Writing Tips
As you set out on your paper-writing journey, be aware of common mistakes and practices that will help ensure a great experience
Paper Titles
Your title is the most important part of your paper. Read “How to Write Titles that Tempt”
Thou Shalt Not
Avoid repetition of non-key terms in the same sentence/paragraph
Avoid the use of the phrase “To show that”
Avoid the use of the phrases “Note that” and “Notice that”
Avoid the use of Author et. al., rather indicate through parenthetical reference
Avoid use of the adjective “different”. It is often better just simply deleted, or substituted with a more specific word, such as “opposite”, “diverse”, “distinct”, “various”, or “divergent”
Avoid semi-colons where possible
Avoid possessive (‘s) when possible
Avoid constructions like "However, despite"!
Do not use “believe” in scientific writing
Do not use colloquial words, e.g. cheap, shot (for a vaccine)
Do not use a sentence from the Abstract verbatim in the Introduction/Background
Don’t use the word “paradigm”. It is for historians of science.
General Rules
Indicate figures, tables, and boxes parenthetically in a declarative sentence: by (Figure X) not by “shown in Figure X” or “Figure X shows”
Italicize letters that represent variables or functions, but not numbers or operators. In all math, variables, subscripts, and superscripts should be a single symbol, not an acronym
Use “We found that …” rather than “We found …”
When listing examples, it is best to list no more than three
Always follow the word “this” by a noun
Whenever possible, substitute “can” or “might” or “could” for “may”
Use “although” instead of “even though”—but eschew “although” if possible. A restructured ‘however’ is better
Use the word "fundamental" only once per paper
Always use "such as" instead of "like."
Instead of “we assume…” try to express as “we specified” or “we accounted for...”. If the “assumption” is based on data, it is an estimate, not an assumption. If the “assumption” is based on some believable, citable, previously published work, it is not an assumption, either, and can be justified by Writing “Following X et al. (),” or similar.
Instead of “In order to …”, just use “To ...”
Need more resources?
Writing a first paper can be daunting. Luckily there are numerous resources to help you navigate the writing style you need to master for successful technical reference documents such as scientific manuscripts. The blog below from contemplative mammoth covers 5 common mistakes not on this list.