The rules to follow to write a medical-scientific thesis are the same as those followed for other academic publications, that is: refer to reliable sources; structure the document in a clear and organized way; present valid arguments in support of their thesis. In some cases, the research topic consists of data collected in the course of an ad hoc survey. Understanding the correct formatting, bibliographic citation and style methods will help you write a well-argued and respectable medical-scientific publication.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Organizing the Research Activity
Step 1. Choose the topic
You probably already have a general idea of the topic you are interested in learning more about. Narrow the field to a specific topic by reading the publications on the subject. Gather background information and identify potential sources to draw on. Ask your supervisor for an opinion and any advice.
- Choose something that really interests you, to make the job more exciting.
- Choose a theme that presents unresolved issues and propose solutions.
Step 2. Choose the type of paper you want to write
The structure of the dissertation and how to conduct research will largely depend on the type of dissertation you intend to write.
- A quantitative survey consists of unpublished research conducted by the author. The papers of this type are structured in the following sections: work hypothesis or thesis (research objective); previous results; method adopted; limits of research; results achieved; discussion; practical applications.
- A position paper reviews and analyzes research already published by others. Its strengths and weaknesses are listed, its practical applications in a specific situation are described, and a possible orientation for future research is defined.
Step 3. Do a thorough research on the subject
Interview experts with specific knowledge and identify reliable sources to support your thesis. The credibility of your publication is equal to that of the sources cited. Academic journals, databases and publications are all channels that are an excellent source of information.
- Write down your sources. Take note of all the information necessary to correctly cite a publication: author; title of the article; title of the book or magazine; publisher; edition; publication date; volume number; issue of the magazine; page number and all other data concerning the source. A program like Endnote can be extremely useful for you.
- Take detailed notes as you read. Rewrite the concepts in your own words, or, if you are quoting directly from an article or book, use quotation marks to indicate that they are quotations and to avoid the crime of plagiarism.
- Be sure to quote information from an authoritative source.
- To find valid sources, you can also ask the teacher and library staff for assistance.
Step 4. Organize your notes
If you order them by topic, it will be easier to find the information you are looking for when filling in the essay. If you take notes electronically, the search for a specific data and the reorganization of the reference information will take place in a much faster and easier way.
- Save your notes to a file on your computer or keep them in a filing cabinet.
- Use your notes to begin defining the basic layout of the essay.
Part 2 of 2: Writing the thesis
Step 1. Set up your term paper
Structure it according to a logical thread that is easy to follow. Identify the most suitable information to include in the various sections and integrate your sources as you proceed. Starting with a basic structure is also the ideal way to quickly get to the point.
- Start with a bulleted list, supplementing it with notes taken from texts that can support your thesis.
- The "IMRAD" format is a very popular method for learning how to set up an academic publication, defining its structure in this order: THEintroduction; M.methods; R.results and (tona) D.discussion.
- The setting is nothing more than the basic structure of the document. Don't worry if you feel the need to change it several times over the course of writing.
- Ask someone to take a look at the overall structure and ask them for their opinion.
- Make any necessary edits to your text with your ideal reader in mind.
Step 2. Know the formal parameters to be followed
Before you begin, read the guidelines and formatting requirements. Each scientific journal and each academic institution has its own parameters in terms of length and style of the text. The scope of the discussion will probably be predetermined, but you can aim for an indicative length of 10-20 pages, unless otherwise indicated.
- Use a standard font and size, such as Times New Roman 12 font.
- Set double spacing.
- If necessary, prefix a cover page - many universities require it. Include the full publication title, "running title" (a shortened version of the title), author name, course title, and semester.
Step 3. Display the results
Divide the document into logical sections, based on the type of paper you are writing. If it is a quantitative survey, it involves including the sections listed above (working hypothesis, previous results, and so on). If it's a qualitative investigation, structure the document in points and set up a rational logical flow.
- Divide the information into sections and subsections, to which you will reserve the discussion of the individual points of discussion.
- Include any graphs or tables that support your thesis.
- If it is a quantitative survey, state the method adopted to arrive at the results shown.
Step 4. Write the conclusion and discussion
Describe your findings to the reader, the reasons that make them relevant to your research area, and possible further studies to investigate the subject. Avoid repeating information already covered elsewhere in the document.
- Clearly state and summarize the main points of the discussion.
- Describe the contribution your work makes to the specific field of research and explain its importance.
- If applicable, highlight possible practical applications of your theory.
- Propose a future research orientation based on the survey you present.
Step 5. Write the introduction
Write it only after you have completed the bulk of the work, so that you know exactly how to present it to make readers understand what it is about. Introduce the topic of your research. Provide general information, basic goals, and what outcomes readers can expect from reading it.
- Explain why it is worthwhile to discuss the above topic.
- Describe the state of the art in the specific research field and any gaps still to be filled.
- Specify the objective of the investigation.
- The introduction must be concise.
Step 6. Write the abstract
This is a summary of the paper, which highlights the main points and provides the reader with a brief idea of the content. Write the abstract last, so that you can correctly summarize everything you've written.
- Emphasize the goal of the work and the main conclusions.
- Explain the importance of the conclusions you came to.
- Be concise.
- It demonstrates that it has a solid display system and qualitatively relevant information.
- An abstract usually takes up a single paragraph and is 250-500 words in length.
Step 7. Include a comprehensive bibliography
Citing sources is an essential obligation, in order not to incur the crime of plagiarism and to avoid taking credit for the ideas of others. Taking note of citations from time to time is much more convenient than rummaging for sources in the final review stage.
- Unless otherwise specified, use one of the following citation styles: Vancouver (author-number); Harvard (author-date); Chicago.
- At the end of each citation, add the relevant bibliographic references, to clearly indicate that this is not your original idea. Include the author's name, year of publication, and page number.
- Write a complete bibliography and add it last.
- If you have the ability to rely on bibliographic management software, use it to simplify the process.
Step 8. Do the final editing
It is now a question of making sure that the work is organized in a rational way and that it follows a logical thread. It is equally important to deliver a paper free of grammatical and / or spelling errors.
- Continuously check the consistency of the logical structure.
- Correct proofs for grammatical and / or spelling errors.
- Be sure to follow the required formatting parameters.
- Have someone read the essay for further verification and clarity check. If necessary, do a review.
Advice
- If you get stuck on one point or have doubts about something, ask your supervisor to help you. With his experience in scientific publications, he will be able to give you valuable advice on the style to be adopted and the structure to be set up.
- Follow the guidelines your professor has given you. Some speakers propose to make changes aimed at the coherence of the paper.
- Be well organized with the time to reserve for work, especially in the drafting phase.
