How to Write a Good Scientific Manuscript for Publication
Writing a scientific publication entails methodical documentation and communication of research findings to the scientific community. A well-written manuscript presents a clear, concise, and thorough overview of your research, including its context, methodology, findings, and significance. A scientific manuscript’s essential sections are typically the abstract, introduction, material and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. Each part serves a distinct purpose and must be written with care and clarity to effectively communicate your study.
Abstract
The abstract is a summary of your entire manuscript, providing a snapshot of your research objectives, methodology, key findings, and conclusions. It should be concise yet comprehensive enough to give readers a quick overview of your study. Key components include: Background, which briefly introduces the context or motivation for your research; Objectives, where you state the main objectives or hypotheses of your study; Methods, summarizing the key methodologies or experimental approaches used; Results, highlighting the most significant findings; and Conclusion, providing a brief conclusion or implication of your findings.
Introduction
The introduction sets the stage for your research by providing background information, stating the research problem, and outlining the objectives and significance of your study. Key components include: background information, which provides a brief review of relevant literature to contextualize your research; problem statement, where you clearly articulate the research problem or gap in knowledge that your study addresses; objectives, stating the specific aims or hypotheses of your research; and significance, explaining the importance and potential impact of your study.
Materials and Methods
The materials and methods section provides a detailed account of the experimental design, procedures, and techniques used in your study, allowing other researchers to replicate your work. Key components include: study design, describing the overall design and approach of your study; materials, listing all materials, including plant samples, chemicals, and equipment used; methods, providing a step-by-step description of the experimental procedures, including any specific techniques or protocols followed; and data analysis, explaining the methods used for data analysis, including any statistical tests performed.
Results
The results section provides details of data achieved through employed analyses and experiments. Observed data is displayed in the form of graphs, figures and tables. A simple explanation of the information presented in the visuals is the main objective of this section. Text can be divided into further headings and subheadings for ease and clarity. In the beginning, why and how was a specific experiment conducted to address which question? can be mentioned in a sentence. In the middle, important results are translated into text form to provide an easy understanding for the reader. It is important to keep in mind that detailed methodology should not be added to results. Lastly, a one-sentence summary of the results will enable readers to ensure they understand the right meaning of your data. It is also important to note that experiment results are just stated in this section and their interpretation should be avoided.
Discussion
The discussion section allows delving further into the importance, relevance and general meaning of your research. Here results are reiterated in the context of a research problem and here major findings are summarized. Major findings can be further contextualized with the previous research, along any pattern or relationship observed can also be discussed. What are the major implications of your research? Whether the outcomes of experiments were according to expectations? If not, why do the results show inconsistency with previously published articles? can also be discussed in detail. In other words, the discussion section provides an opportunity to provide a broader picture of research and conclusion. Acknowledging the limitations of the study is also equally as important as addressing the validity of results. Outstanding questions and concrete ideas for future research should also be included in the discussion section.
Conclusion
Writing a conclusion can be tricky, as authors sometimes tend to simplify and rewrite their abstracts. When writing a conclusion, include a sentence that reinstates the major discoveries from your experiment to remind the readers. Tying similar results together to present a final answer is a good strategy for a solid conclusion. A conclusion should encourage a call to action and prompt readers to think further about the topic. Consider the implications of your research and how it should be utilized by relevant stakeholders. A conclusion should not introduce new information that has not been discussed in the body of the text.
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About the Authors
Asif Ali is currently working as a Young Talent Researcher in Prof. Xianjun Wu’s Lab at Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China, and a 2024 Plantae Fellow. Asif is passionate about teaching molecular biology, omics data interpretation and science communication through his YouTube tutorials. You can find him on X: @pbgasifkalas.
Tuyelee Das is a PhD student in the Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata, India, and a 2024 Plantae Fellow. She specializes in investigating the molecular mechanisms that govern plant growth in model organisms.Her scientific interests include plant secondary metabolites and medicinal plants. Her goal is to channel traditional medicinal plant knowledge into a scientific research framework. You can find her on X: @das_tuyelee.
