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How to produce a first-class paper that will get published, stand out from the crowd and pull in plenty of readers.
Manuscripts may have a rigidly defined structure, but there's still room to tell a compelling story - one that clearly communicates the science and is a pleasure to read. Scientist-authors and editors debate the importance and meaning of creativity and offer tips on how to write a top paper.
ANGEL BORJA
Keep your message clear
Marine scientist at AZTI-Tecnalia, a producer of sustainable business services and goods, Pasaia, Spain; journal editor; author of a series on preparing a manuscript (go.nature. com/2gu4hp9).
Think about the message you want to give to readers. If that is not clear, misinterpretations may arise later. And a clear message is even more important when there is a multidisciplinary group of authors, which is increasingly common. I encourage groups to sit together in person and seek consensus - not only in the main message, but also in the selection of data, the visual presentation and the information necessary to transmit a strong message.
The most important information should be in the main text. To avoid distraction, writers should put additional data in the supplementary material.
Countless manuscripts are rejected because the discussion section is so weak that it's obvious the writer does not clearly understand the existing literature. Writers should put their results into a global context to demonstrate what makes those results significant or original.
There is a narrow line between speculation and evidence-based conclusions. A writer can speculate in the discussion - but not too much. When the discussion is all speculation, it's no good because it is not rooted in the author's experience. In the conclusion, include a one- or two-sentence statement on the research you plan to do in the future and on what else needs to be explored.
DALLAS MURPHY
State your case with confidence
Book author, New York City; instructor, writing workshops for scientists in Germany, Norway and the United States.
Clarity is the sole obligation of the science writer, yet I find constantly that the 'What's new' element is buried. Answering one central question - What did you do? - is the key to finding the structure of a piece. Every section...