How to write a scientific paper
PattyKane
April12,2017
Somehelpfulresources!
1)
http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientists14053993/118519636#bookContentViewAreaDivID
--gooddescriptionofwhatdifferentsectionsofapaperneedtoaccomplish
2)
https://www.elsevier.com/connect/11-steps-to-structuring-a-science-paper-editors-will-takeseriously
--partofaseriesfromanauthor/reviewer/editoronhowtogetstartedonyourpaper
3)
3)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3009394/pdf/pro0019-2261.pdf
--”TheArtofWritingScience”byKevinPlaxco--excellentpaperonhowtodevelopyourscientific
writing
4)http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/the-science-of-scientific-writing/1
--excellentarticlediscussingspecificsofstructureinscientificwriting
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When am I ready to write my paper?
What do I write?
Where do I start?
How do I know when I’m done?
Where do I send my paper?
What happens after I’ve submitted my
manuscript?
WhenamIreadytowrite?
YOUNEEDTOBEABLETOMAKEASTORY
--Youcan(should)thinkaboutyourstorybefore
you’rereadytowritethepaper
--The“story”usuallystartswithaquestion
--Ultimately,youneedtoletyourdatadrivethestory—think
aboutwhatfiguresyouhaveandwouldneed
--Yourstoryisunlikelytofollowthechronologyofhowyoudid
yourexperiments
WhenamIreadytowrite?
• YOUNEEDTOBEABLETOMAKEASTORY
• Buttherearedifferenttypesofstories:
--shortcommunication/letter
--regularresearchpaper
--comprehensivepaper
Shouldyouplanforaspecificjournal????
WhatdoIwrite?
Mostscientificarticleshavethesamecentralsections:
Introduction
MaterialsandMethods/ExperimentalProcedures
Results
Discussion
Butit’snotusuallyagoodideatostartatthebeginning
whenyouwrite.
WheredoIstart?
• Outlineyourstory(oneapproach)
– Startwithabroadoutline,thinkingaboutthe
questionyouarestartingwithandwhereyouwantto
end
– Graduallymakeyouroutlinemoredetailed—what
pointswillyouneedtomake(whatdatawillyouneed
topresent)tobuildyourargument
– Outlinewilleventuallycontainsectionsofyourpaper
WheredoIstart?
• Figures—letthedatadriveyourstory
• Resultssection—writearoundyourfigures
• Discussion—putsyourpaperincontext
• Materialsandmethods—writeafteryouknowwhatis
goingtobeinyourfinalfigures
• Introduction—presentsthequestionyouare
addressingandplacingyourpaperinyourfield
• Abstract—writeafterothersectionsarecomplete
Resultssection
• Relatesexperimentstoyourlargerquestion
• Shouldpresentexperimentaldesignforeach
figure,butwithouttremendousexperimental
detail
• Objectivelydescriberesults
• Canincludesomeinterpretation/conclusions,
butmuchofthisgoesinDiscussion
Discussionsection
• Discussesyourresultsasawholeinthecontextofyour
question—moredetailedanalysisofresults
• Pointsoutwhatyourresultsarecontributingtothe
field
• Canthinkofa“pyramid”—startingfromyourdetailed
resultsandmovingoutinbreadthtoendwithhow
yourworkfitsintoyourfield
• Sometimesgoodtoendwithremainingquestionsor
nextsteps
Materialsandmethods
• Shouldallowreadersofyourpaperto
reproduceyourexperiments
• ShouldNOTberequiredforreadersto
understandyourresultsanddiscussion
(Manypeoplewon’treadthissection)
• Asageneralrule:referenceestablished
methods,butdescribeneworsubstantially
revisedmethodsinmoredetail
Introduction
• Makesthequestionyouareaaddressingclear
• Canconvincereadertocontinuereadingyour
paper
• Couldbethoughtofasinvertedpyramid:
mostgeneralinformationtomorespecific
informationtoyourproject
• PurposeisNOTtoshoweverythingyouknow
aboutyourfield(youcandothatinyour
thesis!).Shouldbeunbiasedbutbedirected
towardframingyourquestion/results.
References
• Formatisdependentonjournal
• Useareferencemanager(Endnoteorothers)
• Knowwhatisactuallyinthepapersyoureference!
Trytofindsourcereferences.Don’tciteapaperfora
referencethatisinthatpaper.
• Whenindoubt,reference—Introductionand
Discussionwillgenerallyhavelotsofreferences;
MaterialsandMethodsmayhavequiteafew,too.
Abstract
Abstract
• Veryimportantpartofpaper—willbeon
PubMed.NEEDSTOCAPTUREINTEREST.
• Avoidalotofbackground,butmakeyour
questionclear.
• Generalexperimentalapproachandmost
importantresults.
• Requiresclear,concisewriting—haveothers
outsideyourlabreaditforclarity.
Title
• Currenttrendistowardtitlesthatdescribe
results:“TheRAVEcomplexisanisoformspecificV-ATPase assemblyfactor”
• Olderpapershadmoregeneraltitles:
“BiochemicalcharacterizationofyeastVATPase”,“Astudyof…”
• Shortaspossible,butinformative
HowdoIknowwhenI’mdone?
Expectmanyrevisionsasyouwriteyourpaper
Getfeedbackfromothersoutsideyourlab,even
afterallauthorsareinagreement.
Recheck“InstructionstoAuthors”forthejournal
whereyouwillsubmityourpaper.
Aclear,well-writtenpaperisworththeeffort!!!
• Themostimportantruleissimple:ignoreany
andallotherrulesifdoingsomakesthepaper
easiertoread.Writingtheclearest,easiestto
readpaperspossibleistheone-and-onlygoal
From“TheArtofWritingScience”
Scientificwritingisanart!
• Makeyourreader’sjobaseasyaspossible
• Trytoavoidpassivevoice
• Becarefulaboutsentencestructure—ifyou
uselongsentences,thenneedtobeveryclear
• Watchoutforlabjargon,unnecessary
abbreviations
• Trytonoticepapersthatyoufind
exceptionallyclearwhenyouarereading—
lookatwhatmakesthemclear
• Improvingyourwritingisalife-longeffort.
WheredoIsendmypaper?
• Complicatedissue—manyfactorstoconsider:
--Impactfactor???
--Wherewillpeopleinyourfieldbemostlikelyto
readyourpaper?
--Isthepaper’stopicnarroworbroad(bothcan
beverysignificant)
--Journalsgivesomeguidelinesaboutthetypeof
paperstheyarelookingfor
--Thinkaboutjournalsyoureadandcite
frequently
WhathappensafterI’vesubmittedmy
manuscript?
WhathappensafterI’vesubmittedmy
manuscript?
• Editorialreviewfirstatmanyjournals
• Editorsendspaperouttoreviewers(can
suggestreviewersincoverletterat
submission)
• Reviewersaregenerallyanonymous;
communicatewitheditorwhocommunicates
withyou.
Outcomes
• Acceptwithoutrevision—rarebutjoyous
• Acceptpendingrevisions—lookatreviewer
commentstoseeifyoucananswerthem.Don’t
havetodoeverything,butdohavetoaddress
themseriously.Cantalktoeditorabout
comments.
• Reject—mournforalittlewhile,butthenlookat
reviewercommentsandresubmitsomewhere
else.
• Questions????