Manuscript Preparation for Journals

1.    Why Write and Publish a Manuscript or Research Paper?

To make publishable results through original research work requires much hard work. Writing a paper and getting it published in a peer-reviewed journal is much harder than that. There are two kinds of motivations behind publishing articles. They are altruism and self-interest, and most authors have combination of both.

1.1.       Altruism (selfless concern for the well-being of others)

Peer-reviewed science publications are the predominant method today for disseminating and archiving scientific advances (books, conference presentations, and university teaching are other common ways). Science grows and advances through a communal collection of knowledge that is constantly being challenged, revised, and expanded. Most scientists have a strong desire to contribute to the advancement of their field, which is often their primary reason for becoming a scientist. Publication is usually the most straightforward way to make such a contribution, and it is thus highly motivating (and satisfying) to most scientists.

1.2.       Self-Interest

Publishing can also bring tangible benefits to an author, thus providing a self-interested motivation for writing and publishing a paper. Publishing may be required for career advancement and is frequently accompanied by direct or indirect monetary rewards. But even without these obvious professional motivations, almost all human beings want recognition for their efforts.

2.        Before starting a Scientific Paper- The Literature Search

A new research project always begins with a literature search. It has to be done before starting the research work as well as before preparing the article. The goal of the search is to evaluate the state of our communal knowledge on a topic before embarking on a quest of adding to that knowledge. Because science is about either confirming or refuting existing knowledge or developing new knowledge. So a thorough understanding of the current state of communal knowledge is essential. A literature search is not about finding relevant papers, it is about reading relevant papers. A thorough literature survey is essential before scientific manuscript preparation.

3.        The Standard Structure of a Scientific Paper

A scientific paper is a written and published report describing original research results. The key characteristic of a scientific paper is its clarity. The words used should be simple, direct and well-ordered as possible. Creativity coupled with critical thinking is the key to successful scientific writing.

There is generally an accepted way of scientific articles. The vast majority of papers published in scientific journals today follow a fairly simple structure. With some variations, most papers use an “IMRAD” format:

Introduction

Method (experiment, theory, design, model)

Results and Discussion

Conclusions

This format is so ubiquitous and there are two main advantages of following the IMRAD structure: it makes it easier for the writer to organize the content of the paper, and it makes it easier for the reader to opportunistically find the information they seek.

Headings and subheadings are an important part of a paper’s organization. Headings are almost always required in science journals, but subheadings are often optional.

References:

1.     Chris A Mack, 2018. How to write a good scientific paper- (ISBN 9781510619135), SPIE Press, USA.

2.      James Hartely, 2008. Academic writing and publishing-A practical handbook (ISBN 0-203-92798-2), Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, New York