Resp Care
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Poster presentations given at scientific meetings are widely used in medicine, nursing, and allied health professions to communicate research findings. A good poster presentation can be an effective way to share the results of your research with your peers, in a collegial and non-threatening atmosphere. Feedback received during a poster session can be invaluable in refining your research and preparing for publication in a peer reviewed journal. ⋯ Poster sections include a title banner, the abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, conclusions, and tables and figures. Technical details of poster production include decisions on what materials and methods to use to print and display your poster, font size, whether to use a professional graphics department for production, and cost. Presentation of your research at a professional meeting can be a rewarding experience, and is a useful step toward publishing your research in a respected science journal.
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In some situations, tables, graphs, and figures can present certain types of information (including complicated relationships and sequences of events) more clearly and in less space than the same information would require in sentence form. However, do not use tables, graphs, and figures for small amounts of data that could be conveyed clearly and succinctly in a sentence. Also, do not reiterate in sentences the data that are shown in a table, graph, or figure: the point of creating a table or graph or figure is to eliminate that type of sentence from your manuscript. ⋯ In preparing a graph the most common error is to include a line that suggests an unsubstantiated extrapolation between or beyond the data points. In selecting the graph's axes, avoid truncating, enlarging, or compressing the axes in ways that might make the graph confusing or misleading. To prepare clear, accurate, easily interpretable tables, graphs, and figures, rely on the rules described in authoritative guides such as the Council of Science Editors' Scientific Style and Format and the American Medical Association's Manual of Style.
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The information in a case report should be viewed cautiously in terms of generalization beyond the reported example. Appropriately written and interpreted, however, a case report can be a valuable contribution to medical knowledge and educational for both author and reader. This article discusses the essential components of a case report, important issues of patient confidentiality, and how authorship should be determined. ⋯ These ways include seeking appropriate assistance with writing, documenting the case as thoroughly as possible, and carefully justifying any new technique or intervention. Authors are urged to expend the time and effort required to prepare the manuscript properly, using the journal's guidelines and paying special attention to illustrations and references, and also to have the manuscript read by a local colleague before formal submission. After submission, authors should view the receipt of reviewers' comments and subsequent manuscript revision as necessary and positive steps toward successful publication.
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For many people public speaking induces stress and fear, but with adequate planning, practice, and understanding of the "dos and don'ts" you can deliver presentations that will communicate your research clearly, succinctly, and with a professional and confident demeanor. This article provides a guide for the novice researcher to develop the skills to deliver several types of presentation and to minimize (and even make use of) the stress and fear. Planning and practice are the key to success.
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Preparation, submission, and presentation of an abstract are important facets of the research process, which benefit the investigator/author in several ways. Writing an abstract consists primarily of answering the questions, "Why did you start?" "What did you do?" "What did you find?" and "What does it mean?" A few practical steps in preparing to write the abstract can facilitate the process. This article discusses those steps and offers suggestions for writing each of an abstract's components (title, author list, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions); considers the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating a table or figure into the abstract; offers several general writing tips; and provides annotated examples of well-prepared abstracts: one from an original study, one from a method/device evaluation, and one from a case report.