Writing and Citing Scientific Articles

A scientific manuscript typically consists of different sections, each serving a specific purpose:

Abstract: Summarizes the entire article, encapsulating all four main sections.
Introduction: Offers essential background information and outlines the study objectives.
Methods: Details the study design, how data was collected, and the statistical methods used to analyze the data.
Results: Describes the study population and presents relevant findings, often through tables and figures.
Discussion: Summarizes the findings, discusses their significance, addresses limitations and implications, and offers conclusions.
References: Lists all the sources cited within the manuscript, usually organized according to the journal's specifications.

Abstract: A paragraph (typically around 250 words) that summarizes the entire study. The abstract can be:
- Structured: Contains subheadings for easier navigation.
- Unstructured: No headings are used.
Introduction: Offers critical information necessary for understanding the methods and results. It typically:
- Discusses the importance and novelty of the study.
- Ends with a clear statement of the overall goal and specific aims of the research.
Methods: Provides detailed information regarding:
- The overall study design.
- Data collection methods used.
- How the data were cleaned, coded, and analyzed.
- Any ethical considerations, such as obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.
- Key attributes of a well-written methods section include coherence (logical alignment between goals, methods, results, and conclusions) and transparency (clarity about methods and results).
Results: Includes key findings, which should be presented in both textual format as well as illustrated through tables and figures. Focus areas include:
- Descriptive information about participants.
- Additional quantitative or qualitative analyses.
- Referenced example: Páez-Herrera et al. 2024.
Discussion: Serves multiple roles:
- Briefly summarizes the key findings in relation to the objectives of the paper.
- Compares findings to existing literature, explaining any discrepancies.
- Discusses limitations of the study and the broader implications of the findings.

Refers to additional sections included between the main text and the reference list which may include:
- Acknowledgments
- List of funding sources
- Disclosures of potential conflicts of interest

Many health journals enforce limitations on the number of tables and figures, often capping them at a total of four combined.
Table: Concisely presents key findings in a grid format.
Figure: Offers a visual representation of findings, such as diagrams, flowcharts, or graphs. Notably:
- Graph: Illustrates quantitative results (e.g., scatterplots or line graphs showing numeric variable changes over time).

Each manuscript should tell one clear story rather than multiple competing narratives. Poor drafts often fail because they contain multiple plotlines without a distinctly articulated key message.

Authors must check individual journal requirements to ensure adherence to formatting norms, including checks with APA guidelines or other style guides as required.

Typical articles feature around 25-30 references. Topics in the manuscript generally entail:
- Introduction: Uses references to establish the problem.
- Discussion: Incorporates literature comparisons to highlight new findings.
- Methods: Generally includes few references or none, focusing instead on methods employed.

Formal Sources: Include journal articles, books, reports from trusted government agencies.
Informal Sources: Webpages, blogs, etc. Pre-print publications (e.g., on platforms such as medrxiv or biorxiv) are becoming increasingly citable.
Judicious citation is vital; informal sources should rarely be included in formal research. Popular media should only be cited if no comparable formal article exists.

Plagiarism: The use of another's work without proper attribution is a serious academic offense. Paraphrasing still requires citation.
Common Knowledge: Refers to widely known information in a field that does not require citation. Specific details (e.g., exact statistics or unique findings) always require citation.

Two important components are generally required in citation styles:
- In-text citations: Briefly identify sources within the text.
- Reference list: Comprehensive bibliographic information at the article's end.
Common styles include APA and AMA, with consistency throughout the document being crucial.

Article 1: JAMA
- Determine if the abstract is structured or unstructured.
- Identify motives behind the study (introduction).
- Outline the general approach taken (methods).
- Discuss the study's implications.
- Analyze the content of the end matter.
Article 2: NPJ Vaccines
- Assess whether the abstract is structured or unstructured.
- Compare structural differences from the previous article.
- Explore what is included in the end matter for this article.

Manuscripts typically consist of core sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
An abstract acts as a succinct summary of the manuscript's content.
Utilizing tables and figures can enrich the overall manuscript quality.
Adhere to citation guidelines to prevent plagiarism, referencing styles such as APA, MLA, or Chicago as required.