In this article, we will provide you with 10 commandments that would help you write a paper that is not only significant from a scientific point of view but also is attractive for the readers.
1
In architecture it is believed that the shape of an object is in accordance with its function. The same thing is true about writing as well. Many scientists believe that nothing is more important than the results of their research.
But the fact is that the first function of an article is to convey a message to the readers and convince them that the research is worthy. So, it is best to reflect on the message before starting to write it. It is even better to think about the results of the research before writing the article. Today, scientists are less concerned with expressing raw results and their aim is to better interpret and discuss the results (Horton, 1995).
An author may have a clear idea of their topic in their mind and feel no need for describing and interpreting it while the reader may not feel the same. The subject matter becomes clear for the author since she/he has been interacting with it for a long time. But it is new for the readers and can confuse them. Sometimes, findings that are not relevant to the main topic, no matter how interesting they may be, should be omitted. If these omitted results are useful and substantial, they should be presented in another article.
An article should have a main question and provide an answer for it. Ignoring this issue is one of the common reasons that make readers reluctant to read the article. This question must be specific, new, interesting, and acceptable to the scientific community. The audience of technical journals are not interested in lengthy explanations of the subject. Yet, in popular journals, additional explanations are needed to create a proper scientific background for the readers. In general, scholars should consider the readers’ needs and examine the depth and details from their point of view.
2
Another point that should be noticed is the use of proper style and diction within the framework of scientific writing. David Reese suggests that in medical, scientific, or any other type of articles, the author should try to use common words to convince the reader. At the same time, despite the effort to make the content clear, the observations and facts presented in the article should not be affected by the rhetoric. For example, there is no need to use complex adjectives and adverbs. If the results are logical, the reader does not need incomprehensible and unnecessary words to understand them better.
Brief and concise writing is very powerful. So it is better to omit unnecessary words. The same is true about public writing as well. The more a text is full of complex phrases and additional explanations the more it prevents the readers and even the interested audience from continuing to read. The best way to get the readers’ attention is to express the content in a clear and concise manner.
3
The readers expect to find all the specific information contained in an article in its specified place. If there are too many displacements in the presentation, for example, if some of the findings are not included in the results section but are evaluated in the discussion, it will be confusing for the reader. In addition, what is not discussed in the discussion should be excluded from the results.
4
The title of the article is the most important phrase in the whole article. If a readers do not understand the significance of the text from its title, they will not continue reading. Long titles carry more information but attract less attention. Specially, some people choose the article by taking a quick look at the titles in the list. Short titles are more appealing, but they may not convey the full meaning. Topics that use ambiguous words are more appealing to readers, but should not explain the content of the story. Overall, when choosing the right title, it is best for the author to consider the readers’ point of view.
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