It says 'importance to radiologists'
But it is of importance to everyone.
Worth a read.
Scientific writing and publishing: its importance to radiologists
WCG Peh, MD, FRCP, FRCRcorresponding author
Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Abstract
Scientific writing and publication marks the endpoint of research that has been performed, completed, peer reviewed and accepted, and complements teaching and training, clinical service and patient care. Writing has numerous benefits, one of the most important ones being the inherent training undertaken to better appreciate and evaluate the published work of others. Effective scientific writing is an important component of a radiologist's practice, and should be cultivated at an early stage of the career.
Keywords: Academic radiology, manuscript preparation, medical publication, professional development, research, scientific writing
INTRODUCTION
The reasons for scientific writing range from noble to base reasons. Topping the list is altruism, where one writes for the pleasure derived from the creative activity of writing and from sharing one's intellectual pursuits, as well as for the desire to advance human knowledge for the benefit of mankind. For these authors, writing is a channel for expressing the joy of scientific discovery. At the bottom of the list, writing may be considered by some to be a chore where getting published is a 'necessary evil' in order to fulfil certain specific minimum requirements, e.g. for getting a job or a promotion.
Writing is one of the marks of human civilisation - an advanced means by which humans communicate with each other. A published article is indisputable evidence of research that has been performed, completed, and accepted by peers. Publication is also an indicator of achievement of a certain academic standard. Besides communication of a finalised piece of research, the written work is the basis for further opinions, views and critiques from fellow professionals and academics separated by time and distance. Most importantly, it represents the only permanent record of scientific work that has been completed.
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TYPES OF SCIENTIFIC WRITING
Scientific writing encompasses a whole range of forms, including theses, books, book chapters, grant applications, course syllabi, proffered abstracts, and journal articles. For the medical community, publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals that are indexed in a major database such as PubMed (a service of the US National Library of Medicine that includes over 17 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles) carries the highest weight, as accepted manuscripts are peer-reviewed and widely accessible internationally.
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BENEFITS OF WRITING
For doctors, and specifically radiologists, the benefits of scientific writing can be grouped into the following headings:
Career
Professional
Institutional
Practical
Radiologist-specific
Career benefits
The most compelling reason for many doctors to start writing is to fulfil specific job requirements by employers (e.g. hospitals or universities). These include initial appointment to an academic position, renewal or confirmation of that appointment, promotion to a higher level appointment, and granting of tenure. In some public hospitals in Singapore, having publications in a recognised journal is a requirement for appointment as a consultant. Other career benefits include professional accreditation, continuing medical education (CME) accreditation, and application for membership in prestigious learned societies. In Singapore, where obtaining a minimum number of CME points over a two-year cycle is compulsory for renewal of a doctor's practising certificate, the Singapore Medical Council awards CME points for successful publication.
Professional benefits
Publications can be regarded as an international currency that transcends political borders. For young doctors, having published articles in internationally reputable journals are a great help when applying for positions in foreign institutions and for overseas fellowships. For more established doctors, publications enable them to gain recognition and acknowledgement as experts in a particular field at national and international levels. Invitations to lecture at scientific meetings and refresher courses, and appointments as consultants to external agencies, expert panels and advisory boards, and to reviewer and editorial boards, are among the benefits of this enhanced professional reputation.
Having topic-focused publications is also regarded as attainment of a certain standard of scholarly endeavour by several prestigious invitation-only international learned societies. From the academic point of view, writing and getting published improves one's prospects of being successful in applications for research funding, extension of funding, and to obtain further funding. Grant-awarding bodies usually closely examine the publication track record of the applying investigators, when considering dispensation of funds.
The discipline imposed by scientific study, research and writing increases the depth of knowledge in the subject being investigated. This knowledge sharpens clinical skills and facilitates teaching of students and postgraduates. Through scientific writing and publication, the author achieves expertise and eventually becomes acknowledged as an authority by academic peers in similar fields of endeavour.
Institutional benefits
Publication in peer-reviewed journals is arguably the most important means to get international recognition for an individual, department, hospital, and university. The author's country, and even the region, may also derive benefit from published work, particularly if it is on a topic of major importance. Besides educating peers locally and regionally, publications on subjects of relevance or common interest also serve as a conduit to establish links with other centres, with potential for clinical referral, training and research opportunities.
