Child Abuse & Neglect 30 (2006) 455–459
Editorial
Writing for Child Abuse & Neglect: Suggestions for success As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for over 5 years, I have read hundreds of manuscripts and thousands of reviewers’ comments. Based on this experience, I have learned what makes a good manuscript and what makes a good review and believe that it would be helpful for the readers of the Journal if I outlined some of the salient points. This editorial focuses on writing, and a subsequent one will focus on the review process and what makes a good review. A good manuscript depends on a good research idea, a well-executed project, and a well-written presentation. A presentation that communicates clearly can make the ideas and project shine; in contrast, a poorly written presentation can detract substantially from the rest of the effort. I will highlight some of the key deficits that I regularly see in submitted manuscripts and offer suggestions for improvements. Neither the deficits nor my suggestions are intended to be exhaustive. Abstract Details of the abstract The abstract is a critical introduction to the article. Sometimes, the abstract is the only section that is read since many readers scan only the abstracts of a journal to learn about the research and read only a few articles completely. Use a structured format, and provide enough details so the reader understands the key points of the study. Numbers and p values are helpful information to include in the results section. The numbers in the abstract should match those in the text and tables. The conclusion should focus on the key message and not stray too far from the data by stating the broad implications or the next steps in research. To ensure that the abstract is informative, it should not say “the findings and implications will be discussed.” Introduction Critical review of the literature The introduction should set the stage and provide a brief, critical review of the topics relevant to the research. Since Child Abuse & Neglect focuses on child maltreatment, authors do not have to indicate all the harmful aspects of maltreatment. 0145-2134/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.04.001
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Editorial / Child Abuse & Neglect 30 (2006) 455–459
Filling a gap in the literature An important omission in many manuscripts is the link between the critical review of the previous research and the author’s purpose or hypothesis. What the reader would like to know is how the proposed study is going to improve on the research that has been done. What gap or deficit is to be filled or how is the author’s study new, better, or different? Sometimes, the gap is filled by a different population, improved measurement, or different methodology. Purpose A clear statement of purpose should be provided at the end of the introduction. This can be linked to the hypotheses, if appropriate. In lengthy introductions, it may help to provide a brief description of the purpose early so the reader understands the focus of the article.
Methods I have noted three common omissions: (a) an adequate description of how the sample was selected, (b) clear information about whether the study was approved by the IRB or ethics committee, and (c) a description of the approach to data analysis. Selection of sample A common failing occurs when authors provide an inadequate description of how the sample was selected. What criteria were used for inclusion and exclusion? What percentage of those invited actually participated? Are those who refused different from those in the final sample? This information, of course, helps the reviewers and readers know how selective or generalizable the sample is. It also is important to describe when and over what period of time the sample was recruited or the study was conducted. IRB approval It is important to indicate which Institutional Review Broad (IRB) or ethics committee approved the study protocol, or whether the protocol was considered exempt from IRB approval. The Journal will not publish research that has failed to obtain the necessary approval. How informed consent was obtained from subjects should also be described briefly. Data analysis The last section of the Methods should be a brief description of the analyses used. For more complicated analyses, it helps the reader to explain the purpose of the analysis and how to interpret the results.
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Results Linking the results to the hypotheses For studies with several hypotheses, the results can be clearly presented by linking each set of results to each of the specific hypotheses. Tables and figures Aim for a maximum of 4–7 tables or figures. These should add to the text rather then duplicate it. Journal editors like clarity, but also strive for brevity. Text that repeats all the numbers and p values in a table can be shortened to highlight the key findings of the table. Figures that may be visually appealing can often be replaced with a sentence in the text. It is important to help the reader by using the same name for a variable in the text and tables (and in the Methods). When the text refers to a table, the order of the variables described in the text should be the same as the order of the variables in the table. Readers find it difficult when the first variable described in the text is the last row in the table. The numbers in the text and table should be identical. Reviewers and the Editor become more critical when a number in the text does not match up to the one in a table.
