How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Doing the writing
Approaching a writing project
Some preliminaries

Doing the writing means making time to do it. Most of us in science are busy. If writing must wait until we have extra time, it might never get done. Therefore, block out times to write. Indicate in your calendar or personal organizer the times that you have reserved for specific writing projects. Except in emergencies, do not let other tasks impinge on those times. Also, set deadlines. For example, promise yourself that you will draft a given section by Thursday. Or make clear to yourself that you will not leave for vacation until you have submitted a given item.

One highly published professor advocates the following approach (Zerubavel 1999): On a page showing your weekly schedule hour by hour, cross out the times that you are regularly unavailable—for example, times that you teach, have laboratory meetings, or have personal commitments. Then choose from the remaining times some slots to reserve for writing. In doing so, consider what times of day you tend to write most effectively. For example, if you are a night person, block out some evenings during which to write each week; perhaps save some morning time for more routine writing-related tasks, such as checking references. If you are a morning person, do the reverse.

Also, consider where and how you work best. Do you write most productively in an office, or is the library, a coffee shop, or the couch most conducive to your best writing? Do you need quiet, or does music help you work? Is it most effective for you to write for a brief time every day, or do longer, less frequent stints produce your finest work? Do your ideas flow best when you set fingers to keyboard, or does writing by hand with your favorite pen yield the most favorable work? Contrary to what some may claim, there is no one best set of writing habits. Whatever works for you is fine. To thine own functioning be true.

When writing, you can start with whatever part of a manuscript you find easiest; there is no rule that you must write the introduction first. Many researchers like to begin by drafting the methods section, which tends to be the most straightforward to write. Many like to begin by drafting the figures and tables. Some like to start by drafting a preliminary reference list—or even the acknowledgments. And many authors leave until last finalizing the title and abstract. Rough-drafting the title and abstract, though, can be an excellent way to gain needed focus when starting to write a paper.

Once you have drafted one section, the momentum that you have established can facilitate writing the others. Feel free to draft the remaining sections in whatever order works best for you. Although the structure of Part II of this book parallels that of a scientific paper—with the first chapter addressing “How to Prepare the Title” and the last “How to Cite the References”—you can draft the parts of a scientific paper (and read these chapters) in whatever order works best for you.

Once you have established momentum, beware of dissipating it by interrupting your writing to search for small details. Rather, make notes to find the missing information later; to identify them easily, type them in boldface, highlight them, or use the “comment” feature in Microsoft Word. Also, if a manuscript will take more than one session to draft, consider how best to maintain your momentum from session to session. Some authors like to stop in the middle of a section while still going strong. Before ending their writing session, they jot down the next few points they wish to make. Thus, at their next writing session, they can start quickly. Consider taking this approach.

Starting with whatever part you find easiest and taking breaks while still going strong can help combat or prevent writer’s block at various phases of a writing project. If you nevertheless experience writer’s block, here are some additional remedies to consider:

· Break the writing task into small, manageable pieces—for example, subsections of each part of a scientific paper.

·  To bolster your confidence, read something you have successfully written.

·  To help get into the proper voice and rhythm, read a well-written example of the type of writing you will do.

·  Start by voice-recording your ideas or telling them to someone.

·  Write a rough draft in a comfortable, informal format, such as that of an email message.

·  Set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes, and throughout that time, write without editing. To prevent editing, try writing with the computer monitor turned off.

· If all else fails, bribe yourself. The promise of a favorite snack, a wanted small purchase, or some preferred recreation can help ensure that you complete the task.

(ScienceCartoonsPlus.com)

Other ways to help ensure that you start—and finish—your writing include taking a writing course and following a schedule designed by a writing expert. As well as supplying instruction, courses where class members write and revise journal articles section by section provide structure and incentive for completing one’s paper. Indeed, some researchers have taken such courses more than once in order to obtain that structure. Such structure also can come from externally designed writing plans. For example, the workbook Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks (Belcher 2019) presents a detailed, week-by-week plan for producing an article. Although intended primarily for students in the humanities and related areas, the plan can be adapted for writing scientific papers.

Writing groups (also called writing clubs) can promote productivity and quality in writing. Simply put, writing groups are groups of people who meet periodically to discuss their writing. They can meet in person, electronically, or both. And they can focus on the writing process, the written product, or some of each. As well as offering psychological support, writing groups can benefit members in other ways. They can offer accountability by having members regularly report on their progress. They can aid in problem-solving, for example by giving feedback on members’ drafts and discussing obstacles members encounter in writing and publication. They can educate members, for instance through readings or speakers. And they can supply professional networking and social interaction. A related option is to have a writing partner and regularly check in on each other’s progress, brainstorm about difficulties, and review drafts. Many research settings have writing groups, and online options that span settings exist. If you lack access to a writing group and think that you would find such interaction helpful, consider starting one or recruiting a writing partner or partners.

Much like doing a piece of scientific research, crafting a scientific paper typically entails solving a series of problems in order to achieve the overall objective. In writing, as in research, often the problems have more than one reasonable solution, each with advantages and disadvantages. Yet writers sometimes worry that there is “one right way” (Becker 2020). Just how should a given item be worded? In just what format should a given illustration appear? How should a given part of the paper be organized? Often, such questions have more than one good answer. Find one that seems reasonable and go with it. If it seems inadequate, or if a better solution occurs to you, you can make changes when you revise your manuscript.