Many government bodies and academic institutions use publications as a measure of academic productivity. Published papers not only contribute to an institution's academic prestige and standing; for individual academic cost centres and departments, they may be linked to, and have a critical influence on, the annual budget allocation.
Practical benefits
The most important practical reason for knowing how to write is probably the benefit derived from the inherent training to be discriminatory and critical during the process of manuscript preparation. Scientific writing entails the discipline of performing a complete literature search, gathering and analysing data, and writing and revising numerous versions of a manuscript. Following the satisfaction of having their own manuscripts accepted, authors will be better positioned to appreciate what is written in journals and other scientific publications. If asked to act as a journal manuscript reviewer, it is strongly recommended that all doctors should accept the invitation to undertake this valuable learning process.
With the huge amount of information now available in so many journals and other print material, it is vital for all professionals and academics to be able to judge the quality and reliability of published work. If one has published and appreciates the writing, reviewing and editing process, then one will be better able to read articles with the correct scientific and critical technique, and assess them for their true worth. Being able to provide a critical evaluation and learned judgement of what is written are skills that will produce a better clinical doctor. After all, medical practice is a knowledge-based profession. Patients always want to be seen by the most knowledgeable and up-to-date doctor.
Radiologist-specific benefits
Diagnostic radiology is rapidly evolving. To be able to provide the best imaging service to patients, radiologists have to be constantly up-to-date and able to influence clinicians. Most clinicians do not have in-depth knowledge of, or formal training in, imaging and interventional radiology techniques, but they may be compelled to move into the radiologist's turf, if radiologists are not providing the service to their requirements and satisfaction. The reality of radiology clinical practice is that effective communication is required. Unlike most of our clinical colleagues, our 'clients' are not laypersons but highly-qualified doctors, usually specialists and sub-specialists. Radiologists are often referred to as the 'doctor's doctors', and must therefore strive to live up to this moniker.
For radiologists, scientific writing is important in different phases of a radiological career. In the initial four-to-six year training period, the importance of written communication is recognised by its incorporation into the examination and accreditation system. Most radiology examinations include a written component where the candidate has to write quickly and succinctly within a short period of time. This usually takes the form of a film reporting session. Many professional Masters in Radiology courses have a mini-thesis component, incorporating all the elements of basic research techniques and manuscript preparation. Many awarding bodies have a requirement for publication(s) as part of the exit assessment or examination.
Obtaining the exit radiological qualification and passing the various examinations may be considered a licence to continue the life-long learning process unsupervised. Written communication is an integral part of daily radiology practice. Radiologists are judged by their reports, in terms of style, accuracy and completeness. The reports should be of practical usefulness, contributing to the diagnosis and management of patients. As the radiology reports may also be read by peers from other institutions, including foreign ones, they should be clear, concise and written in a universally-understood format. Being proficient in scientific writing is therefore a necessity if one aims to be a competent international-standard radiologist.
SUMMARY
Writing is the most important means for communicating scientific work. Research and publication complement teaching and training, clinical service and patient care. There are many reasons for writing, one of the most important of which is the inherent training undertaken to better appreciate and evaluate the published work of others. Effective scientific writing is an important component of a radiologist's practice. Trainees should be encouraged to start early, and senior members of our profession should act as role models and provide support.
Thursday, October 14, 2021
Friday, October 8, 2021
Make the most of your day
[How to Improve Your Productivity at Work - Business Guides - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/guides/business/how-to-improve-your-productivity-at-work)
By Phyllis Korkki
Illustrations by Antoine Corbineau
Do you often find your workday spiraling out of control? You start each day with a plan to get so much done, but soon find yourself becoming distracted, focusing on low-priority tasks and, simply, procrastinating. So how can you regain control of your time? One-size-fits-all lists on how to be more productive don't work; we'll outline productivity techniques that can be adapted to your personality and working style.
Three Basics of Productivity
Use these principles to help guide you through your workday.
