The task is to construct a Mini-review manuscript covering a chosen medical device or diagnostic
technology. It should be written in a format ready for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Step 1: choose a medical device or diagnostic techology as your topic that you are interested in (for
example: pacemakers).
Step 2: read scientific/medical journal publications, wikipedia articles, news articles and/or books to
learn about your topic.
Step 3: figure out what you will write about and determine the structure.
The structure can follow a basic outline such as:
– start with the motivation. Why care about this topic? Why are pacemakers important?
– introduce specific problem/question you will focus on within this topic. For example, your
mini-review might focus on the designs of different pacemakers, comparing their pros/cons, and how
future devices might address these issues.
– explore the problem/question. This will be the bulk of the content of your mini-review. For example,
you might compare the design of the 3 main pacemakers that are used. You must use journal
publications to support all your arguments and statements. You will need to cite medical and scientific literature, not wikipedia articles or news articles.
– summarize what we have learnt by analysing the literature.
– conclude with a unique perspective or opinion based on what you have learnt. It could be a prediction about the future of pacemakers or whether or not another technology will make them
obselete. This perspective needs to be grounded in the facts you have laid (and backed up with citations) earlier.
Step 4: Write up the manuscript according to your structure and the message you want to communicate. Add at least one figure or table, which can either come from another journal article or,
even better, you create this figure/table yourself. Make sure the figure has a caption.
Step 5: Format your manuscript and reference list to look like a scientific publication