Writing Medical Research Papers: The Importance of Conciseness

Medical research papers are not great literary works. Rather, they are vehicles for communicating research results efficiently and effectively. Clarity, conciseness, and brevity are key characteristics.

Some principles of writing medical research papers well.

• Use words sparingly. Don’t use unnecessary words at all.
•  Write from the viewpoint of a reader, who doesn’t have time to waste.
•  Use short, declarative sentences freely. No more than 22 words per sentence is a useful rule of thumb

“English sentences are clearest, most forceful, and easiest to understand if they are simple and direct.” Mimi Zeiger, Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers, 2d edition,

• Avoid redundancy and repetition
  • Do not repeat verbatim in the Results Section data that are presented in tables or graphs.
    -Example:
    Table 1. Patients’ biographical data (age, sex, weight, and BMI) are given.
    Results text. These data (age, sex, weight, and BMI) are repeated. It is sufficient to just say, “Patients’ biographical data are presented in Table 1.” It is all right to say, for example, “The two populations did not differ in these criteria.”
  • Do not repeat verbatim in the Discussion Section results that are given in the Results Section.
    -Example:
    Results: “The median follow-up time from surgery was (33.3±14.0) months in the elderly group and (33.0±12.7) months in the nonelderly group (P=0.266).”
    Discussion: “We found that the median follow-up time from surgery was (33.3±14.0) months in the elderly group and (33.0±12.7) months in the nonelderly group (P=0.266).
    A better statement in the discussion would be: “We found that mean follow-up time from surgery was nearly identical (about 33 months) in the two study groups.”
  • Do not repeat in the Discussion Section background information that is given in the Introduction.
    Introduction: “Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality, with a five-year survival rate below 5%.”
    Discussion: “Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Its five-year survival rate is below 5%.” These two sentences should be deleted from the discussion.
• Examples of unnecessary words:
  • “It is well known that diabetes affects millions of people.”
    If something is well known it need not be stated. Thus, “Diabetes affects millions of people” is sufficient.
  • “Similar results have been reported previously in the literature.”
    “Reported” means in the past, so “reported previously” is redundant. “In the literature” is unnecessary, as it is implied. Better: “Similar results have been reported (give reference).”
  • “It has been reported by others.” “By others” is unnecessary. “It has been reported (give reference)” is sufficient.
  • “Upon review of the literature we found that diabetic neuropathy has been described often.” “Upon review or the literature” is unnecessary. Better: “Diabetic neuropathy has been described often (give reference).”
  • “When comparing x with y we found that x was bigger than y.
    “Comparing x with y” is unnecessary. “We found that x was bigger than y” is adequate.
  • “There is” and “there are” are weak expressions. Example: “There are many investigators who disagree with this opinion.” Better: “Many investigators disagree with this opinion.”
  • Size, color, and shape often are stated redundantly. Examples:
    “Blue in color.” “Blue” is correct.
    “Large in size.” “Large” is correct.
    “Oval in shape.” “Oval” is correct.
  • “The lesion was successfully excised. A lesion cannot be unsuccessfully excised. “The lesion was excised” is correct.
  • Try to use verbs instead of nouns. “The surgeons made the decision to operate.” Better: “The surgeons decided to operate.”
• Avoid exhaustive reviews of the literature and associated references. Original research papers are not reviews. Limit the references to those related to the research being presented.
• Take time to review your work. Read it aloud or, preferably, set it aside for a few days or weeks and re-read it. You will be surprised how many unnecessary words and sentences appear.

“If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter.” Credited to Winston Churchill and others.