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.
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 Trials | CONSORT | Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials | https://www.consort-spirit.org/ |
| Clinical Trial Protocols | SPIRIT | Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials | https://www.consort-spirit.org/ |
| Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses | PRISMA | Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses | https://www.prisma-statement.org/ |
| Meta-Analyses of Observational Studies | MOOSE | Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology | https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.283.15.2008 |
| Observational Studies | STROBE | STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology | https://www.strobe-statement.org/ |
| Case Reports | CARE | Case Reports | https://www.care-statement.org/ |
| Qualitative Research | COREQ | Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17872937/ |
| Qualitative Research | RATS | Qualitative Research Review Guidelines | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/suppl/2012/01/12/bmjopen-2011-000138.DC… |
| Nonrandomized Interventions | TREND | Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs | https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.94.3.361 |
| Animal Research | ARRIVE | Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments | https://arriveguidelines.org/ |
| Diagnostic Accuracy Studies | STARD | Standard for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28137831/ |
| Microarray Studies | MIAME | Minimum Information About a Microarray Experiment | https://www.nature.com/articles/ng1201-365 |
| Tumor Marker Studies | REMARK | REporting Recommendations for Tumor MARKer Prognostic Studies | https://www.nature.com/articles/6602678 |
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.
Additional Resources
Explore related guides, tools, and resources.
Scientific Writing and Publication
- How to Write a Scientific Paper
- Finding your Scientific Story
- Word Usage in Scientific Writing
- Authorship and Contributor Guidance
- Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers (UA NetID Access) (Purchase)