How to Write an Academic Paper

How to Write a Paper

Introduction

This brief manual gives guidance in writing a paper about your

research. Most of the advice applies equally to your thesis or to

writing a research proposal. The content of the paper reflects the

kind of work you have done: experimental, theoretical,

computational. I have used, as a model, a typical Materials project:

one combining experiment with modeling and computation to

explain some aspect of material behaviour.

Sections 1 to 8 give guidelines for clear writing with brief

examples. The Appendix contains longer examples of effective

and ineffective writing. The manual is prescriptive--it has to be, if it

is to be short. It is designed to help those struggling with their first

paper, or those who have written several but find it difficult. Certain

sections may seem to you to be elementary; they are there

because, to others, they are not. Section 8, on Style, is openended,

the starting point for more exciting things.

How to write a paper, 6th edition MFA, 2 20/02/05

Contents

1 The Design p 3

2 The Market--Who are your readers? p 4

3 The Concept--Making a Concept-sheet p 5

4 Embodiment--The first draft p 9

5 Detail I--Grammar p 16

6 Detail II--Spelling p 20

7 Detail III--Punctuation p 21

8 Detail IV--Style p 26

9 Further Reading p 34

Appendix p 37

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1 THE DESIGN

Well-written papers are read, remembered, cited. Poorly written

papers are not.

To write well, you need a design. Like any design activity, there

are a number of steps (Figure 1). I've used the language of

engineering design here--it fits well.

The Market Need. What is the purpose of the document? Who

will read it? How will the reader use it? The answers help you

decide the length, the level of detail, the style.

The Concept. Good writing starts with a plan. Writers have

different ways of developing plans. I find the concept-sheet

(Section 3, below) is a good way to do it.

Figure 1. The Design Process. Designing a paper is like designing

anything else: there are five essential steps.

The Embodiment. The embodiment is the first draft. Get the facts

down on paper without worrying about style; make drafts of each

section; develop the calculations; sketch the figures; assemble

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references.

Detail. Now comes the crafting: clarity, balance, readability; in a

word --style.

The End-Product. Appearance is important: good layout, clear

headings, well-designed figures.

The Sections that follow expand on each of these in turn.

2 THE MARKET--Who are your readers?

Your market is your readers. Put yourself in their shoes: what, if

you were they, would you wish to find?

The readers of your thesis are your examiners. They expect

details of all relevant parts of your research: why you did it, its

background, your thinking, what you did, your conclusions and

your views on where it is going. They don't want the irrelevant

parts--details of how standard equipment works, for instance. Find

out as much as you can about content and format from your

supervisor and other students, and look at some recent

(successful) theses to get a feel for the product this market

expects.

A paper is read by one or more skilled referees, and, if accepted,

by a scientifically-informed audience. This manual focuses on

writing papers. The pages that follow explain how this market

should be addressed.

A research proposal usually addresses two markets. One is the

funding agency: the EPSRC, the EU, another Government

Agencies, or a Charity. They will look for a match between their

priorities and yours. The other is the referees that the funding

agency will use; they are charged with judging quality, promise

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and relevance.

Hardest to write is a popular article, addressing an audience who

is intelligent--one should always assume that--but who may

know nothing of your subject. Here style, always important, must

be fine-tuned to meet their needs. More on style in Section 8.

Make