All workers and workdays are unique. With fewer companies and employees adhering to a traditional 9-to-5 day, the differences in our workdays are becoming more pronounced. But putting those differences aside, three overarching ideas apply to all our productivity tips:
1. Trust the small increments. You can't expect to change years of working habits overnight. Small changes in how you work can gradually add up to big changes in productivity. Try one tip to start, and keep adding more as you find the strategies that work best for you.
2. Be accountable. Whether it's weekly check-ins with a co-worker or setting your own deadlines and announcing them to others, having to answer to someone else can often force you to get the job done.
3. Forgive yourself. You are human: Accept that you are sometimes going to slip up, become distracted and have a bad day. It's more important to move on than to dwell on your mistakes.
For the Multitasker
If you're trying to do three things at once, you're often accomplishing very little.
A Biological Impossibility
Think you can get more done by juggling multiple tasks at the same time? Try calling your co-worker while typing an e-mail and checking your Facebook page. You may feel as if you're being productive, but you're probably not getting any of those tasks done efficiently.
We all have a limited amount of cognitive bandwidth — the number of thoughts and memories we can hold in our minds at any given time. Your brain may delude itself into thinking that it has more capacity than it really does, but it's really working extra hard to handle multiple thoughts at once when you are switching back and forth between tasks. Your ability to get things done depends on how well you can focus on one task at a time, whether it's for five minutes or an hour.
"Multitasking is not humanly possible," said Earl K. Miller, a neuroscience professor at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
More Errors and Less Creativity
When you multitask, you tend to make more mistakes. When you toggle back and forth between tasks, the neural networks of your brain must backtrack to figure out where they left off and then reconfigure, Dr. Miller said. That extra activity causes you to slow down, and errors become more likely.
"People are much more efficient if they monotask," he said.
Trying to multitask also impedes creativity, he said. Truly innovative thinking arises when we allow our brains to follow a logical path of associated thoughts and ideas, and this is more likely when we can focus on a single mental pathway for an extended period.
The brain is like a muscle: It becomes stronger with use, Dr. Miller said. As with physical exercise, the more we strengthen our mental connections by focusing on one task to the exclusion of all others, the better we can perform.
How to Monotask
To the best of your ability, set up a work environment that encourages the performing of one task at a time. It's probably not realistic to think that we can block off hours at a time for a single task, but even committing to monotask for five minutes can yield productivity benefits.
Here are a few small changes you can make:
Remove temptation: Actively resist the urge to check unrelated social media while you are working on a task. Some workers may need to go so far as to install anti-distraction programs like SelfControl, Freedom, StayFocusd and Anti-Social, which block access to the most addictive parts of the internet for specified periods.
Work on just one screen: Put away your cellphone and turn off your second monitor.
Move: If you find yourself losing focus – reading the same sentence over and over or if your mind continually wanders off topic – get up and briefly walk around, Dr. Miller said. A brief walk around your office can lift your mood, reduce hunger and help you refocus.
Work in intervals: Set a timer for five or 10 minutes and commit to focusing on your assignment for that amount of time. Then allow yourself a minute of distraction, as long as you get back on your task for another five or 10 minutes.
When Distractions Take Over
The tendency to become distracted is primal, so forgive yourself if you do. It arose in our earliest days as humans, when we needed to respond instantly to lions, tigers and other predators that threatened us, said Dr. Miller. Every sensory input was deeply interesting, and our response to it was sometimes a matter of life or death. Our brain has not let go of this ancient survival mechanism; we still crave that informational tap on the shoulder, he said.
Fortunately, the more we work on focusing on one task at a time and ignoring distractions, the more we exercise the prefrontal cortex – the more evolved part of our brains. Then it becomes easier to focus.](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.nytimes.com/guides/business/how-to-improve-your-productivity-at-work%3Fsmid%3Dfb-share)
How to Make the Most of Your Workday
By Phyllis Korkki
Illustrations by Antoine Corbineau
Do you often find your workday spiraling out of control? You start each day with a plan to get so much done, but soon find yourself becoming distracted, focusing on low-priority tasks and, simply, procrastinating. So how can you regain control of your time? One-size-fits-all lists on how to be more productive don't work; we'll outline productivity techniques that can be adapted to your personality and working style.
