ScholarRounds guide

Medical Manuscript Writing Guide

A practical medical manuscript writing workflow for original research, reviews, case reports and technical articles.

ScholarRounds is designed for medical students, residents, fellows, clinicians, and research teams who need a practical way to move projects forward. The goal is not to replace methodological or specialty expertise, but to make the next decisions explicit and easier to execute.

Write from the study question outward

The introduction should establish the gap and end with the objective. The methods should explain exactly how that objective was tested. The results should answer it, and the discussion should interpret that answer without overstating causality.

Methods earn trust

Readers should be able to understand who was included, when the study occurred, how exposures and outcomes were defined, which covariates were used, how missing data were handled, and what statistical tests were performed.

Results are not the discussion

Report the cohort and findings before interpreting them. Avoid mixing speculation, mechanism, or comparison with prior literature into the results section.

Limitations should be specific

Replace generic statements such as “retrospective studies have limitations” with the actual threats to validity: selection bias, misclassification, missing confounders, sample size, generalizability, or measurement limitations.

Use the workflow, not just the article. A strong publication starts before manuscript writing: the research question, design, definitions, data quality, and analysis plan determine what can responsibly be concluded.

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