Manuscript Writing: An Editorial Perspective
Sumana Gurunath, Sandeep Karunakaran, Manish Banker, Mohan S. Kamath
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BSTRACT
Scientific writing is an essential skill for clinicians and researchers to disseminate their research findings effectively. This narrative review discusses key aspects, including the formulation of an appropriate research question, the selection of suitable study designs, the identification of the right journal for submission and the structuring of manuscripts according to the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results And Discussion) format. It highlights the importance of reporting guidelines, precise and compelling scientific writing, appropriate sample size calculation, selection of meaningful outcome measures in reproductive medicine and drafting balanced conclusions. This review also provides a concise overview of international recommendations and best practices for manuscript preparation to ensure clarity, transparency, reproducibility and completeness in scientific reporting. Ethical research practices, including avoidance of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate use of artificial intelligence and issues related to authorship and disclosure of competing interests, are also addressed. In addition, common reasons for manuscript rejection are outlined to help researchers improve the quality and impact of their submissions.