REVIEW ARTICLES
work: "Zosia, you have to write so that everyone can understand you." This is how it started [2]. I would like to share with the readers of Military Physician both the current standards on how to write a scientific article and my own experience in this field.
The scientific article - what is it? According to the definition of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education a scientific article is one presenting the results of original studies of an empirical, theoretical, technical or analytical nature, containing the titles of publications, first and last names of the authors including their affiliations, presenting the current state of knowledge, research methodology, course of the research process, its results and conclusions, and citations of appropriate literature (bibliography). Scientific articles also include monographic, polemic and review articles, as well as clinical opinions and comments [3]. Someone planning to undertake doctoral studies and seeking an original and interesting subject for publication should first consider from what source they will gather the data they will need. For example, a physician employed in a clinical department would be advised to choose a subject that lies within the main stream of thought at the clinic, one employed at a non-clinical department should consider a subject related to the experiences of the department, while one employed at a military unit should take a subject related to the specificity of the work of that particular military unit. Every author, especially a novice, should prior to writing a scientific article attempt to answer the following questions: why publish, what do the readers and publishers expect, and has the work "matured" enough for publication? In accordance with the assumptions given above, a good scientific article should meet the following requirements: innovative subject matter of the studies and/or diagnostic methods, strong theoretical justification for the discussed problem, and solution[s] for the same problem in accordance with the current state of knowledge. In recent years publishers have been giving particular attention to the interdisciplinary nature of the studies they publish. The most popular form of publication, not requiring long "delving into the subject", is a case study. An original article on the other hand requires specific scientific and/or clinical skills. A review article summarizes the current state of knowledge on a given topic, but also requires the author to analyze that which they have gained through their own professional experience.
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Case studies in the opinion and experience of others The preparation and description of a particular case report (case study) requires a response to particular questions. First of all - what is the justification for the case study, second - what is the actual problem (e.g. an unprecedented clinical course, rarely identified biochemical irregularities or originality of a medical procedure), third - what tool or tools does the author wish to use to conduct the analysis of this case, fourth - have similar issues or clinical situations been discussed in the literature, and finally - what message is conveyed by the case for the clinic and/or basic research? Also, the potential reader of the case study is important: who it is and what their preferences and potential reservations are in regard to the case. The literature contains many sources of information on how to write and edit suitable case reports. Monash University presents two approaches to case reports. Type 1 is the analytical approach, in which the authors of a case report attempt to understand what happened and why. In this situation it is not necessary to identify issues nor suggest solutions. Type 2 is a study oriented not only at analysis, but also the solution to a particular problem. Here the authors attempt to identify the main issue of the case and indicate a potential solution [4]. On the other hand, Ashford University recommends that authors focus particular attention on the thorough preparation of a draft prior to having their work edited. Once all the necessary data have been gathered, a draft case report should contain the following sections: introduction, identification of the main issue in one or two sentences, basic information related to the essence of the presented case, alternative solutions, their description and explanation whether and why the authors accept or reject them or why these solutions cannot be implemented currently, a proposed solution to the problem and the reasons why it was selected based on appropriate literature for the subject, and recommendations - what should be done and who should do it in order to solve the problem. Once the draft is prepared the final preparation of the case study can be undertaken. Here one should pay attention to any errors and inaccuracies in the content and the structure of the text, with particular regard to the elements that may have been omitted or treated superficially in the previous version. Ashford University recommends reviewing the text many times, and then subjecting it to assessment by associates and even by outsiders - all of which is intended to verify the legibility of the text [5]. New South Wales University in Australia emphasizes the necessity of specifying the potential readership of the
MILITARY PHYSICIAN 4/2016