I recorded a podcast episode on the five mistakes even the smartest researchers make in their scientific papers. If you prefer, instead of reading, you can watch the YouTube video above or listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Let’s be frank: You don’t necessarily get better at academic writing the more you do it. You also have to know HOW to do it. I think this is the reason why I see even seasoned academic writers, such as Assistant Professors, making crucial mistakes when writing scientific research papers.
In this blog post, I’m summarising those mistakes that have the most drastic consequences on the quality of your paper that I encounter most frequently when I review scientific papers for members of the Researchers’ Writing Academy.
And when you make any of these common scientific writing mistakes, it will be much harder to get others to read your scientific papers (and cite them!). Another dire consequence is that it will make it harder to get your research published! So, if you’ve been struggling with this black box of getting research articles published in top-tier academic journals, then this is the right blog post for you!
The five most common mistakes even the smartest researchers make in their scientific research papers
Let me first give you an overview of the five most common and dire scientific writing mistakes:
- Neglecting to introduce tension
- Ignoring the broader perspective
- Being too brief in your Discussion
- Being elusive about the purpose of your investigations
- Using complicated language
Okay, let’s dive in and discuss each of them:
1) Neglecting to introduce tension
How often do you read abstracts that start with “In this study, we have investigated…”? Unfortunately, I see this all the time. By jumping straight to the approach and conclusions, scientific authors are missing the opportunity to tell their readers a story. And humans love stories. The single most important characteristic of a story is the element of tension, which creates all the magic.
How to introduce tension in your scientific paper
The way you use storytelling in a scientific paper is by stating the problem that you have overcome thanks to your study. It makes readers excited about what you tell them, curious to know more and emotionally involved.
Do: After you describe what is known in the field, tell the reader what isn’t: Does the current method not work well enough to solve XY, is step YZ of the reaction mechanism still a mystery or is upscaling process XZ uncharted territory? Only after you have stated the problem you are tackling, should you describe how you have solved it. Useful phrases for stating the problem in your scientific research paper are “despite”, “although”, “however”, “nevertheless”, “but”, “yet” etc.
2) Ignoring the broader perspective
All too often scientific authors are not specific enough about how their study impacts their field of research. However, in journals with a broad target audience, this is absolutely crucial. The possible implications of your study might be very obvious to you and your co-authors but to people not as deeply involved in your research it is not.
How to incorporate a broad perspective in your scientific research paper
Do: Think about the big picture. Ask yourself: What advantage does my novel method have, how can shedding light on the reaction mechanism benefit an application or research, is the process I investigated ready for industrial implementation…? At the end of your abstract and the end of your discussion or conclusion section, describe what direct and indirect implications and potential your scientific findings have. Don’t be afraid to speculate but make it clear when you do.
3) Being too brief in your discussion
Most of the time scientific authors describe their findings in all detail and give an interpretation of what they mean. But then many of them just stop. Again, this a shame. Your readers don’t want to do the work for you, they want you to walk them through it.
How to write a comprehensive Discussion section
Do: As with the implications of your study, take a step back and discuss your results in the Discussion section. Do they agree with the literature or don’t they? If not, why not? If you can, extrapolate from your findings. And be open about the limitations of your study. If a reader feels you are honest with them, they are more likely to trust you. You can find some more detailed advice on writing the Discussion section of a research paper here.
4) Being elusive about the purpose of your investigations
I often see this in the Results section of scientific research papers: Authors describe their approach and results meticulously but don’t tell the reader why they did experiment X or analysis Y. Why is this a problem?
Firstly, this makes it really hard to follow your argument. Secondly, the different parts in your Results section won’t connect neatly without a statement of purpose. The purpose is also one of the essential elements in a story. Once you have given an interpretation for finding A, motivate why you move on to performing experiment or analysis B.
How to write a Results section of a scientific paper that flows
Do: For each result you are presenting, start with explaining why you investigated it. Useful phrases are “in order to” or just “to”. By doing this, you’ll create a logical argument in your results part in the twinkling of an eye.
5) Using complicated language
Many people think that good scientific writing means using fancy language. Perhaps some think that complicated sentences make them look smarter. It doesn’t. Convoluted writing signals that you either haven’t understood the topic well enough to communicate it or that you are trying to hide flaws in your argument. Instead, well-written scientific papers are easy to read and follow.
How to write a clear scientific paper
Do: Keep it simple. Don’t use synonyms, especially for technical terms. Write with sentences that have a maximum of one subclause. Choose verbs instead of substantives whenever you can. For example: don’t write “The investigation of XY…”, do write: “We investigated XY…”. For even more writing tips, have a look at my blog post “Three language hacks for writing scientific papers“.
Conclusion: Avoiding common scientific writing mistakes
Next time you write a scientific research paper keep these five “do’s and don’ts” in mind. I guarantee you this will make all the difference! If you have been struggling getting a scientific research paper published in a journal that you think would be a good fit, try revising it using the tips above. I’m certain the publishing process will be so much smoother.
If you would like more detailed advice on how to write a scientific research paper that tells a strong story and is clear and concise, then I highly recommend my free training. I’ll walk you through the Journal Publication Formula — my scientific paper writing system that ensures you’re writing a quality research paper in record time — step by step.
