Writing manuscript better – Part II (Title, abstract, keywords, references, and miscellaneous)

Abstract

Publishing a scientific article is an art by itself and each section of the manuscript has its relevance and importance. Usually, the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections are considered the core contents of a manuscript. However, the remaining sections such as the title, abstract, keywords, references, and others are no less important. The title and the abstract are the first read and the most easily accessible parts of a manuscript. Hence, unless the title is concise and specific, the reader may not go on to read the full manuscript. Similarly, a poorly written abstract not reflective of the manuscript may lead to outright rejection of a manuscript or may not attract the readers even if the manuscript is accepted. Keywords help in finding the appropriate scientific contents during literature search and properly chosen keywords help in greater visibility and wider dissemination of one's research. Adequate citation and proper referencing are the responsibility of every researcher. It helps in giving due credit to previous research and researchers and lends credibility to one's work. Deficiencies in citing appropriately or in referencing may lead to publication misconduct and rejection of the manuscript. Similarly, failure to disclose a conflict of interest or source of funding may lead to rejection or even retraction of the manuscript. Hence, all the efforts put in conducting a study and writing the core content would be wasted if enough attention is not given while writing these sections of the manuscript.

Keywords

• abstract
• author
• manuscript
• publication
• study
• title