Jason Brown, Adare Pharma Solutions, Inc.
Kim Huynh-Ba, Pharmalytik LLC
In academic and industrial careers, technical papers serve as a cornerstone for communicating research findings, innovative ideas, and advancement in various fields inside and outside of your organization. Crafting a compelling technical paper requires more than just subject matter expertise. It demands meticulous planning, organization, and clarity of expression. Most scientists struggle to put pen to paper, clarifying their hypotheses and findings in a manner worthy of their learning. Here are five crucial tips to guide you through the process.
Have a clear concept and target audience
Before diving into the writing process, ensure you have a clear understanding of your concept and research topic. Define your objectives, scope, and the key message that you want to convey through your paper.
Central to this is identifying the target audience, whether it is fellow researchers, professionals in your field, or a broader audience. Executives, regulatory agencies, and peers each require different levels of detail and breadth of scope.
Tailoring your language and content to suit the current understanding and interests of your audience enhances the impact and readability of your paper. It is important to show the work done, the methodology, the experiment design, and the solution in the main body of the paper.
Have a plan and organize your points
A well-structured paper is easy to comprehend and follow. It is helpful to outline the main sections and subsections of your paper, including an introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. What is the intent of the paper? It is recommended that the objective is well defined in the introduction. What will your audience expect to see and learn in each section? Your organization may have prior knowledge worth acknowledging as opposed to restating or may have particular norms that should be followed.
Within each section, organize your points logically, presenting them in a coherent and logical order. It is helpful to use headings or subheadings to delineate different sections and provide a roadmap for readers to navigate. A review of literature is also important and can add more value to your paper. It is helpful to put references in standard format at the end of the paper and ensure all links are valid, as needed. Footnotes are not commonly used in recent publications. A clear and logical structure will facilitate understanding and reflect positively on the credibility of your work.
Put aside time and commitment
Writing a technical paper is a time-consuming process that requires dedication and persistence. Set aside dedicated time in your schedule for research, writing, and revising. Establishing a consistent writing routine can help maintain momentum and prevent procrastination.
Making small milestones and allocating sufficient time to each stage of the writing process, including gathering literature, collecting data, drafting the paper, getting the paper reviewed, revising, and finalizing the paper. The more you write, the better your writing will be. Prepare your writing sessions and limit interruptions from others and yourself. Excellence in technical writing often stems from a combination of effort and perseverance.
Brainstorm and Writing
Effective technical writing begins with thorough research and brainstorming. Gathering related literature and relevant research in your field to contextualize your work. Identify the gaps or areas for exploration. It is also important to brainstorm ideas, arguments, and supporting evidence to substantiate your claims. Peers and those less familiar with the subject may be invaluable in defining the breadth and depth of your paper. Additionally, they give voice to questions that must be answered by the target audience.
Presenting data is also an important task. Data should be collected and presented with a purpose in mind, what question does the data answer? They can be in a tabular format or graph. At times, it may be better to have many smaller, more focused tables than a large, cluttered one. Each table or figure should be addressed in the text and thoroughly explained. More data are not necessarily better if they are not well displayed, explained, and within scope.
When writing, strive for clarity, precision, and conciseness. Avoid unnecessary jargon and abbreviations. Present complex ideas in a straightforward manner with appropriate terminology. Your audience is not as familiar with the subject as you are. Terminology and thoughts that may seem commonplace may be foreign to the reader. Many technical papers are of interest to a global audience, thus short and clear sentences would be preferred over long and complicated sentences.
Data should support the objectives and scope of the paper; thus, the writing should be organized coherently and lead to the conclusion or a call to action. Table 1 lists different sections to be included in a technical paper. Keep in mind that technical paper should be concise with supporting data yet avoid redundancy to confuse the intent.
In academic and industrial careers, technical papers serve as a cornerstone for communicating research findings, innovative ideas, and advancement in various fields inside and outside of your organization. Crafting a compelling technical paper requires more than just subject matter expertise. It demands meticulous planning, organization, and clarity of expression. Most scientists struggle to put pen to paper, clarifying their hypotheses and findings in a manner worthy of their learning. Here are five crucial tips to guide you through the process.
Table 1 – Different sections to be included in a technical paper.
Editing, revising, and publishing
The final stage of writing a technical paper involves editing, revising, and preparing the manuscript for publication. Review your paper meticulously for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Plagiarism must also be checked, and your sources must be appropriately referenced and cited.
It is also helpful to get reviews and feedback from your peers, mentors, or colleagues to gain valuable insights and perspectives on the paper. Once comments are received, revise your paper accordingly, and address any comments or areas for improvement. However, not all feedback has to be followed, the paper must retain your voice and your conclusions.
Finally, pay attention to the required format, size, referencing style, and citation accuracy requested from the journal or organization to whom you are interested in submitting. Standard style guide for technical papers such as APA or ACS can be used.
Conclusion
In summary, authoring a technical paper requires careful planning, attention to detail, and commitment. Following these 5 tips will help to communicate your research findings and contribute to the scientific community.
References
1. M. Palumbo, How to Write a Technical Paper, Railwaysignalling.eu, July 2013. Accessed on 03/17/2024.
2. A. Muller, Ways to Write a Good Technical Paper – 2024 guide, Weirdworm, January 18, 2021. Accessed on 03/17/2024.