Three Basics of Productivity
Use these principles to help guide you through your workday.
All workers and workdays are unique. With fewer companies and employees adhering to a traditional 9-to-5 day, the differences in our workdays are becoming more pronounced. But putting those differences aside, three overarching ideas apply to all our productivity tips:
1. Trust the small increments. You can't expect to change years of working habits overnight. Small changes in how you work can gradually add up to big changes in productivity. Try one tip to start, and keep adding more as you find the strategies that work best for you.
2. Be accountable. Whether it's weekly check-ins with a co-worker or setting your own deadlines and announcing them to others, having to answer to someone else can often force you to get the job done.
3. Forgive yourself. You are human: Accept that you are sometimes going to slip up, become distracted and have a bad day. It's more important to move on than to dwell on your mistakes.
For the Multitasker
If you're trying to do three things at once, you're often accomplishing very little.
A Biological Impossibility
Think you can get more done by juggling multiple tasks at the same time? Try calling your co-worker while typing an e-mail and checking your Facebook page. You may feel as if you're being productive, but you're probably not getting any of those tasks done efficiently.
We all have a limited amount of cognitive bandwidth — the number of thoughts and memories we can hold in our minds at any given time. Your brain may delude itself into thinking that it has more capacity than it really does, but it's really working extra hard to handle multiple thoughts at once when you are switching back and forth between tasks. Your ability to get things done depends on how well you can focus on one task at a time, whether it's for five minutes or an hour.
"Multitasking is not humanly possible," said Earl K. Miller, a neuroscience professor at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
More Errors and Less Creativity
When you multitask, you tend to make more mistakes. When you toggle back and forth between tasks, the neural networks of your brain must backtrack to figure out where they left off and then reconfigure, Dr. Miller said. That extra activity causes you to slow down, and errors become more likely.
"People are much more efficient if they monotask," he said.
Trying to multitask also impedes creativity, he said. Truly innovative thinking arises when we allow our brains to follow a logical path of associated thoughts and ideas, and this is more likely when we can focus on a single mental pathway for an extended period.
The brain is like a muscle: It becomes stronger with use, Dr. Miller said. As with physical exercise, the more we strengthen our mental connections by focusing on one task to the exclusion of all others, the better we can perform.
How to Monotask
To the best of your ability, set up a work environment that encourages the performing of one task at a time. It's probably not realistic to think that we can block off hours at a time for a single task, but even committing to monotask for five minutes can yield productivity benefits.
Here are a few small changes you can make:
Remove temptation: Actively resist the urge to check unrelated social media while you are working on a task. Some workers may need to go so far as to install anti-distraction programs like SelfControl, Freedom, StayFocusd and Anti-Social, which block access to the most addictive parts of the internet for specified periods.
Work on just one screen: Put away your cellphone and turn off your second monitor.
Move: If you find yourself losing focus – reading the same sentence over and over or if your mind continually wanders off topic – get up and briefly walk around, Dr. Miller said. A brief walk around your office can lift your mood, reduce hunger and help you refocus.
Work in intervals: Set a timer for five or 10 minutes and commit to focusing on your assignment for that amount of time. Then allow yourself a minute of distraction, as long as you get back on your task for another five or 10 minutes.
When Distractions Take Over
The tendency to become distracted is primal, so forgive yourself if you do. It arose in our earliest days as humans, when we needed to respond instantly to lions, tigers and other predators that threatened us, said Dr. Miller. Every sensory input was deeply interesting, and our response to it was sometimes a matter of life or death. Our brain has not let go of this ancient survival mechanism; we still crave that informational tap on the shoulder, he said.
Fortunately, the more we work on focusing on one task at a time and ignoring distractions, the more we exercise the prefrontal cortex – the more evolved part of our brains. Then it becomes easier to focus.
By Phyllis Korkki
Illustrations by Antoine Corbineau
Do you often find your workday spiraling out of control? You start each day with a plan to get so much done, but soon find yourself becoming distracted, focusing on low-priority tasks and, simply, procrastinating. So how can you regain control of your time? One-size-fits-all lists on how to be more productive don't work; we'll outline productivity techniques that can be adapted to your personality and working style.
