Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: secrets of the trade

A characteristic of nerve cells is their ability to propagate an action potential and to communicate through specialized contact zones, called synapses. Synapses have received much attention from neurobiologists over the last 40 years, after their existence was ascertained by electron microscopy (De Robertis and Bennett 1954; Palade and Palay 1954). At the synapse, information is transferred from one cell to the contiguous one by neurotransmitters, viz. acetylcholine, biogenic amines and amino acids, or neuromodulators. These are mostly small peptides acting either alone or in combination (Furness et al. 1988; H6kfelt 1992). Thus, nerve cells communicate mostly by the intermediary of chemical signals. These important concepts have had a tremendous impact on the \"Zeitgeist\" of the neurosciences and have led many scientists to try to unravel the exact mechanisms of synaptic transmission. Furthermore, the discovery that the symptoms in Parkinson's disease are the consequence of a decrease in the concentration of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the basal ganglia, and that an improvement can be achieved by a dopamine precursor that passes through the blood-brain barrier (Hornykiewicz 1966), has helped to shape the opinion that many neurological and psychiatric diseases can be explained as defects in neurotransmitter systems. In the meantime, major efforts have been directed at understanding the way in which neurotransmitters

Calcium-binding proteins: selective markers of nerve cells.

Authority and invisibility: authorial identity in academic writing

Bias in questionnaires is an important issue in public health research. To collect the most accurate data from respondents, investigators must understand and be able to prevent or at least minimize bias in the design of their questionnaires. This paper identifies and categorizes 48 types of bias in questionnaires based on a review of the literature and offers an example of each type. The types are categorized according to three main sources of bias: the way a question is designed, the way the questionnaire as a whole is designed, and how the questionnaire is administered. This paper is intended to help investigators in public health understand the mechanism and dynamics of problems in questionnaire design and to provide a checklist for identifying potential bias in a questionnaire before it is administered.

A catalog of biases in questionnaires.

Humble servants of the discipline? self-mention in research articles

This book includes, in a stylish and readable way, all the information and advice needed to write and publish a scientific paper. This expanded edition contains new information on electronic manuscript preparation and the use of computers to create effective tabulation.

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Robert A. Day

Papers

How to write and publish a scientific paper

How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper