Writing a Manuscript

Research is complete only when the results are shared with the scientific community. Although such sharing is accomplished in various ways, both formal and informal; the traditional medium of communicating research results is the scientific journal.

The scientific journal is the repository of the accumulated knowledge of a field. In the literature are distilled the success and failures, the information, and the perspectives contributed by many investigators over many years. Familiarity with the literature allows an individual investigator to avoid needlessly repeating work that has been done before, to build on existing work, and in turn to contribute something new. A literature built of meticulously prepared, carefully reviewed contributions thus fosters the growth of a field.

Although writing for publication is sometime tedious, the rewards of publication are many for the writer, the reader, and the science. The writing process initially requires a thorough review and evaluation of previous work in the literature, which helps acquaint one with the field as a whole and establishes whether one’s idea is truly new and significant. Authors beginning the writing process will find that there is no better way to clarify and organize their ideas than by trying to explain them to someone else. Thus, the content and the organization of a scientific manuscript reflect the logical thinking in scientific investigation and the preparation of a manuscript for journal publication is an integral part of the individual research effort.

Just as each investigator benefits from the publication process, so the body of scientific literature depends on its vitality on active participation of individual investigators. Authors of individual scientific articles contribute most to the literature when they communicate clearly and concisely.

The blog will further discuss several considerations authors should weigh before writing for publication-considerations both about their own research and about the scientific publishing tradition in which they are to take part. Stay posted to get more information.

Source: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition