Writing a Medical Research Manuscript is a practical, step-by-step guide to publishing in peer-reviewed medical journals. Drawing on extensive experience as a funded clinical investigator, educator, and mentor, the author distills the manuscript process into a clear, efficient framework designed to help researchers move from idea to publication with confidence.
The book is organized into three core sections:
(1) building the research project and assembling the right team;
(2) writing each component of the manuscript with clarity and precision; and
(3) navigating journal submission, peer review, revision, and publication.
Each section is divided into concise, focused chapters and includes actionable checklists to streamline workflow and avoid common pitfalls. This book is an essential resource for medical students, residents, fellows, physicians, and scientists seeking to publish high-quality research efficiently and successfully.
The project and involved parties.- Finding a research mentor.- Advice
for mentees.- Advice for mentors.- Writing a prospectus.- Coauthors.-
Choosing a project.- The manuscript.- Tricks with MS Word.- Using other
programs: reference mangers, PDF readers, screenshot capture.- Writing the
results.- Making tables.- Making figures.- Writing the intro.- Writing the
methods.- Writing the discussion.- Writing the conclusion.- Writing the
abstract.- Writing the references.- Writing a cover letter.- Circulating the
manuscript.- The submission and publication.- Finding reviewers.- Submission
process.- Common errors in submitted manuscripts.- Aligning different parts
of a manuscript.- How reviewers read a paper vs how authors write a paper.-
Writing the response letter.- What to do if paper keeps bouncing around.- The
proof.- Reasons why researchers should not pay fees.- How to update
publication and abstracts in your CV.- Publicizing your work.- How to write
an abstract for presentation at a meeting.
Nicholas G. Zaorsky, MD, MS, is an academic radiation oncologist, board-certified physician, and independently funded clinical investigator. His areas of expertise include genitourinary cancers (prostate, bladder, kidney), skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma), and metastatic disease.
Dr. Zaorsky graduated dual summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 with degrees in Hispanic Languages and Literatures and Neuroscience. He earned his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in 2011, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society and received the Dr. Harold Lamport Biomedical Research Prize. His postgraduate training included an internship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, a research fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University and the Kimmel Cancer Center, and residency in radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where he served as Chief Resident. He later earned a Master of Science in Clinical Research from Penn State University.
From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Zaorsky served as Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Penn State College of Medicine. From 2021 to 2026, he was Vice Chair of Education, Director of Genitourinary Oncology for East Cleveland, and a tenured professor at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. In 2026, he joined Mayo Clinic Jacksonville as a senior physician.
Dr. Zaorsky has received numerous awards for research, education, and mentorship, including multiple institutional teaching and mentoring honors, national recognition as a top peer reviewer, and repeated distinctions from Cleveland Magazine and Doximity/US News & World Report. He is an active member of ASCO, ASTRO, ARS, NCCN, and ACRO, serving in leadership roles for national guidelines and accreditation committees.
He has delivered over 150 invited lectures and presentations and has authored or co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including Nature Communications, The Lancet, JAMA Oncology, Annals of Oncology, and Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Over his career, Dr. Zaorsky has contributed to more than 10 national and international clinical guidelines, enrolled hundreds of patients on clinical trials, secured over $1.5 million in federal and foundation research funding, and helped train more than 1,000 physicians and scientists.
