Manuscript Preparation
How to write an introduction to a research report
How to write an introduction to a research report In this blog, our guest blogger, Professor Emeritus Dolores Takemoto from Kansas State University discusses how to write an introduction. A thorough introduction is a necessary prerequisite for the most effective presentation of your research results. In addition, it optimizes your […]
“Many of our references are published in Chinese. Will this be a problem?”
“Many of our references are published in Chinese. Will this be a problem?” This question was asked in the Q&A session of a recent talk on the topic of scientific publishing presented by International Science Editing in China. In this blog, we look more deeply at this question and discuss why there […]
Tips for writing sentences about science
Tips for writing sentences about science Make your writing clear Say what you mean For example, the sentence The observed changes in the gut microbiota caused inflammation in the mice. suggests direct causation. However, if this was an observational study, the two outcomes were probably observed to occur together, but […]
Verb tenses in scientific manuscripts
Verb tenses in scientific manuscripts A key aspect of producing a well-written scientific manuscript worthy of publication is the use of appropriate verb tenses in the different sections of the manuscript. In this infographic, we discuss when, where, and how to use the different verb tenses. The infographic contains the […]
Effective scientific writing – Tips to help you write better research papers
Effective scientific writing – Tips to help you write better research papers In this infographic, we provide some useful tips to help you write better research papers. The infographic contains the following text: Title Keep the title as concise yet informative as possible (typically 10-20 words). Be specific rather than […]
How to prevent plagiarism
How to prevent plagiarism In this blog, our guest blogger, Professor Emeritus Dolores Takemoto from Kansas State University discusses plagiarism in scientific documents: what it is, what the penalties are (even if unintentional), and how to avoid it. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines plagiarism as “to steal and pass off (the ideas or […]
Your email address, and why it matters
Your email address, and why it matters Always use your institutional (academic) email address on your cover letter, and when contacting the Editor. Why does this matter? Editors have become suspicious of authors who use personal email addresses because of recent scandals with bogus submissions; see, for example, this article […]
How can I create a good impression with my cover letter?
How can I create a good impression with my cover letter? The cover letter seems very impersonal, how can I make it more impressive so that the Editor will treat my submission favorably? The review of your article will be based on your research and how it is presented in […]
How to write an effective abstract
How to write an effective abstract An abstract is a short but fully-contained summary of a study. Its purpose is to entice readers into wanting to read the full paper. This poses a challenge, given the ever increasing volume of documents and texts. As such, an effective abstract is key […]
Active versus passive voice in scientific writing
Active versus passive voice in scientific writing The active voice promotes simple, straightforward writing. As such, most scientific journals encourage the use of the active voice over the passive voice [1]. Active voice – the subject acts. Passive voice – the subject is acted upon. You will use a variety of tenses when […]