Writing a Manuscript

Research is complete only when the results are shared with the scientific community. Although such sharing is accomplished in various ways, both formal and informal; the traditional medium of communicating research results is the scientific journal.

The scientific journal is the repository of the accumulated knowledge of a field. In the literature are distilled the success and failures, the information, and the perspectives contributed by many investigators over many years. Familiarity with the literature allows an individual investigator to avoid needlessly repeating work that has been done before, to build on existing work, and in turn to contribute something new. A literature built of meticulously prepared, carefully reviewed contributions thus fosters the growth of a field.

Although writing for publication is sometime tedious, the rewards of publication are many for the writer, the reader, and the science. The writing process initially requires a thorough review and evaluation of previous work in the literature, which helps acquaint one with the field as a whole and establishes whether one’s idea is truly new and significant. Authors beginning the writing process will find that there is no better way to clarify and organize their ideas than by trying to explain them to someone else. Thus, the content and the organization of a scientific manuscript reflect the logical thinking in scientific investigation and the preparation of a manuscript for journal publication is an integral part of the individual research effort.

Just as each investigator benefits from the publication process, so the body of scientific literature depends on its vitality on active participation of individual investigators. Authors of individual scientific articles contribute most to the literature when they communicate clearly and concisely.

The blog will further discuss several considerations authors should weigh before writing for publication-considerations both about their own research and about the scientific publishing tradition in which they are to take part. Stay posted to get more information.

Source: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition

Obama's victory from a management perspective

By Bill Taylor

It's the morning after one of the most miraculous events in memory, so it seems slightly uninspired to look to yesterday's election for lessons about leadership, competition, and change. But what is a presidential election, ultimately, then a nationwide exercise in leadership, competition, and change?
So this morning, still bleary-eyed from a late night of watching concession speeches, victory celebrations, and nonstop punditry from all points on the political spectrum, allow me to offer a few insights about how Barack Obama ran his campaign to lead our country -- and what it means for how we should think about how we run our companies and lead our organizations.

The first lesson is that being different makes all the difference. It's remarkable, really, how similar so many of our first 43 presidents have been to one another. It's not just that they've all been white males, but that so many of them have been cut from the same personal and political cloth. Lawyers. Military service. Many years (if not decades) entrenched in the political scene.

Get the full article: How Obama Became CEO of the USA -- and What It Means for CEOs Everywhere

BASICS OF RESEARCH

“Research” is a term loosely used in everyday speech to describe a multitude of activities, such as collecting masses of information, delving into esoteric theories, and producing wonderful new products. I often said to people that before I joined college for my undergraduate degree, I did a lot of research to find the best fit for me. Here, I am using the term “research” as mere gathering of facts and information. Researching on different colleges, here, can be more accurately termed “collection of information” but it is not “research” in the true sense of the word. However, it certainly can be seen as an important part of research.

Research is a lot more than merely collecting information and reassembling it in different forms. Analysis and interpretation of information is a vital ingredient of research. Mere “assembly of information” is again an important component of research, but not its entirety. Research is an activity which is prompted by our need to satisfy our natural curiosity and our wish to make sense of the world around us. There is a lot more to the term “research” than a layman comprehends.

The Oxford Encyclopedic English defines research as

• The systematic investigation into the study of materials, sources, etc. in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
• An endeavor to discover new or collate old facts etc, by the scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation.

Doing research helps us avoid the possibility of trusting inaccurate information that is readily available to us in different forms. So next time, when you are overly reliant on the outsider information, just think again and “RESEARCH”!!!