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

Revising your work
Approaching a writing project
Some preliminaries

Good writing tends to be largely a matter of good revising. No one will see your early drafts, and no one cares how rough they are (a comforting thought to those facing writer’s block). The important thing is to revise your writing until it works well. First, revise your writing yourself. Then show it to others and, using their feedback, revise your writing some more.

Revision is not just for students or other beginners. Researchers who have long enjoyed great success in publishing revise the papers they write. After a presentation to a scientific-writing class, a well-known scientist and journal editor was asked, “Do you revise your work?” He answered: “If I’m lucky, only about 10 times.”

In revising your work, ask yourself questions such as the following:

· Does the manuscript include all the information it should?

·  Should any content be deleted?

·  Is all the information accurate?

·  Is all the reasoning sound?

·  Is the content consistent throughout?

·  Is everything logically organized?

·  Is everything clearly worded?

·  Have you stated your points briefly, simply, and directly? In other words, is everything concise?

·  Are grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word use correct throughout?

·  Are all figures and tables well designed?

· Does the manuscript comply with the instructions?

Information that can aid in answering some of these questions appears in later chapters of the book. For example, Chapters 10 through 13 describe the appropriate content and organization of the main sections of a scientific paper, and Chapters 30 through 34 address word usage and related subjects. In addition to reading these chapters before you write, consider consulting them as you revise your manuscript. Also, for further guidance, please see Chapter 41, which focuses mainly on editing one’s own work.

Once your manuscript is nearly the best you can make it, show it to others and request their feedback. Years ago, scientists were advised, “Show your manuscript to a guy in your lab, a guy in a lab down the hall, and your wife.” These days, such advice would rightly be viewed as inaccurate and sexist. Yet the concept remains valid. So, consider following this advice: Show your manuscript to an expert in your research specialty, who can help identify technical problems. Also, show it to someone in your general field, who can note items that may be unclear to readers and other issues. And show it to an intelligent general reader—for instance, a friend in the humanities—who may identify problems that those interested mainly in the content tend to miss. In addition, consider also showing your manuscript to a professional scientific editor, as discussed in Chapter 41.

After receiving feedback from those reviewing your manuscript, consider how to apply it. Of course, follow those suggestions that you find useful. Even if a suggestion seems unsuitable, keep it in mind. Although you may disagree with it, it may alert you to a problem. For example, if a reader misinterpreted a point, you may try to state it more clearly. Comparing the various readers’ comments may aid in this regard. If only one reader had difficulty understanding an item, you might dismiss it as a fluke. If, however, multiple readers did so, improvement probably is needed.

Revise your writing thoroughly. But avoid the temptation to keep revising it forever. No manuscript is perfect. Be satisfied with mere excellence. Journal editors and others will be pleased to receive the fine manuscripts that you will prepare by following the advice in this chapter and the rest of this book.