Three Basics of Productivity
Use these principles to help guide you through your workday.
All workers and workdays are unique. With fewer companies and employees adhering to a traditional 9-to-5 day, the differences in our workdays are becoming more pronounced. But putting those differences aside, three overarching ideas apply to all our productivity tips:
1. Trust the small increments. You can't expect to change years of working habits overnight. Small changes in how you work can gradually add up to big changes in productivity. Try one tip to start, and keep adding more as you find the strategies that work best for you.
2. Be accountable. Whether it's weekly check-ins with a co-worker or setting your own deadlines and announcing them to others, having to answer to someone else can often force you to get the job done.
3. Forgive yourself. You are human: Accept that you are sometimes going to slip up, become distracted and have a bad day. It's more important to move on than to dwell on your mistakes.
For the Multitasker
If you're trying to do three things at once, you're often accomplishing very little.
A Biological Impossibility
Think you can get more done by juggling multiple tasks at the same time? Try calling your co-worker while typing an e-mail and checking your Facebook page. You may feel as if you're being productive, but you're probably not getting any of those tasks done efficiently.
We all have a limited amount of cognitive bandwidth — the number of thoughts and memories we can hold in our minds at any given time. Your brain may delude itself into thinking that it has more capacity than it really does, but it's really working extra hard to handle multiple thoughts at once when you are switching back and forth between tasks. Your ability to get things done depends on how well you can focus on one task at a time, whether it's for five minutes or an hour.
"Multitasking is not humanly possible," said Earl K. Miller, a neuroscience professor at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
More Errors and Less Creativity
When you multitask, you tend to make more mistakes. When you toggle back and forth between tasks, the neural networks of your brain must backtrack to figure out where they left off and then reconfigure, Dr. Miller said. That extra activity causes you to slow down, and errors become more likely.
"People are much more efficient if they monotask," he said.
Trying to multitask also impedes creativity, he said. Truly innovative thinking arises when we allow our brains to follow a logical path of associated thoughts and ideas, and this is more likely when we can focus on a single mental pathway for an extended period.
The brain is like a muscle: It becomes stronger with use, Dr. Miller said. As with physical exercise, the more we strengthen our mental connections by focusing on one task to the exclusion of all others, the better we can perform.
How to Monotask
To the best of your ability, set up a work environment that encourages the performing of one task at a time. It's probably not realistic to think that we can block off hours at a time for a single task, but even committing to monotask for five minutes can yield productivity benefits.
Here are a few small changes you can make:
Remove temptation: Actively resist the urge to check unrelated social media while you are working on a task. Some workers may need to go so far as to install anti-distraction programs like SelfControl, Freedom, StayFocusd and Anti-Social, which block access to the most addictive parts of the internet for specified periods.
Work on just one screen: Put away your cellphone and turn off your second monitor.
Move: If you find yourself losing focus – reading the same sentence over and over or if your mind continually wanders off topic – get up and briefly walk around, Dr. Miller said. A brief walk around your office can lift your mood, reduce hunger and help you refocus.
Work in intervals: Set a timer for five or 10 minutes and commit to focusing on your assignment for that amount of time. Then allow yourself a minute of distraction, as long as you get back on your task for another five or 10 minutes.
When Distractions Take Over
The tendency to become distracted is primal, so forgive yourself if you do. It arose in our earliest days as humans, when we needed to respond instantly to lions, tigers and other predators that threatened us, said Dr. Miller. Every sensory input was deeply interesting, and our response to it was sometimes a matter of life or death. Our brain has not let go of this ancient survival mechanism; we still crave that informational tap on the shoulder, he said.
Fortunately, the more we work on focusing on one task at a time and ignoring distractions, the more we exercise the prefrontal cortex – the more evolved part of our brains. Then it becomes easier to focus.](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.nytimes.com/guides/business/how-to-improve-your-productivity-at-work%3Fsmid%3Dfb-share)
How to Make the Most of Your Workday
By Phyllis Korkki
Illustrations by Antoine Corbineau
Do you often find your workday spiraling out of control? You start each day with a plan to get so much done, but soon find yourself becoming distracted, focusing on low-priority tasks and, simply, procrastinating. So how can you regain control of your time? One-size-fits-all lists on how to be more productive don't work; we'll outline productivity techniques that can be adapted to your personality and working style.
