Scientific Writing Guide

This English version was machine-translated from the Chinese original. Technical terms may require verification.

Introduction

The questions in this article can also be addressedScientific theory and practical experienceHow the concept of a relatively close read together is developed in different contexts.

What's good science writing?

1. Clear and effective communication（Communication Clearly and Effectively）
2. Elegance and style（Elegant and Stylish）

The first phase of the preliminary draft would ensure that the former would be improved when it was thawed. The most basic requirement for the article as a whole is readability.

How to be a man who can write good science.

1. Something.（Having something to say）
2. Logical clarity（Logical thinking）
3. Some rules that are easy to learn.（Some Rules）

As a Scientist, it is not difficult to achieve the first two; it is not literary.

Some recommendations

• Read and Intimate: Read any material carefully, not limited to scientific literature
• Write: Multiwritten
• Revise: Without being a first draft, progress in the revision
• Cut: bold deletions

Cut Clutter

Here is a principle that is not related to skill:Delete what could be deleted to make the narrative more concise; what remains is the essence.

Delete those words that do not provide information and are used only to connect the context. The author is simply cleaning his voice; even if the terms are appropriate, they have no substance:

• As we all know
• It should be emphasized
• As it has been shown
• It can be regarded that

Delete empty words that do not provide valid information, which are mostly broad adjectives or noun phrases:

• basic tenets
• important

Simple principle

• Long phrases often have similar meanings to short words and can be replaced
• Avoid using too much proprietary terminology and abbreviations that the reader is not familiar with
• I'm having a word that means something. Try Cut.
• Delete the adverbs on the expression level, which usually do not make the article stronger.

Other techniques

• Eliminate denial(Eliminate negative): to be positive, the structure is usually clearer
• I'm not gonna be able to delete it.There be structures that do not usually provide a material meaning, and can be rewritten in most cases
• Delete unnecessary phrases: many terms can be omitted, especially when the number of Abstract words is deleted is worth checking

Use active language

Active vs passive

There is no need to define active or passive language. Passive speech may omit the perpetrator, creating ambiguity; therefore, scientific papers should use active language as much as possible. Proactive language can also improve the readability of sentences, especially for long sentences that are common in the paper.

Advantages of the active language:

• Emphasis on author ' s responsibilities（Author's Responsibility: We / I indicates the author 's responsibility for the text
• Enhancing readability(Make it Readable): Readers are easier to keep up with. Description
• Reducing ambiguity(Reduce Ambiguity): Identifying the dominant language helps us to get our thinking straight.

Not all places are used in active language. In general, the Methods part, which is usually performed by We, is not the focus of the operator. Use passive speech to highlight actions and their results and reduce the repetition of We, which will make the structure clearer.

** The use of active language often leads to We and I, which is no problem. ** The paper was designed and completed by a person, and the removal of the pronoun would not make the article more objective.

In the Results and Discussion sections, the active language is usually more appropriate, as both sections place greater emphasis on the author ' s analysis of the results of the experiment.

The content and the Abstract parts do not have a fixed language requirement, which should be determined on a case-by-case basis. The Tables and Figures section is mainly devoted to the active discourse of the study.

verbs

As with the active verb, verbs affect reading. The verb drives the sentence forward; turning it into a noun or more complex structure would slow down reading. There are three principles to this effect:

• Use strong verbs(Use strong verbs): The proper verbs can express the meaning more accurately. The first step is to stay away from To be, find more appropriate verbs.
• Do not change the verb to a noun（Don't turn into nouns: verbs and active verbs expose ambiguity and make the articles easier to understand.
• Don't let the core verbs go too far away from the main phrase.（Don't Bry the main verbs: to bring the core verbs close to the main verb, and to place the embellishment structure of the main verbs after the verb; to separate them by commas, if necessary.

Punctuation, sentence and paragraph

Punctuation

The proper use of other points, in addition to commas and stop-ups, can also organize longer sentences.

By the intensity of the partition, the common points can be classified in order of their intensity:

1. Comma（Comma）
2. Colony（Colon）
3. Declining（Dash）
4. parenthesis（Parentheses）
5. Semicolon（Semicolon）
6. Period（Period）

The break marks and semicolons are less formal and should be used less in academic papers; they should be used in a way that improves the narrative structure.

Semicolon: Short sentences that are similar or counterproductive may be linked by semicolons (;). list item is separated by a semicolon if the list item is long and there are commas in the interior.

parenthesis: For additional ideas, explanations and details, it may accommodate words, phrases or sentences. Readers can generally skip the bracketed contents; sometimes, interesting content can be added.

Colony: Often used to explain the concept before it, it can be described or supplemented and emphasised on content. It can also be used to quote others, even in conjunction with semicolons, and to quote them in parallel.

