The final word

Abstract

After planning experiments, writing them up as a thesis and as papers for publication in journals, presenting them as posters and oral presentations; after supervising and examining younger players through the same process; and after refereeing, editing, subediting and proofreading other people’s papers, hearing their talks and viewing their posters, I am impressed by the infinite variety, subtlety, complexity, value and utterly absorbing nature of the whole up-and-down process. The real heroes are those who have the breakthrough research ideas. I am not one of those, but I have had the good fortune to find myself having to analyse the process, originally for Finnish doctors wishing to publish in English. I have browsed in many books on writing medical and scientific papers and found many useful tips, bits of advice and examples of “good” ways and “bad” ways of doing it, but have ended up dissatisfied with how they might help inexperienced biomedical professionals get through the process competently. I hope this book shows what you can do for yourselves, and makes the essential reference documents readily accessible in the appendices.

I suspect that a large part of the formal scientific literature is hardly ever read at all. John Maddox (Lancet, 1968;2:1071)

But it certainly could not be read were it not published, so there ’s an end on’t. Bill Whimster (1996)