My supervisor frequently mentions the following phrase: “Scientific articles are not written in English. It is a different language that you must learn separately”. I only grasped the significance of that remark when I attempted to write my first scientific article.
Despite the fact that conducting scientific research is always thrilling, one thing is certain: scientific writing is difficult to master. Scientific papers are essentially well-presented pieces of information. You’ve been given the challenge of conveying your ideas in a simple, easy-to-understand manner while maintaining high standards. But, how do you go about doing it?
To begin, you must recognize that the sole purpose of conducting research is to educate one another. When you have that mindset, you’ll discover new methods to “communicate” with others more effectively. This endeavour will immediately elevate you to the status of “expert” in your field — a perfect win-win!
On top of that mindset, consider the following recommendations to help you write your perfect scientific essay by avoiding common mistakes in research paper writing. Simply avoiding these mistakes can put you light years ahead of the pack. Let’s get started!
1.Poor organization : one of the most common mistakes in research paper writing
Poor organization is one of the most common mistakes in research paper writing, according to various studies on the subject.
“Even if a scientific report is uninteresting or contains long phrases and big words, if the reader feels the topic is important to him, he can plough through it. But if it’s disorganized, there’s no way someone is willing to go through the text. It’s impossible to make sense of what’s written.”
It’s important to stick to standard formats in general. An abstract; table of contents; summary; introduction; main body (theory, apparatus and methods, findings, and discussions); conclusions and suggestions; nomenclature; references; and appendices, for example, are all included in a general scientific article.
Because you will have a clear sense of the “flow” of the entire text, you can always make suitable adjustments to the structure in the end. However, if you begin without an unconventional framework or no framework at all, your project will fail miserably. So, when you’re working on the first drafts, make sure you have a properly defined framework in mind.
You can use a note taking app to jot down notes and come up with a structure — eliminating these common mistakes in research paper writing.
2.Not clearly understanding your audience.
One of the most common mistakes in research paper writing, that researchers make when they first start is not knowing who would benefit from their work, which is an issue right from the bat. You may write an outstanding essay on your study. Still, if you don’t identify your target audience beforehand, you’ll be in trouble. Never lose sight of your audience. As a result, it’s critical to begin your research endeavour with a deeper grasp of your target audience. Knowing who you want to read your article can help you pick the right journal, come up with a proper title, and be clear about your argument.
Your paper aims to chronicle your results and share them with the rest of your community. It is the exchange of ideas, not the documentation of them, that advances science. Consider your paper to be the initiation or continuation of a dialogue. It’s simpler to remember that you’re speaking to someone else rather than merely preserving your work for posterity by just documenting them.
Also, in your writing, avoid seeming overly intellectual. Despite the fact that your audience is likely to represent the same scientific community, be courteous and clarify acronyms the first time you use them. Don’t get carried away with technical language that’s hard to understand. Consider how well-informed your targeted audience is on the subject. Rather than assuming, it’s always better to clarify.
3.Not having a clear hypothesis or argument.
This is a typical blunder committed by many graduate and undergraduate researchers at the start of their careers. When writing their first scientific article, most of them find they don’t have a well-defined hypothesis. This is a significant component of the list of the most common mistakes in research paper writing.
Authors frequently use this section to discuss the study’s objectives and the problem they are addressing. However, many authors make the error of leaving it up to the reviewer to figure out “why” the problem is significant and challenging.
This is why it is critical to begin writing your first paper as soon as possible. Even if you comprehend it afterwards, having a clear grasp of your study hypothesis as you start your literature review is probably a good idea.
Suppose you discover that you need adequate hypotheses for your study when writing your first paper. In that case, it is usually a better idea to alter your priorities for a bit and focus solely on defining your research hypotheses rather than attempting to write the paper. Yes, indeed! It’s that critical.
4.Writing in a complex language.
This is simply one of the most common mistakes in research paper writing. Anyone who has read detailed reports understands the dangers of “technicalese,” a pretentious, exaggerated language that makes your work look like it was created by a computer or corporation rather than a human. By my definition, “technicalese” is a more sophisticated language than the topics it is used to explain. Technicians and bureaucrats hide behind a mess of incomprehensible memos and reports using jargon, clichés, outdated words, passive sentences, and an excess of adjectives in their works.
