in a precise manner. Although several formats for writing references exist, authors need to familiarize themselves with the format and the style adopted by the journal they intend to send their manuscript to. Inappropriate, incorrect and inaccurate referencing can mar the chances of manuscript being accepted for publication. 1. Sungur MO, Seyhan TO. Writing references and using citation management software. Turk J Urol 2013; 39(Suppl1):25-32. 2. Annesley TM. Giving Credit: Citations and. Clin Chem 2011; 57:14-7. 3. University Library. American University, Washington DC. Citation Style Guide. Which Style Should I Use? http:// subjectguides.library.american.edu/c.
70 php?g=175008&p=1154150 [Last accessed on Oct 28, 2015] 4. The Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison. The Writer s Handbook. CSE Documentation Style. https://writing. wisc.edu/handbook/doccse.html [Last accessed on Oct 28, 2015]. 5. Northwest Missouri State University. BD Owen s Library. Scientific Style and Format. The CSE Manual for authors, editors and publishers. http://www.nwmissouri.edu/ library/citing/cbe.htm [Last accessed on October 28, 2015] 6. Vancouver Reference Style Guide. http://openjournals.net/files/ref/ VANCOUVER%20Reference%20guide.pdf [Last accessed on October 31, 2015]. 7. Harvard Reference Style Guide. http://openjournals.net/files/ref/ HARVARD2009%20Reference%20guide. pdf [Last accessed on October 31, 2015]. 8. The University of Waikato. APA Referencing Style Guide. http://www.waikato.ac.nz/ library/study/referencing/styles/apa [Last accessed on October 31, 2015]. 9. Coates Library. Trinity University. ASA Style Citations (American Sociological Society. http://lib.trinity.edu/research/citing/ ASA_Style_Citations_4.pdf [Last accessed on October 31, 2015]. 10. LIU Post. B Davis Schwartz Memorial Library. MLA Citation Style. http://www2. liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla. htm [Last accessed on October 31, 2015]. 11. Purdue Online Writing Lab. https://owl. english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/02/ [Last accessed on October 31, 2015]. 12. Masic I, Milinovic K. On-line biomedical databases- the best source for quick search of the scientific information in the biomedicine. Act Inform Med 2012; 20:72-84. 13. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Preparing for Submission. http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/ browse/manuscript-preparation/ preparing-for-submission.htm. [Last accessed on October 28, 2015]. 14. Barroga EF. Reference Accuracy: Authors, Reviewers, Editors, and Publishers Contributions. JKMS 2014; 29:1587-9. 15. Aronsky D, Madani S, Carnevale RJ, Duda S, Feyder MT. The Prevalence and Inaccessibility of Internet in the Biomedical Literature at the Time of Publication. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2007; 14:232-4. 16. Habibzadeh P. Decay of references to web sites in articles published in General medical Journals: Mainstream vs Small journals. Appl Clin Inform 2013; 4:455-64. 17. Bould MD, Hladkowicz ES, Pigford AA, Ufholz LA, Postonogova T, Shin E, Boet S. that anyone can edit: review of Wikipedia citations in peer reviewed health science literature. BMJ 2014; 348:g1585.