[On publishing and publications]

The publication of a scientific article represents the culmination of work by a group of researchers who at some point decided to pool their efforts to shed light on a scientific problem. Before an article appears in a biomedical journal, an original manuscript will have passed through a series of filters known as the "editorial process". That process provides a guarantee to future readers that information in the article contains a full and critical view of the subject. It is the authors' job to make their best effort when drafting and revising a report and checking the final version before submitting it for review. The manuscript should have the 3 main attributes of scientific writing: clarity, accuracy, and economy. In this article we discuss the sections of an article and guidelines for good clinical research practice. We also review how to present a manuscript that meets style requirements for publication.