Premium
Guidelines for writing a scientific paper: an address to beginners
Author(s) -
KLAHR SAULO
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
nephrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1440-1797
pISSN - 1320-5358
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1797.1996.tb00178.x
Subject(s) - reading (process) , scientific writing , computer science , scientific article , work (physics) , engineering ethics , linguistics , publishing , law , political science , mechanical engineering , philosophy , engineering
Summary: Although writing a publishable scientific paper does not require extraordinary writing talent, it does require adherence to a few basic principles. First, choosing a forum for publication is important, since books and journals tend to be highly specialized. Second, following the instructions to authors for that publication is mandatory, and reading those instructions before even beginning the manuscript is advisable. Third, writing the abstract or summary requires a painstaking distillation of background, methods, and results; one should recognize that this is the only part of the work that most readers will ever see. Fourth, the other components of the typical scientific paper: introduction, methods, results, and discussion should constitute an appropriate expansion of the abstract. Results in particular are crucial and should be presented in terms of a few specific findings logically supported by selected data, with details presented in tables and figures that are themselves cogent and easy to follow. Fifth, the writer should review the paper carefully, eliminating all wordiness and clarifying statements that are not as meaningful as they could be. (Writers not proficient in English should ask a colleague to do this.) Following these principles will not guarantee publication, but will guarantee serious consideration of the submission.