Writing the Scientific Paper

• Why you should write• How to prepare to write• Introduction• Methods• Results

Purpose of Results Section

• “To give as clear an answer to the question to be answered by the research as your data will permit”

—Ed Huth

Goals of Results Section

• Present the findings of the study in a logical manner

• To describe what you found, not what you did (methods) or what it means (discussion)

Writing the Results Section

• Report only the results that are key to your study objective

• Tables used to depict numerical findings• Figures used to provide visual images of trends and

relationships• Main results in text describing the tables and figures,

not duplicating what is in them• Presentation should be neutral:

– “just the facts, ma’am”

Overview of Results Section

• Study population characteristics• Bivariate relationships between independent

and dependent variables• Multivariate analyses as appropriate• Significance can be noted but not interpreted• Primary, secondary and exploratory outcomes

Results Section: Table 1

• Characteristics of the population– “Of the 9906 women who responded to the 2002-2008 RI

PRAMS surveys, 15.2% were Hispanic . . . Compared to non-Hispanic white women Hispanic women were younger, and had lower levels of education, income and health insurance before their current pregnancy. Hispanic women had higher levels of public insurance and WIC utilization during pregnancy

Results Section: Table 1

• Characteristics of the Study Population– “A total of 144 pregnant and recently pregnant women

participated in 18 focus groups. More than half of the participants were postpartum at the time of the focus groups and 44% were currently pregnant. The majority were aged 25-34 years, 26% were aged 18-24 years and 12% were aged 35-44 years. Participants were mostly white (65.5%) followed by 28.1% black.

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Results Section

• Tables and Figures– Most efficient way to present data– Don’t repeat information in figures and tables– Order by appearance in text– Should be able to stand alone– Be sure tables, figures and text consistent

Tables

• Use if exact or individual values needed or large amounts of data

• Organize into columns and rows, label• Arrange comparisons from left to right or top to

bottom • Juxtapose data being compared

TablesClear title

Labelled columns and rows

Includes sample sizes, unadjusted and adjusted results, statistical testing

Explanatory footnotes

Figures

• Use when highlighting relationships or trends

Bar GraphDecker SL. Medicaid payment levels to dentists and access to dental care among children and adolescents.

JAMA. 2011;306(2):187-193.

Not shown in slide: Stand alone title, figure legend, footnote

Clearly shows relationship between discrete variables--insurance and dental visits-- and relationship over time

Other Types of Figures

• Photographs• Illustrations

Results Section

• Common mistakes– Repeating results in text, tables, figures– Putting results in methods or discussion sections or

methods or discussion in results section– Interpreting results– Comparing results to literature

References Cited

• Slides 6, 7 and 15: Bromley, E. et al Disparities in Pregnancy healthcare utilization between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic white women in Rhode Island. Matern Child Health J (2012) 16:1576-582

• Slides 8. 9 and 20: Lynch, M et al Pregnant and recently pregnant women’s perceptions about Influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009: Implications for public health and provider communication. Matern Child Health J (20120) 16: 1657-1664

• Slides 13 and 14: Abusalah, A. et al Low birth weight and prenatal exposure to indoor pollution from tobacco smoke and wood fuel smoke: A matched case-control study in Gaza Strip Matern Child Health J 16: 1718-1727.

• Slides 16-18: Kim, J et al Is there a difference between center and home care providers’ training, perceptions and practices related to obesity prevention? Matern Child Health J (2012) 16: 1559-1566.

• Slide 21: Hwang, S et al The association between maternal oral health experiences and risk of preterm birth in 10 states, PRAMS 2004-2006 Matern Child Health J (2012) 16: 1688-1695.