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BOOK REVIEW |
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| Year : 2017 | Volume
: 33
| Issue : 2 | Page : 175 |
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Reporting and publishing research in the biomedical sciences
Sanjay Sinha
Department of Urology, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| Date of Web Publication | 30-Mar-2017 |
Correspondence Address:
Sanjay Sinha
Department of Urology, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/iju.IJU_72_17
How to cite this article:
Sinha S. Reporting and publishing research in the biomedical sciences. Indian J Urol 2017;33:175 |
Editors : Sahni P and Aggarwal R
Year : 2016, Revised edition
Publisher : Nat Med J of India, New Delhi
Pages : 326
ISBN : 978-81-928154-1-1
The editors have compiled a practical textbook on reporting and publishing in biomedical sciences, an area of traditional deficiency in the formal teaching curriculum.
This comprehensive book discusses all aspects of reporting and publishing a biomedical manuscript. Each component of the IMRaD (introduction, methods, results, and discussion) format that is used by most scientific journals is discussed (Chapters 1–5) including the art of writing a good abstract (Chapter 7). In addition to original research articles, it also covers other formats including editorials, reviews, case reports, letters to the editor, books, and tips on writing a book review that this reviewer could promptly apply.
There is guidance on choosing the appropriate journal for an article, a common reason for rejection of otherwise quality research. Open access and online journals that are becoming increasingly important and ubiquitous have been discussed separately.
Some sections merit special mention. An outstanding section (Chapter 6) deals with the concept of developing an “argument matrix”. The chapter uses simple graphics (page 66) to vividly illustrate the method one could adopt to build and harmonize a set of critical arguments or thoughts across the entire article and also within each section. The section on guidelines with regard to reporting (Chapter 18) is a must-read, especially with regard to randomized trials. However, an in-depth discussion on the reporting of observational studies that constitute the bulk of original research is lacking.
The book goes beyond the actual writing process to discuss authorship and copyright issues as well as the editorial and peer-review process. Separate chapters deal with scientific misconduct and conflicts of interest. These latter chapters are crucial for the beginner who might inadvertently court trouble and long-term stigma because of a lack of awareness of what might be inappropriate.
The book comes at a critical juncture. While India's share of publications has been the lowest in per capita terms among the twenty largest publishing countries, it has shown the third highest rate of increase in recent years.[1] However, as pointed out by the President of the Urological Society of India, lack of a culture for publishing remains a significant challenge in many departments.[2] This deprives researchers of mentoring by a senior faculty, a lacuna that this textbook can resolve.
The book is comprehensive, lucid, and well organized. This reviewer suggests that the contents of the book should be discussed in teaching departments and has no hesitation in recommending it for the library of all academic institutions.
 References | |  |
| 1. | Xu Q, Boggio A, Ballabeni A. Countries' biomedical publications and attraction scores. A PubMed-based assessment. Version 2. F1000Res 2014;3:292.  |
| 2. | Gopalakrishnan G. Urological education in India: A status report. Indian J Urol 2009;25:251-3. [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
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