Discussion Five key components of the discussion The Discussion provides the reader with the highlights of the study and puts the results into an appropriate context. I recommend the following outline for the Discussion: a) Use the first paragraph to highlight the key results of the study. The reader has just finished the results and now can learn how the author summarizes the key points. b) Link the results to the literature. Help the reader understand how the findings are consistent with or different from previous work and why. c) Briefly describe the key limitations of the study; emphazing key strengths can also be helpful to the reader. d) Describe the implications for practice and/or research. How will the study’s findings be helpful to clinicians. It is not necessary to say that “more research is necessary on this topic.” It seems that this is always true, and few would claim to have done the definitive study. e) A brief conclusion can provide a take-home message for the reader. The conclusion can also help end the manuscript on a positive note.
References These should be in the correct APA format used in the Journal. All references cited in the text must be listed in the references, and vice versa.
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Organization and clarity Strive for writing that is clear and brief, and use an active voice (Strunk & White, 2005). Review the organization of the sections and paragraphs. Use the standard labels (not idiosyncratic ones) for the sections of the article. Review the writing to determine whether the ideas follow logically. Do paragraphs have topic sentences? Are subheadings necessary? It helps to proof the manuscript for typographical errors, grammatical errors, and misspellings. These kinds of mistakes indicate that the authors are not paying attention to the details. Remember: “data” are plural; “none” is singular; one is “at risk of” not “at risk for,” and avoid split infinitives. Pages should have numbers, and the manuscript should be double-spaced throughout (including references). Each table or figure should be on a separate page and use 12-point font for the text and tables so the reviewers and Editor will not get fatigued trying to read smaller type. The Journal’s “midwife” program For authors who are not writing in their first language, the Journal has a midwife program (Leventhal, 2005). This program is used to help authors whose manuscript is considered promising but the presentation needs considerable work. As Editor-in-Chief, I am looking for manuscripts that would benefit from this program. For authors who are not writing in their first language, it helps to have the manuscript reviewed by someone whose primary language is English. Revise and revise again The reviewers and Editor can tell when a manuscript has been written carefully. It helps to revise and revise again the writing and have the manuscript critically reviewed by a colleague who is not familiar with the project. Instructions for authors The Editorial Office staff and I greatly appreciate it when the authors have followed the Instructions for Authors, which are published in every issue of the Journal. If the instructions are not followed (e.g., the abstract is not structured or there is no paragraph on Practice Implications), I become concerned about the carelessness (or maybe laziness) of the authors. Where else in the manuscript have the authors been careless and not paid attention to the details? Failure to follow these basic directions sends a bad message. We encourage all authors of new submissions to submit through the Elsevier Editorial System website http://ees.elsevier.com/chiabuneg/. Instructions are provided for each step of the submission process, on-line support is available from the publisher; support is also available from the Editorial Office. I hope that these suggestions will be helpful to those who decide to submit their manuscripts to Child Abuse & Neglect. These suggestions are highlights, and I recognize that there are in-depth descriptions of medical and scientific writing and general writing, which may be helpful to the readers (American Psychological Association, 2001; Huth, 1999; Iverson et al., 1998; Long & Secis, 1997; Strunk & White, 2000).
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References American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Huth, E. J. (1999). Writing and publishing in medicine (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins. Iverson, C., Flanagin, A., Fontanarosa, P. B., Glass, R. M., Glitman, P., Lantz, J. C., Meyer, H. S., Smith, J. M., Winker, M. A., & Young, R. K. (1998). American Medical Association manual of style: A guide for authors and editors (9th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins. Lang, T. A., & Secic, M. (1997). How to report statistics in medicine: Annotated guidelines for authors, editors, and reviewers. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Physicians. Leventhal, J. M. (2005). Editor’s note: Changes in the Journal. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29, 1. Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Editor-in-Chief John M. Leventhal Child Abuse & Neglect The International Journal, 205 Whitney Avenue, Ste. 100, New Haven, CT 06511, USA Available online 12 May 2006
