Why write well? (A 5-part series)

Post by Julia Slone-Murphy

Research papers are boring, aren’t they?

• They have a set structure: introduction, methods, results, discussion, yawn
• There's little room for artful storytelling
• And the abstract tells you everything you need to know in 250 words – it's one big spoiler.

But they serve a vital purpose: the communication of research methods and findings. Within each manuscript is a detailed report of why and how you did the study, and what you found, so that the reader can be updated on the current state of knowledge and, if they wish, replicate all or part of the study.

So as long as you write up what you did, without going over the word limit of your target journal, that's all there is to publishing and putting the paper on your CV, right?

Wrong! In this series, I'll explain how writing about research well can help you ensure peer reviewers do their best work, reduce research waste, attract citations, and communicate science to different audiences, including the public. But first, and most pressingly, how writing well can help you publish before your competitors. 

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