Scientific Writing

# Scientific Writing

Core skill for producing research manuscripts, evidence-based articles, and publication-quality scientific content with rigorous standards.

## Triggers

- User asks to write a research-style article
- User needs IMRAD-structured content
- User wants to write for a scientific audience
- User is drafting content requiring citations and methodology
- User needs to follow reporting guidelines (CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA)

## Two-Stage Writing Process

### Stage 1: Outline with Research
1. Create section outlines with bullet points
2. Use pubmed-database skill for literature gathering
3. Identify key citations for each point
4. Structure evidence hierarchy

### Stage 2: Convert to Prose
**Critical**: Always write in full paragraphs with flowing prose. Never submit bullet points in the final manuscript.

## IMRAD Structure

| Section | Purpose | Key Elements |
|---------|---------|--------------|
| **Introduction** | Why this matters | Background, gap, objective |
| **Methods** | What you did | Design, population, analysis |
| **Results** | What you found | Data, statistics, figures |
| **Discussion** | What it means | Interpretation, limitations, implications |

## Reporting Guidelines

### For Different Study Types
| Study Type | Guideline | Checklist Items |
|------------|-----------|-----------------|
| RCTs | CONSORT | Randomization, blinding, flow diagram |
| Observational | STROBE | Selection, bias assessment, confounders |
| Systematic reviews | PRISMA | Search strategy, screening, synthesis |
| Diagnostic studies | STARD | Index test, reference standard, flow |
| Case reports | CARE | Timeline, diagnostic reasoning, outcomes |

## Citation Standards

### Supported Styles
- **AMA** - Medical journals (JAMA, NEJM)
- **Vancouver** - Numbered citations
- **APA** - Psychology, behavioral science
- **Nature** - Superscript numbered
- **IEEE** - Engineering/technical

### Citation Best Practices
1. Cite primary sources, not reviews (unless reviewing)
2. Include DOI when available
3. Verify accuracy with citation-management skill
4. Prefer recent publications (<5 years) when current evidence exists
5. Include seminal papers for historical context

## Field-Specific Conventions

### Cardiology/Medicine
- Report confidence intervals, not just p-values
- Include NNT/NNH for clinical relevance
- Use GRADE for evidence quality
- Specify intention-to-treat vs per-protocol
- Report absolute and relative risk

### Statistical Reporting
- Mean (SD) for normal distributions
- Median (IQR) for skewed data
- HR with 95% CI for survival analysis
- OR/RR with 95% CI for binary outcomes
- Specify statistical tests used

## Common Rejection Reasons (Avoid These)

1. **Inadequate statistical descriptions** - Always specify tests, assumptions, software
2. **Over-interpretation of results** - Stay within what data supports
3. **Poorly described methods** - Replicability is essential
4. **Missing reporting checklist items** - Use appropriate guidelines
5. **Weak literature contextualization** - Show how work fits existing knowledge

## Quality Checklist

Before finalizing scientific content:
- [ ] All claims have citations
- [ ] Statistics include effect sizes and CIs
- [ ] Methods are replicable
- [ ] Limitations acknowledged
- [ ] Conclusions match evidence strength
- [ ] No AI tells or promotional language