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Scientific Writing 
Effective Writing Skills

Scientific writing communicates research findings clearly, accurately, and professionally. The resources below support researchers at every stage of manuscript development, from planning and drafting to publication.

Best Practices

  • Use clear and concise language. 
  • Maintain an objective and professional tone. 
  • Use active voice when appropriate. 
  • Follow journal-specific formatting instructions. 
  • Apply appropriate citation and reporting standards.

Scientific Writing for Health Research

Free, open-access educational resource that provides step-by-step guidance for writing scientific manuscripts in the IMRaD format, with a focus on epidemiology and health research. It also introduces practical tools and best practices for collaborative writing, reproducible research, and preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Scientific Writing - Accordion

Scientific Manuscript Structure 
Most scientific manuscripts follow the IMRAD format:

Create a concise title that accurately reflects the study topic or primary finding.

Summarize the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions of the study.

Provide background information, identify the knowledge gap, and state the research question and hypothesis.

Describe study design, procedures, materials, and analytical approaches in sufficient detail for replication.

Present findings objectively using text, tables, and figures.

Interpret findings, compare results with prior research, discuss limitations, and identify future directions.

Cite all sources according to the target journal's requirements.

Key Formatting Rules

Write in the third person and use the active voice where appropriate to keep sentences direct (e.g., "We measured..." instead of "Measurements were taken...").

Use the past tense to describe completed experiments and methods (e.g., "The samples were incubated..."). Use the present tense for established facts and general truths.

Keep it concise, precise, and objective. Avoid jargon, emotional language, and colloquialisms.

Enclose all variables and mathematical expressions for statistical values rather than spelling them out.

Submission Strategy 
Before writing, always read the "Instructions for Authors" on your target journal's website, as formatting requirements (like word counts and reference styles) vary widely. For a comprehensive guide on style conventions, refer to the UA Library How to Cite Guide.

Support Services 

Graduate Writing Lab 

Access workshops and educational resources focused on scholarly writing and communication.

Writing Consultations 

Graduate Writing Consultants provide free one-on-one support for writing projects at any stage of development. 

Reporting Guidelines - EQUATOR Network

Selecting the appropriate reporting guideline helps improve transparency, reproducibility, and scientific rigor. Common reporting standards include:

Study Type
Guideline Acronym
Guideline Name
Link
Randomized Clinical TrialsCONSORTConsolidated Standards of Reporting Trialshttps://www.consort-spirit.org/
Clinical Trial ProtocolsSPIRITStandard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trialshttps://www.consort-spirit.org/
Systematic Reviews & Meta-AnalysesPRISMAPreferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyseshttps://www.prisma-statement.org/
Meta-Analyses of Observational StudiesMOOSEMeta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiologyhttps://doi.org/10.1001/jama.283.15.2008
Observational StudiesSTROBESTrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiologyhttps://www.strobe-statement.org/
Case ReportsCARECase Reportshttps://www.care-statement.org/
Qualitative ResearchCOREQConsolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Researchhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17872937/
Qualitative ResearchRATSQualitative Research Review Guidelineshttps://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/suppl/2012/01/12/bmjopen-2011-000138.DC…
Nonrandomized InterventionsTRENDTransparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designshttps://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.94.3.361
Animal ResearchARRIVEAnimal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experimentshttps://arriveguidelines.org/
Diagnostic Accuracy StudiesSTARDStandard for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28137831/
Microarray StudiesMIAMEMinimum Information About a Microarray Experimenthttps://www.nature.com/articles/ng1201-365
Tumor Marker StudiesREMARKREporting Recommendations for Tumor MARKer Prognostic Studieshttps://www.nature.com/articles/6602678

 

 

 

A Brief Introduction to EndNote

Victoria Caine, MLIS 
Health Sciences Librarian


Introduction to Zotero Video
A video tutorial on using Zotero is available in the Master Level: Scholarly Writing & Publication module. Visit the Modules page to access this resource.

 

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