writing scientific manuscripts

an advice on how to write a scientific manuscript. I like it very much.


Rule 1:
Write the conclusions to your paper. Even a large paper or thesis chapter will not have more than five or six substantial conclusions. Each conclusion must be succinct, and occupy one sentence and less than two lines. The conclusions as written here will not enter into the final work so they do not need modifiers such as “however” and “that is.”

Rule 2:
Write only the results necessary to make the conclusions you presented.

Rule 3:
Write only the methods necessary to understand how these results were obtained.

Rule 4:
Write the discussion, which should present only additional information (e.g., literature) that modifies, extends, confirms, or contradicts the conclusions based on your results.

Rule 5:
Write the introduction, which will have only the minimum information necessary to present the questions to which the conclusions are the answers.

When you have this, the story is told.


Excerpted from “How To Write Backwards”
By William E. Magnusson