This concise paperback is one of the best known guides to writing a paper for publication in biomedical journals. Its straightforward format - a chapter covering each of part of the structured abstract - makes it relevant and easy to use for any novice paper writer.

How to Write a Paper addresses the mechanics of submission, including electronic submission, and how publishers handle papers, writing letters to journals abstracts for scientific meetings, and assessing papers. This new edition also covers how to write a book review and updated chapters on ethics, electronic publication and submission, and the movement for open access.

George M Hall is Professor of Anaesthesia at St George's, University of London. He is co-author of How To Survive in Anaesthesia (4th edition 2011) and coeditor of How to Present at Meetings (3rd edition 2011).

List of Contributors, vii

Preface to the Fifth Edition, x

Preface to the Fourth Edition, xi

Chapter 1 Structure of a scientific paper, 1
George M. Hall

Chapter 2 Introduction, 6
Richard Smith

Chapter 3 Methods, 16
Gordon B. Drummond

Chapter 4 Results, 22
Charles W. Hogue

Chapter 5 Discussion, 29
George M. Hall

Chapter 6 Titles, abstracts and authors, 33
Kevin W. Eva

Chapter 7 Who should be an author?, 42
Richard Horton

Chapter 8 References, 47
Simon Howell and Liz Neilly

Chapter 9 Electronic submissions, 57
Michael Willis

Chapter 10 Open access, 64
Mark Ware

Chapter 11 How to write a letter, 71
Michael Doherty

Chapter 12 How to prepare an abstract for a scientific meeting, 78
Robert N. Allan

Chapter 13 How to write a case report, 83
Martin Neil Rossor

Chapter 14 How to write a review, 89
Paul Glasziou

Chapter 15 How to write a book review, 98
Mark W. Davies and Luke A. Jardine

Chapter 16 The role of the manuscript assessor, 102
Domhnall MacAuley

Chapter 17 The role of the editor, 115
Jennifer M. Hunter

Chapter 18 What a publisher does, 124
Gavin Sharrock and Elizabeth Whelan

Chapter 19 Style: what it is and why it matters, 133
Sharon Leng

Chapter 20 Ethics of publication, 141
Chris Graf and Elissa Wilson

Index, 151