You have conducted your research and now are ready to publish. How do you go about this? Here are some links to guidelines, library books and published articles about how to write for publication.

The International Society of Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) have produced a document which has been peer-reviewed and published in the BMJ. This is the Good Publication Practice version 2 (GPP2). Click here to access the guidelines.

BioMed Central has also put together a really helpful set of guidelines and resources on writing for publication. You can access this here.

This guide from the BMJ for newly qualified doctors on why and how to get published can be accessed here.

Nursing Standard published an article on writing for publication in 2008:
HAPPELL, B. 2008. Writing for publication: a practical guide. Nurs Stand, 22, 35-40.

SPIE Press have published a book that may be of use: How to Write a Good Scientific Paper, by Chris A. Mack. There’s a free preview available here.

Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous publishers out there. These so-called ‘predatory publishers’ target researchers — especially new researchers or those who haven’t had much experience dealing with journals — offering to publish their work in substandard journals, often charging high fees for this. Claire Sewell of the University of Cambridge Office of Scholarly Communication has put together a webinar on how to spot a predatory publisher. You can access the webinar here.

Books:
Writing for publication in nursing and healthcare: getting it right / edited by Karen Holland, Roger Watson.
A publication guide to 40 health care journals : the essential companion to nurses, midwives and PAMs wanting to get published / Simon Breed ; foreword by George Castledine
Getting research published: an A to Z of publication strategy / Elizabeth Wager.
Presenting medical statistics from proposal to publication: a step-by-step guide / Janet L. Peacock and Sally M. Kerry.

Journal Websites:
Journals often produce guides on how to publish in their own style. Here are a few examples. If you need further assistance please contact us in the Medical Library.
The British Journal of Cardiology
BJOG
BMJ
Statistics in Medicine

Citation Style Guides:
The University of Cambridge has put together some guidance on the most commonly used citation styles, including Harvard, APA, and Vancouver. This guidance can be found here.

Support for University of Cambridge students and researchers
The Language Centre has a range of online material about academic writing in English, writing with clarity, and other useful resources. All can be found here (Raven login is required). The Language Centre also offers one-to-one coaching in writing for a variety of contexts for those whose first language is not English. More details can be found here. Please note that these services are only for staff or students of the University of Cambridge.

Reporting guidelines

• CONSORT
  The CONSORT Statement is a set of recommendations to follow when reporting randomised trials. Over 550 journals have endorsed it and therefore expect CONSORT to be followed when writing for publication.

There are separate guidelines, called TIDIER, for reporting interventions more generally.

• Equator Network
  Reporting guidelines for RCTs and many other study types.
  
•  SPIRIT Statement
  Standards to use when drawing up a trial protocol.