Common Mistakes When Writing Health Science Articles: How to Avoid Them

You can avoid common mistakes while writing health science articles by defining your objectives, following proper structuring, and writing clear statements. Take advantage of all the tips in this guide to write error-free articles for publication in health science journals.  

How to Avoid Common Mistakes When Writing Health Science Articles

1.     Identify clear objectives

Some authors fail to clearly define the major objectives in their health science articles. Writing articles with clearly defined objectives is the smartest way to avoid committing this error.

Your health science article should contain objectives that relate to the problem, research question(s), and hypotheses (if any). You will be able to focus your article on its main subject while providing a direct access to knowledge for all readers.

2.     Structure your article properly

Wrong structuring of sections and sub-sections of a research may confuse readers and hinder smooth access to information. You can avoid such a mistake by adopting a logical structure across all parts of your health science article. A logical sequence in your article guarantees a free flow of information and helps non-expert readers understand your research.

3.    Write a rich literature review

Poorly-written or insufficient literature reviews can limit the progression of an article if you want to add to existing knowledge. You can avoid committing such an error when you deeply evaluate correct literature related to your research.

Endeavor to include recent research, seminars, and other perspectives in your literature reviews. You can build a rich review from there by identifying existing gaps in existing knowledge and link them to the rationale for your article(s).

4.    Write clear statements

Inconsistent writing or ambiguous statements are common in some research articles. Such mistakes can limit the flow of information to readers. You can conveniently fix this error when you follow these steps:

-       use simple and concise language to convey ideas effectively

-       avoid ambiguous statements or vague descriptions

-       maintain consistency in terminology, abbreviations, and units of measurement

Also aim to define all complex concepts clearly to avoid confusing your non-expert readers.

5.    Ethical considerations

Some researchers fail to address all ethical considerations while writing their health science articles. You can avoid this error by following the steps below:

-       identifying the ethical guidelines of your preferred journal,

-       protecting the rights of all participants in your research,

-       guaranteeing data confidentiality for all participants,

-       providing informed consent details involving participants in a research,

-       obtaining all necessary approvals to carry out research involving people, animals, or other entity, and

-       recognizing the cultural sensitivity of your participants

Following these steps improve the relevance of your research while avoiding massive errors that could derail your study.

6.    Present your data correctly

Inadequate data presentation is a common mistake many writers make. You should present data in your health science articles correctly when you:

-       Use appropriate tables, figures, and graphs to present results

-       Label and title visual elements accurately for easy interpretation

-       Provide sufficient context and explanations to facilitate understanding

-       Avoid excessive data or overwhelming readers with unnecessary information

7.     Reference articles properly

Avoid improper referencing of article sources while writing a health science article. You need to follow the recommended referencing style of your journal throughout all sections in your article. Also endeavor to give proper credit to original sources of information presented in your research.

8.     Proofread and edit correctly

Some writers fail to thoroughly proofread or edit their health science articles before submitting for publishing. You can avoid such a mistake by:

-       checking for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors

-       verifying the accuracy of all references and citations

-       ensuring proper formatting and adherence to journal guidelines

-       seeking feedback from peers or mentors to identify areas for improvement

A thorough review of your manuscript adds value to your research and makes your findings easier for all readers to understand.

How to Avoid Mistakes While Writing an IMRaD Health Science Article

You need to follow the right steps while writing a health science article with the IMRaD (Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, and Discussion) format. The easiest and most logical format to follow while writing such articles are arranged by section below:

Introduction

You need to provide enough background information about your research topic in this section. Also, you must provide information about:

-       the main aim and research objectives,

-       significance of your research, and

-       gaps in existing knowledge

The section should also contain information about rationale for your research. Clearly outline why your research is necessary, whether you are conducting a novel study or building on existing knowledge.

Materials & Methods

The Materials & Methods section should clearly describe the following:

-       study design of your research,

-       the sample units chosen for research,

-       instruments used to retrieve data for your research (data collection technique),

-       tools used to analyze collected data

You should present your Materials & Methods section correctly and follow the structure outlined above. Materials & Methods sections in health science articles will provide vital information to help readers understand your work.

Results

The Results section should contain correct information after your analysis. You should present your findings with correct tables, statistical analysis, and figures to make all sub-sections easy for readers to understand.

Discussion

The Discussion section should contain a clear interpretation of all observed results, relating them to existing literature. This section should also highlight the relevance of your findings to existing research.

You should summarize all vital findings from your Results section in this part of your article. Also, try to show how the findings discovered will have any implication(s) to future research.

Final Word

Take note of the common mistakes most authors make while writing health science articles. Recognizing the errors researchers are likely to make provides you enough information to avoid such mistakes.

Noting the mistakes and correcting them during writing improves the significance of your research to existing knowledge. It will be easy to add to current information about the health sciences with error-free writing.

Follow all the tips provided above to boost your chances of writing and publishing high-quality health science articles with ease.