It’s tempting to employ technical terms to demonstrate our understanding of a subject. Jargon, clichés, archaic words, and passive sentences, on the other hand, make your work more complicated than it has to be. To counteract this problem, use the active voice to make your writing more direct and dynamic.
For example:
Passive: The metal beams were entirely corroded by the usage of saltwater.
Active: The usage of saltwater entirely corroded the metal beams.
How can you avoid using “technicalese” in your writing? To begin, stay away from jargon. Use a technical phrase only if it clearly explains your purpose. When you minimize jargon, your writing will be understandable to both novices and experienced experts. Make use of contractions. Avoid using cliches and out-of-date language. Write straightforwardly. As much as possible, use the active voice. Always keep in mind that the goal is to spread information to as many people as possible, not to please a limited intellectual elite.
5.Not writing for skim-readers
The title will be read by the majority of individuals who look at your paper. The majority of folks who are interested in the title will read merely the abstract. Many people who go past the abstract will only glance at the figures and figure captions (to get a quick overview of your findings), as well as the final line of the Intro (to understand why you undertook the study) and the last line of the Conclusions or Discussion (to find your take-home message). Your article should make sense to all of these readers. It should not be easily misunderstood by those who aren’t paying attention.
So, in your title, tell as much of the story as concisely as possible, as clearly as possible in your abstract (covering what you did, why, and why the results matter), think carefully about the last line of each section, and try to make the figures tell the story on their own.This way , you will have the opportunity to not only make the content look much nicer but to avoid these types of common mistakes in research paper writing which is a huge advantage.
Yes, I admit it! I also used to write several pages at the start of several chapters BEFORE stating the objectives and what will be accomplished. I eventually got the message when my professors criticized me for not putting the important ideas front and centre on the first or second page of multiple papers. If at all possible, include all of your research objectives in the first two pages of your paper rather than later. This entails writing succinctly. Background information can be more verbose once the objectives are provided, but it should emphasize coherence.
“Show your audience what you’re about to tell them, then tell them, and lastly summarize what you just told them,” one of my lecturers said. It’s indeed easier stated than done. When I was pondering “what to write” between chapter segments, I didn’t understand how effective this statement was until I found myself writing “new” concepts in the paper that hadn’t been presented earlier. This involved going back through earlier portions of the document to see whether any “new” points were added accidentally (“I told the audience more than I initially promised”) or if any information was missing (“I didn’t tell the audience everything as promised”). What are the key takeaways you’re “communicating” to the audience?
Suppose a skim reader can comprehend the general picture by skimming. In that case, there is a far better probability that they will read the entire text.
6.Not understanding what your advisor expects.
While some advisors may just approve your paper, many will insist on reading it and providing feedback before you submit it. If you’re in a large group, your adviser is likely to be preoccupied with a variety of tasks, such as reading the dissertation of a graduate student who is defending next week or planning a week-long trip (Happened to me once!). Many students would not take this as one of the common mistakes in research paper writing, but this would easily be someone’s worst nightmare if they did all the hard work but could not submit the paper on time.
As a response, be respectful and allow enough time. While one professor may be permitted to work on a paper until the very last minute, another may stipulate that a complete draft be submitted a specified amount of time before the due date.
If your advisor prefers to talk about the research before you finish your draft, you should do so. A competent adviser, for example, may assist you in determining what to emphasize, what is innovative and why, what the flow and structure of the paper should be, what to emphasize in the assessment, which earlier work and study you must analyze, and so on. This can result in a far better first draft that just takes little editing than a paper that is not well focused and may require extensive reworking.
Conclusion
These suggestions should help you overcome some of your fears and anxieties about writing and make the process smoother and more productive – eventually, come up with a proper text by eliminating most of the common mistakes in research paper writing.
Finally, bear in mind that success in writing — or any kind of communication — is primarily a question of attitude: if you don’t believe writing is important enough to devote the time and effort necessary to do it well, you won’t. If, on the other hand, you feel writing is essential and want to improve, you will!
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