Declining: A description to insert or highlight. It can be placed almost anywhere, without abuse; it is only used when the insertion is long or when emphasis is necessary. Use a dash to separate the main and core verbs.

Parallel Column Structure(Parallism): Use and / or but connect sentences with similar structures, often in consecutive steps or parallel objects, as needed. Not all parallels require a hyphen, and a comma can be used directly.

Paragraph

Each paragraph should contain only one core idea to reduce the reader ' s reading pressure. Paragraphs should be kept short, with 3-5 sentences as a maximum; the blanks left by the short paragraphs would be useful for reading.

The paragraph should begin with an idea of the paragraph, which the reader can read with and at the end of the paragraph with a kickback.Paragraphs should be logically expanded., the parallel structure could be used appropriately to supplement the information, but not to misuse the transitional term.

Logical development can follow a time sequence, or can move from abstract to specific, or in parallel.

Writing Process

Before writing, the experiment was completed and data and preliminary results obtained. Writing Division Prewriting, preliminary draft, revision Three phases.

Prewriting

During the Prewringing phase, it is important to specify what story the article will tell, with a brief Outline for each of the main parts. Collect and organize the information that may be required (e.g., important references), including experimental data.

The systematic preservation of information that may be used will eliminate the need to rely on external information for final writing, particularly in the general section. Prewriting does not necessarily have to be in front of computers; the same can be said about the structure of articles and the details that may be involved when sports or rest.

Preliminary draft

At the Draft stage, the whole concept is translated into a logical structure, leaving the language details behind. Do not balance details with the overall picture, lest both sides fail. Focus on the information organization first, and the sentence is complete.

Modify

In the Revise phase, amend item by item as detailed in the previous text. Reading articles helps to identify redundancy and inappropriate structures; checking verbs improve readability. Bold to reduce redundancy and finally check the appropriateness of the logical structure.

Overall inspection: Important details of the whole text should be consistent, especially key parameters and data. The number is omitted from the multiple rounds of changes. Check the reference to ensure that it supports the conclusions; use the original literature as far as possible and not disseminate secondary references.

Throughout the process, prewriting** is the most important, followed by modifications and finally by the first draft. ** The first draft will naturally be faster when the advance writing is adequate.

Thesis manuscript

It is suggested that the manuscript be prepared in the following order:

1. Tables and Figures: To figure out the charts and the watch and the story behind them
2. Results: the outcome section is only an advanced summary of the table data
3. MethodsThe method of the experiment is not very different when it is written
4. Introduction: the beginning of the story
5. Discussion: most complex segment
6. Abstract: summary of the full text

Tables and Figures

The chart and table should also be separated from the body of the text by telling their own story, and abbreviations and laboratory details should be defined. Each chart has a separate core of the idea, and the logic between the charts should be naturally carried over; the surrounding text is not the focus.

The difference between the figure and the table is that the former is more intuitive and can present short stories and visual shocks, while the latter focuses on more or more accurate data.

TableA three-lined table should be used, consisting of:

• Table Title: Description of the form in which data are presented in the table
• Table Data
• Angular: to explain the table symbol

** The narrative is also to be studied and continued in the Results section. ** Columns and data should be properly aligned, decimals should be kept with appropriate valid digits, and indicators for units should be identified by the variable.

PictureThree categories can be distinguished:

1. Primary Evidence: to convince readers that the experimental data are reliable
2. Graph: To give readers a visual understanding of the research story
3. Drawing: Presentation of experimental processes or causal cycles, visual presentation of logical components

Pictures should be independent of the table and should be available in the full text. ** The figure should be a simple enough and unique story. ** Data visualization only discusses the situation of the Graph; Evidence and Drawing.

Results

The Results section should refrain from using numbers or similar precise descriptions; precise descriptions are required only if the chart is inaccurate or does not address the relevant content. ** Instead of reproducing what is already in the chart, it is intended to explain what the reader understands and to tell the story of the study. **Results can be divided into sub-parts when they are too long.

Results is concerned in part with finding that there is no need to discuss methods and that there should be no confusion with Discussion. Results focuses on what the data show, Discussion focuses on what data means; the explanation of the discovery is left to Discussion.

Results uses only two types of the time:When past events and their findings are used, the data show that the conclusions are now used.Because these conclusions are still valid. Use the active language as naturally as possible.

Methods

The methodology section outlines the entire process of the study, which is Overview of the work done. It should be comprehensive enough to allow others to replicate your research.

• Subsection (including summary and detailed methodological sections)
• Citation of important research methods
• Show the flowchart of the study
• Free use of passive speech

Readers should be able to learn in part what you did by way of a method. Do not remain on the abstract method name, but specify how it is used. The timing of the methodology does not need to be overemphasised: the method that is always in place is used now and past observations are used.

