Form, content and style: Rendering research into publication

摘要

In early December of last year, I was invited to speak to a group of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (OMFR) residents at the 62nd Annual Session of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in Chicago. The overall purpose of the presentation was to entice emerging colleagues to formally share their research with others through publication. Many at the presentation commented that while they were familiar with the thesis publication requirements of their respective institutions (e.g., pagination format, text font type and size, etc.), they were unaware of the elements of scientific writing in general and the mechanics of constructing a manuscript and submitting it for publication in particular. Within this framework, my role became focused to provide colleagues and potential authors with an appreciation of the "art" of scientific writing, current research reporting standards as they relate to diagnostic imaging, practical guidelines on appropriate content, and stylistic guidance-all directed toward transforming their research into a publishable format-and, of course, to consider the Radiology section of OOOO as their primary publishing vehicle. Judging from the enthusiasm of the audience, I present a synopsis of my presentation as this editorial.