This document provides guidance on scientific writing and publishing a scientific paper. It discusses that scientific writing aims to communicate new research findings as precisely as possible to peers. A scientific paper is a written report describing original research results that must be the first publication of those results. The standard structure for scientific papers is IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, And Discussion). Editors play an important role in ensuring proper grammar, style, formatting, and fact-checking for scientific papers.

1. How to Write and Publish a
Scientific Paper
Scholarly Editing and Translation
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2. What is scientific writing
 Technical writing by scientists
 Audience include peers/other scientists
 Research →a two-way process
 Need to be received ↔to be understood
 Communicate new scientific findings
 As precisely as possible
 Neither literature nor poetry
 Clearly stated problem
 Precise and accurate conclusion
 New knowledge to be shared “for the first time”
 Publication = ultimate reward of scientific
research

3. What is a scientific paper
 Definition: A written and published report
describing original research results
 Criteria: The report must be the first publication of
original research results
 Aim: To publish in a journal/other source
document readily available within the scientific
community

4. Origins of scientific writing
 Knowledge is lost without written records
 Started in the 14th century
 First science journal:1665
 Evolution shows the trend from Ancient Greece to
the Middle Ages, and finally to the invention of the
printing press

5. IMRAD
 IMRAD [Introduction, Methods, Results, and
Discussion]
 Highly structured and rigid (originality in the content not
in the form)
 Requested by most editors because of simplicity
 Most logical method to communicate research results
 An easy roadmap for authors – editors – referees –
readers
 Introduction (Provides context and rationale for
the study)
 Methods (Describes the experimental design and
experimental procedures for the reproducibility of
results)
 Results (Summarizes the findings without
interpretation)
 And

6. A bird’s eye view
Essential parts of scientific writing include the
following:
 Title: Describes concisely the core contents of the
paper with fewest possible words
 Abstract: Summarizes the major elements of the
paper, which leaves an impact on the readers;
self-contained
 Introduction: Provides context and rationale for
the study
 Materials: Describes the experimental design so it
is reproducible
 Methods: Describes the experimental procedures

7. A bird’s eye view
 Results: Summarizes the findings without
interpretation
 Discussion: Interprets the study findings
 Summary: Summarizes the findings
 Acknowledgement: Gives credit to advisors; to
those who helped in writing/collecting data; and to
those who helped financially
 References: Lists all scientific papers, books, and
websites that have been cited

8. Role of editors
 To check for grammar
 Ensure there are no mis-spelt words
 Do away with wordiness/redundant words
 Check for style and formatting on the basis of
journal guidelines
 Check facts and raise queries with the author
 See that all tables/figures/references/appendixes
are cited
 check illustrations and captions are correct

9. Editors must have:
 Excellent written English, including good spelling
and grammar
 A meticulous approach to their work and an eye
for detail
 The ability to maintain high-quality work while
meeting tight deadlines
 A love of and feel for language.

10. Importance of correct language
 Avoid a complex sentence structure
 Use simple and clear English
 Punctuate the sentences correctly
 Always keep in mind that the
paragraph is the essential unit of
thought
 Poor experimentation cannot be
masked by brilliant writing. BUT,
poor writing can mask
brilliant experimentation

11. Outline
 What is scientific writing
 What is a scientific paper
 Origins of scientific writing
 IMRAD
 A bird’s eye view
 Role of editors
 Importance of correct language
 Outline