Introduction

The introduction is more clearly formulated. The typical quotation usually has three paragraphs, which are contained between 2 and 5 if necessary. The introduction requires a review, but not a review paper; it does not need to elaborate on the whole area, but only around the core issues of this paper.

The introductory part should be constructed as one.The shape of the funnel(Down down and down):

• Background: Some information already known to the public. This part would ensure that the narrative is focused only on core issues.
• Existing gaps: discuss the shortcomings of existing research and the shortcomings. This is the basis for our research objectives or assumptions.
• Our approach: explain the methods we have proposed and how they have filled the gaps in previous studies.

For the purpose of generalization, two paragraphs could be used to deal with Known and Unknown, the last paragraph giving the methodology and its implications. You can also cross-reference Known and Unknown, but the study usually ends.

For Known information, it is not necessary to describe the details of each study on a case-by-case basis, and a general statement and a continuous reference can be made.

The introduction need not be too long, but should be easy to understand and not introduce too much technical complexity. The focus is on the proposed methodology and how it can fill existing research gaps. Do not give or imply the result in the introduction: just ask the question, and do not solve it here.

Discussion

Discussion is the most flexible and difficult to write and should continue to follow the principles of the previous writing.

Discussion should be oneReverse funnel: Answer the questions raised, use the data to support the conclusions, consider and respond to possible challenges, and explain what the results mean and why the reader should be concerned.

The main elements of Discussion include (the order can be adjusted but should essentially be fully included):

1. Key Finding: Answer the question in the context of the Introduction
   • Here. "We found that..." Start
   • Explain the meaning of the data (a big picture)
   • Indicate whether the discovery is new
2. Key Secondary Findings"In many studies, it's normal."
3. Context(Does its best)
   • Give possible mechanisms or paths
   • Compare our results with others.
   • To discuss how our findings support or challenge existing paradigms
4. Strengths and Limitations
   • Prejudicing reader ' s questions/criticism
   • Explain why our results are steady.
5. Next Steps
   • Recommended validation study (xx need to be qualified)
   • Indicate outstanding questions and future directions
6. So What？（Implicate, Speculate, Recommend）
   • Gives the big picture of the basic key findings.
   • Tell the reader why he should be concerned.
7. Strong Conclusion
   • Reconfirm the main findings
   • Give the final take-home message

For the Discussion section, we note:

• Use active speech, and tell the research story in a smooth and clear way.
• Start with Main finding and bind with Restate, highlighting conclusions
• ** Not too far from the study data. ** The focus is on “What we found”, not “what we want to find”. Reasonable speculation can be made, but not too much.
• -Limitions. It's important.: Should have thought of them before the Reviewer questions. Do not use too broad a terminus that is not relevant to the details of the study; research has inevitably limitations, but whether to recognize limitations can significantly affect the quality of the articles.
• Ensure consistency and clarity of conclusions and maintain confidence in research.

We are in agreement with others on the issue of the state of the moment: when part of the past is used, the content that is still valid is now.

Abstract

The summary was prepared after the full text had been completed. It should be simple, integrate a bright spot from each component and look back at the whole story. Controls between 100 and 300 words and guarantees the possibility of independent reading.

Abstract, like the Introdical, starts with a short Background, then presents questions, assumptions and research purposes. The experiment is then summarized and the results are summarized (a few important figures) and the results are used to draw conclusions and answer the preceding questions. Abstract should also include some Big picture of what, such as hints, speculation or suggestions.

Additional knowledge

Syntax:

• data It's a plural word.
• compare to Emphasizing the similarities between the two objects, compare with Emphasis on differences. In scientific writing, only with - only literary creation using metaphors is required to.
• that The content of the phrase is necessary, and which It's unnecessary. It's about how we write -- which is when we give extra information.

The Three Laws

The first thing I do is ask how many elements I should list.3 are usually the right choices.: Not too little, not too much to read.

Submissions

Before you start, you can first determine the author and the sorting.

Select the appropriate periodical or conference before the experiment is completed and the manuscript begins to be written. The input system will explain the writing requirements and will be submitted thereafter. The contributions were broadly divided into five categories: Desk Reject, directly accepted, accepted after minor repairs, refused but welcomed to resubmit (a major overhaul), and rejected altogether.

If the opportunity to change is available, the Cover Letter should respond to the Reviewer comments, maintain the appreciation for the revision, positively modify and respond to them one by one, even if some of them are incorrect. Once accepted, the text is ready for publication.

Peer Review

Maintain a friendly tone and not criticize authors, but focus on the inadequacy of the work and suggest changes. Review should contain a general paragraph, and the subsequent subpoint could begin with a positive aspect. Do not write final conclusions in the comments to the authors, which are for the editors.