Three Basics of Productivity
Use these principles to help guide you through your workday.
All workers and workdays are unique. With fewer companies and employees adhering to a traditional 9-to-5 day, the differences in our workdays are becoming more pronounced. But putting those differences aside, three overarching ideas apply to all our productivity tips:
1. Trust the small increments. You can't expect to change years of working habits overnight. Small changes in how you work can gradually add up to big changes in productivity. Try one tip to start, and keep adding more as you find the strategies that work best for you.
2. Be accountable. Whether it's weekly check-ins with a co-worker or setting your own deadlines and announcing them to others, having to answer to someone else can often force you to get the job done.
3. Forgive yourself. You are human: Accept that you are sometimes going to slip up, become distracted and have a bad day. It's more important to move on than to dwell on your mistakes.
For the Multitasker
If you're trying to do three things at once, you're often accomplishing very little.
A Biological Impossibility
Think you can get more done by juggling multiple tasks at the same time? Try calling your co-worker while typing an e-mail and checking your Facebook page. You may feel as if you're being productive, but you're probably not getting any of those tasks done efficiently.
We all have a limited amount of cognitive bandwidth — the number of thoughts and memories we can hold in our minds at any given time. Your brain may delude itself into thinking that it has more capacity than it really does, but it's really working extra hard to handle multiple thoughts at once when you are switching back and forth between tasks. Your ability to get things done depends on how well you can focus on one task at a time, whether it's for five minutes or an hour.
"Multitasking is not humanly possible," said Earl K. Miller, a neuroscience professor at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
More Errors and Less Creativity
When you multitask, you tend to make more mistakes. When you toggle back and forth between tasks, the neural networks of your brain must backtrack to figure out where they left off and then reconfigure, Dr. Miller said. That extra activity causes you to slow down, and errors become more likely.
"People are much more efficient if they monotask," he said.
Trying to multitask also impedes creativity, he said. Truly innovative thinking arises when we allow our brains to follow a logical path of associated thoughts and ideas, and this is more likely when we can focus on a single mental pathway for an extended period.
The brain is like a muscle: It becomes stronger with use, Dr. Miller said. As with physical exercise, the more we strengthen our mental connections by focusing on one task to the exclusion of all others, the better we can perform.
How to Monotask
To the best of your ability, set up a work environment that encourages the performing of one task at a time. It's probably not realistic to think that we can block off hours at a time for a single task, but even committing to monotask for five minutes can yield productivity benefits.
Here are a few small changes you can make:
Remove temptation: Actively resist the urge to check unrelated social media while you are working on a task. Some workers may need to go so far as to install anti-distraction programs like SelfControl, Freedom, StayFocusd and Anti-Social, which block access to the most addictive parts of the internet for specified periods.
Work on just one screen: Put away your cellphone and turn off your second monitor.
Move: If you find yourself losing focus – reading the same sentence over and over or if your mind continually wanders off topic – get up and briefly walk around, Dr. Miller said. A brief walk around your office can lift your mood, reduce hunger and help you refocus.
Work in intervals: Set a timer for five or 10 minutes and commit to focusing on your assignment for that amount of time. Then allow yourself a minute of distraction, as long as you get back on your task for another five or 10 minutes.
When Distractions Take Over
The tendency to become distracted is primal, so forgive yourself if you do. It arose in our earliest days as humans, when we needed to respond instantly to lions, tigers and other predators that threatened us, said Dr. Miller. Every sensory input was deeply interesting, and our response to it was sometimes a matter of life or death. Our brain has not let go of this ancient survival mechanism; we still crave that informational tap on the shoulder, he said.
Fortunately, the more we work on focusing on one task at a time and ignoring distractions, the more we exercise the prefrontal cortex – the more evolved part of our brains. Then it becomes easier to focus.
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