Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jun 14:15:E79.
doi: 10.5888/pcd15.180085.

Successful Scientific Writing and Publishing: A Step-by-Step Approach

Affiliations

Successful Scientific Writing and Publishing: A Step-by-Step Approach

John K Iskander et al. Prev Chronic Dis. .

Erratum in

  • Erratum, Vol. 15, June 14 Release.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Prev Chronic Dis. 2018 Oct 18;15:E125. doi: 10.5888/pcd15.180085e. Prev Chronic Dis. 2018. PMID: 30339774 Free PMC article.

Abstract

Scientific writing and publication are essential to advancing knowledge and practice in public health, but prospective authors face substantial challenges. Authors can overcome barriers, such as lack of understanding about scientific writing and the publishing process, with training and resources. The objective of this article is to provide guidance and practical recommendations to help both inexperienced and experienced authors working in public health settings to more efficiently publish the results of their work in the peer-reviewed literature. We include an overview of basic scientific writing principles, a detailed description of the sections of an original research article, and practical recommendations for selecting a journal and responding to peer review comments. The overall approach and strategies presented are intended to contribute to individual career development while also increasing the external validity of published literature and promoting quality public health science.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Two examples of title options for a single study.

References

    1. Azer SA, Dupras DM, Azer S. Writing for publication in medical education in high impact journals. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2014;18(19):2966–81. - PubMed
    1. Vitse CL, Poland GA. Writing a scientific paper — a brief guide for new investigators. Vaccine 2017;35(5):722–8. 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.11.091 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sellers K, Leider JP, Harper E, Castrucci BC, Bharthapudi K, Liss-Levinson R, et al. The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey: the first national survey of state health agency employees. J Public Health Manag Pract 2015;21(Suppl 6):S13–27. 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000331 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Salas-Lopez D, Deitrick L, Mahady ET, Moser K, Gertner EJ, Sabino JN. Getting published in an academic-community hospital: the success of writing groups. J Gen Intern Med 2012;27(1):113–6. 10.1007/s11606-011-1872-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Azer SA, Ramani S, Peterson R. Becoming a peer reviewer to medical education journals. Med Teach 2012;34(9):698–704. 10.3109/0142159X.2012.687488 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types