Ten Simple Tips to Make You an Effective
Scientific Writer

chillibreeze writer — Mamtha nair

Informative sentences and well-organized paragraphs are the foundation of a good scientific paper. Only a well-written scientific paper can convey the message that the scientist had discovered. And to achieve this, the scientist has to put his wholehearted efforts into the task of scientific writing.

1. Follow the order:

According to George D Gopen and Judith A Swan, . “Readers interpret prose more easily and more uniformly if information is placed where they expect it”. Hence the contents of your scientific finding should be properly arranged and sequenced into the following sections.

a. Abstract: Most readers have the habit of reading the abstract before making the decision to read the article. This section provides you the best chance to attract your reader.

b. Introduction: The justification for choosing the study and its importance should be presented in this section. At the end of the introduction you will mention the objective of your study and the hypothesis.

c. Methods: The methodology you pursued should be clearly and concisely presented here. It should be so clear that your peers should be able to duplicate the study and quote you (“that’s the trick”).

d. Results: Your important findings go into this section. Be precise. Don’t overdo the results (“The drug cured 1/3 of the infected mice, another 1/3 were not affected, and the third mouse got away."). Figures and tables can be provided if necessary.

e. Discussion: Explain your findings here and compare it with other publications. You can pave the way for future research on the same topic.

f. References: The alphabetical listing of the publications you have cited in your article appears here. This should meet the journal’s requirements.

2. The Topic:

The topic of the article is as important as the toppings on your pizza. It should fulfill the expectations of the reader and encourage him to read your article. Example: “ An extensive review on scientific writing” will not bother you much, but “ The Science of Scientific writing” will tingle your mouse into action.

3. Write clearly and simply:

The article should be written clearly using simple words with appropriate punctuation. Avoid jargon.

4. The flow:

There should be continuity with every paragraph. New information can follow the old ones. Every paragraph should convey one message

5. The voice (not yours! I know it’s sweet):

Use active verbs while writing the journal article. Example: Use “Good writers write good articles” and not “Good articles are written by good writers

6. Use past tense:

Completed works are written up. Hence always use past tense while writing the article and referencing other’s work.

7. The three-word rule:

Use the precise word, the positive word and not the unnecessary word.

8. Abbreviations:

Always expand your abbreviations. Unexpanded abbreviations do not convey the message but create confusion.

9. Avoid Plagiarism (using other’s words without citation):

Summarize the findings and cite all the references.

10. Proofread your report:

Assume the role of a professional proofreader, read your article several times till you find no mistakes and then assign the task to someone good at finding faults (no, not your mother-in-law).

Your article is now ready to be posted to the journal (Have you read the journal’s Instructions to the authors??????).

Once again to quote George D Gopen and Judith A Swan

“If the reader is to grasp what the writer means
the writer must understand what the reader wants”

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