https://ucloud.univie.ac.at/index.php/s/xaEhC7woEPYFzEQ
Workshop on writing scientific papers (ca. 3 hours) Dr. Brian Metscher
The scientific literature
what it is, where it is, what it is for
What are we communicating, and to whom?
primary vs. secondary literature
Structure of a scientific paper
Generally what goes in each section
Why this format?
How it reflects the logic of scientific results
Flow and unity in a paper
story structure in scientific reports
Some basics for writing papers
Get started! Methods section is easy to start writing. Following the structure of a good paper in your field can help. Composing the first draft:
Sources, summarizing, citing
Keep to the main message
Write for your audience
Plan to revise
Make paragraphs the unit of composition: one (main) idea per paragraph ...and of communication: each paragraph says something
Sentences:
Tight, clear, and active - exactly who is doing what?
Keep related words together
Omit needless words (!)
Make definite, concrete statements
Learn from examples: read aloud
Titles
Abstracts
A basic scheme for abstracts, with examples
Exercise: analyse the content and structure of an abstract from the literature
Figures
Integrating illustrations and figure legends with the main text Tufte books; Rougier, 10 simple rules
Journals and peer review
Print, online, open access submission, peer review, etc.
Purposes of a title Inform, engage, index How to compose a title
keywords => contents and importance
write a title first, and last
Exercise: write a technical title, and a catchy title
Stephen B. Heard, The Scientist’s Guide To Writing: How To Write More Easily and Effectively Throughout Your Scientific Career
Joshua Schimel, Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded
Jan Pechenik, A Short Guide to Writing About Biology, 9th ed. https://1lib.at/book/5005409/e984b0
Strunk and White, The Elements of Style
"What's a journal for?"
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01643-3
Wouters et al. Rethinking impact factors: better ways to judge a journal. Nature 569: 621. 30 May 2019
The Non-Scientist’s Guide to Reading and Understanding a Scientific Paper
https://medium.com/elysium-health/how-to-read-a-scientific-paper-695188037080
Short Guide to Writing Abstracts (Metscher)
https://scilitcomm.blogspot.com/2020/03/short-guide-to-writing-abstracts.html
Tufte, Edward, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information https://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi
Jambor H, et al. (2021). Creating clear and informative image-based figures for scientific publications. Plos Biology 19(3): e3001161. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161
Rougier NP, Droettboom M, Bourne PE. (2014). Ten simple rules for better figures. PLoS Comput Biol 10(9): e1003833. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25210732