Review

The Review workload is significant, but it helps to understand the whole area. The collection of literature on the subject, the summary of the current status of research, the distinction between contentious issues and the provision of a good list of references. We're only talking about unsystematic Revie, not too much skill.

The subject of Review cannot be too large, otherwise the literature is too extensive to analyse and should be built around the exact theme. More time should be devoted to organizing the work and to thinking about how to complete the full text. The generalist outside the field must be able to write with a balance between fun and readability.

More detailed guidance on methodological approaches to literature synthesis, for reference Methodological guide for the synthesis of literature。

Personal Statement

• Make your statement more personal, find something special.
• Tell stories and examples, not abstract slogans; no one will remember slogans, but stories are easier to remember.
• Do not list CV content. Only one or two bright spots that are most relevant to this need will be sufficient.
• Don't use too small a vocabulary you don't know, and don't use the crappy clichés.
• To convince readers that you're fully prepared to join them with the facts and details.
• The shortcomings in the explanatory material - the shortcomings are not terrible, don't cover up.

From the beginning of the story, personalized writing is more attractive to readers. The main body should fully answer important questions, including short- and long-term objectives, and explain its choice with its own experience; then explain why it is the right candidate (capacity) and respond to the lack of response. Finally, he indicated that he had made efforts to that end and was aware of the situation. The full letter ends with a story from the beginning or a quote from the famous slogan.

Publicly oriented writing

The principle of the preface should not be changed: to remain attractive, precise and clear. However, the public has special needs:

• Start with Take-home message: conclusions will be at the forefront and will directly reflect the value of research
• No jargon: Do not use the words of scientists, in a way that ordinary people understand; this is difficult, but important
• Use metaphor: Replace complex scientific content with words that ordinary people can understand
• Filter the details: Science requires detail, and Cope does not need all detail; replacement of numbers with consistent stories and metaphors
• Faster: To give the subject the subject and to make the reader complete the details himself
• Story: Start with a long story, it will make you more patient

Input recommendations

Some of the faster-revision journals.

The recommendation is for a faster review and publication rate (within 1-3 months). The submission still requires verification that the distribution of periodicals is in line with demand.

Periodicals	Division	Area
iScience	Sector 2	Consolidated Category
Scientific Reports	3 Sector	Consolidated Category
IEEE Sensors Journal	3 Sector	Consolidated Category
IEEE Access	Sector 4	Synthesis
Scientific Data	Sector 2	Consolidated Category
Fundamental Research	Sector 2	Consolidated Category
Journal of the Royal Society Interface	Sector 2	Consolidated Category
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences	Sector 2	Consolidated Category
Science Progress	Sector 4	Consolidated Category
Advanced Science	1 Sector	Consolidated Category
Expert Systems With Applications	1 Sector	Expert system
Information Technology and Control	Sector 4	Computer science
European Journal of Medical Research	3 Sector	Bioinformatics
Electronics	Sector 4	Computer
Science Asia	Sector 4	Consolidated Category
Results in Engineering	IE periodicals	Engineering (extreme revision)
Computer Communication	3 Sector	Computer technology
Computer Journal	Sector 4	Computer technology
South African Journal of Science	Sector 4	Synthesis
Chiang Mai Journal of Science	Sector 4	Synthesis
International Journal of Machine Learning and Cybernetics	Sector 4	Computer technology
Symmetry Basel	Sector 4	Synthesis
Sensors	3 Sector	Sensors only
Current Science	Sector 4	Synthesis

Contribution meetings

• For the CCF meetings:CCF Meetings DDL
• For the entire CCF system:CCF List of periodicals and conferences
• For EI meetings (audience conference query):Wiki encyclopedia of the Conference(Need to verify the level of meetings)
• For the remaining water:Platform for a national submission

Information before submission

The most important question.• Determines whether periodicals are in line with the research direction, i.e., to see whether similar studies have been published.

Some details about the periodicals.：

1. Determination of the overall fee for periodicals: layout, OA fees, colour drawings, etc.
2. Determination of the limits of periodicals: articles format and content related to length of words
3. Study contribution guide: look mainly at the Guideline and Information sections, which basically contain concerns

Other contribution issues：

1. Inputs: Identification of innovation points, reasons for contribution, other relevant publications
2. Studying the means of contributing: generally including e-mail and system contributions
3. Select the reviewer: recommendr and avoider, as appropriate

References

The following courses, books and writing tools are used:

• Working in the Sciences— Open scientific writing by Kristin Saiani Professor, Stanford University Classes
• The Elements of Style（462KB）——William Strunk Jr. & E.B. White's classic English writing guide
• Science Research Writing for Native and Non-Native Speakers of English(120MB) - Hilary Glasman-Deal, practical guide to writing for non-English-speaking mother tongue scientists
• Academic Phrasebank— Academic Reference Tool for Expressions of Writing by University of Manchester