How To Write Professional Biological Research Papers

How To Write Professional Biological Research Papers
Senior researchers, instructors and students working in the biological sciences produce written documents of many different kinds for a wide variety of purposes. Scientific books, articles, theses, dissertations, laboratory reports, grant proposals and course assignments may differ considerably in content, but the success of each and every one of these documents depends on two qualities: clear and excellent writing that communicates facts and ideas with sophistication, and carefully designed formatting that effectively enhances readers’ comprehension of complex information.

Large amounts of complex information are, after all, standard fare in writing within the biological sciences. Complicated and perhaps innovative or even groundbreaking methods and results must be described with clarity and precision. Numerical and other data must be reported and explained in accurate and, if possible, engaging ways. Tables and figures must present such data in visually effective forms that increase the understanding of readers, a goal that requires insightful design and appropriate labelling. Specialised and discipline-specific terminology as well as abbreviations of all kinds must be clearly defined when first introduced and then used thoughtfully and consistently throughout a document. Citations of previous research in a subject area are usually required to some degree, and such research must be represented accurately and accompanied by complete references in the correct style. In addition, scientific documents need to meet the scholarly standards observed in all successful academic writing. The language used must be clear and correct, without errors and inconsistencies in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Keep in mind that errors and inconsistencies can confuse and even mislead readers, resulting in the misrepresentation of your research and results.

Special care must therefore always be applied when reporting research in the biological sciences, yet it can be notoriously difficult to write with precision, perfect grammar and elegance when so much complex and interrelated material is involved, and this can be the case even when an author is as conscientious as humanly possible. Errors and ambiguities, especially the tiny ones that are difficult to spot, tend to creep into such writing all too easily, so exacting proofreading and editing are always necessary to catch and correct them. Each author should of course proofread, correct and improve his or her own writing and do so more than once if possible, but deep familiarity with a topic along with knowledge of exactly what you intended to say can, paradoxically, make it extremely difficult to recognise when your text is not achieving the level of clarity, precision and consistency required.

It is therefore wise to have a colleague or mentor who works in your field or subject area and has already successfully published his or her writing look over your document and offer constructive criticism. In most cases, a colleague’s or mentor’s input will be very helpful indeed for matters of content and argument, but when it comes to language, formatting and following publisher guidelines, a professional scientific proofreader who specialises in your discipline will probably prove most effective, especially if you are relatively inexperienced at scholarly writing or are writing in a language that is not your native tongue.