11 Effective Strategies for Writing a Successful Scientific Manuscript

Publishing your first scientific manuscript is a crucial task and, at the same time, a heartbreaking process. The majority of tasks involve handling the entire task methodically, submitting it on the designated platform, and publishing it in the journal. The task is expected to be arduous and typically long. That is one reason why students opt for scientific writing services to skip the task and focus on furthering their academic careers.

So, if you are still fumbling for ways to tackle scientific manuscript writing, here is a go-to guide you can follow to make the entire writing task look simply.

1. Read the guidelines for authors carefully

A majority of journals come with a comprehensive guideline for authors that is printed annually and is available online. Before you start writing the manuscript, download this guide and read between the lines. Read the relevant sections based on where you aim to submit your manuscript. You are sure to come across a host of information associated with the scope and interest of the journal, about the types of manuscripts, and detailed information related to formatting the manuscript. This way, you will come to know the exact writing style that is a perfect fit for scientific publications. 

2. Scripting the methods and materials

The section Materials and Methods is a significant aspect of writing the manuscript. Typically, it must include the study protocol. If you are new to scientific manuscript writing, a good idea would be to simply paste the study protocol you followed. However, do not make it too long; the ideal length would be less than 1000 words. This section needs to explain in detail the study, and if you follow the methodology that has already been published, you need to mention the references. If you are following the steps of someone whose study has been used in the laboratory for a specific model, you must follow the same published material by the previous author.

Remember that scientific writing deals with one’s journey, so make sure you don’t just incorporate information here. Include first-person narrative in various places to make it more interesting to read. Are you finding it too complicated to handle, especially the nuances? Try to get the best guidance from renowned thesis writing services that also deal with manuscript writing to ease the burden. 

3. Describe your findings

Once you complete the study protocol section, move on to mention your findings. However, describe what you found clearly and transparently, and make sure the arrangement of the result needs to align with the study. Usually, writers prepare graphs and tables and prepare their results based on them; it makes the findings look more real and effective. Keep in mind that the graphical representation of the results is interesting and comprehensible as well. When writing the results, don’t forget to mention in the text the significant parts of each figure and table. 

4. Discussion of the findings

The discussion is where you need to place your findings in a larger scientific or clinical context. Usually, the discussion must not exceed 1000 words, but before writing it down, try to leverage the most important topics.

You need to begin with a brief description of the primary findings, explain the logic behind your methodology and study, place your results in a in a clinical and scientific context in which you need to acknowledge the work of other investigators, and determine whether your findings agree with or refute the previous ones. Finally, you must end the discussion with a rational conclusion in a couple of sentences. If you want to avoid pitfalls at this stage, allow a renowned scientific writing service to take over and mitigate your task. 

5. Writing the introduction

The introduction needs to provide a first-hand account of the purpose of your study and why anyone should read it. It should not be very long and not beyond one page. What is even more important is that the introduction must generate interest and curiosity and needs to be concluded with a clarified statement of the primary and secondary hypotheses. Dissertation writing services will have the skills needed to make your writing more comprehensive. So, discuss with them to avoid the chance of discussion.

6. Mention the references

The references show that you are aware of how your findings are related to the previous ones. Refrain from citing papers unless you read them entirely, as reviewers can easily detect if you have misinterpreted the previous works. Don’t just mention references because you have to, as it demonstrates that yours is below the quality that is demanded of scientific manuscripts. If you read the guidelines properly, you will understand the significance of formatting the references properly.

7. Write the abstract

You can start writing the abstract only when you complete the manuscript, and don’t forget to consult the guidelines to understand how exactly to format it. Most importantly, adhere to the word limit. When writing the abstract, make sure it has adequate information for readers who only skim through it and makes them feel that the results are useful to them.

8. Prepare the title page

The title page includes the list of authors, so make sure you are aware of what needs to be mentioned herein. 

9. Screening the manuscript

The manuscript must undergo proper screening to avoid rejection, and here are the criteria:

• The question asked does not generate interest.
• The question asked has already been answered.
• Even though the question has never been asked before, the answer makes it more obvious.
• The hypothesis is incorrect, and the methodology here is not enough to answer your question.
• The study lacks substance, and the manuscript fails to answer the question.
• The manuscript is self-contradictory, and the conclusion does not support the entire data. 

10. Rewrite the manuscript

Once you finish writing the manuscript, you need to write it down again. Try to review your work critically and read each line carefully to note down if there are grave mistakes. Sometimes, the absence of a single word may change the meaning of the sentence, so get deep before you prepare to share it with the world. 

11. Circulation of the manuscript

Once you create the content of the manuscript, share it with the co-authors to obtain their approval for submission. The manuscript would go through a couple of rounds of review, and the first author would conduct the final reviews before the submission of the work.

Are you ready to start penning the manuscript? Follow these tips to create your first manuscript, but if you are keen to make a mark and get through the obstacles easily, partner with Decode DNA. We are one of the most renowned scientific writing services to offer assistance to academic researchers struggling with thesis writing.