On the 5th of May, the biology students at UNIS was introduced on how to write scientific papers by Kit Kovacs from the Norwegian Polar Institute. Kit has, in addition to writing book chapters, reports and popular articles, written over 200 publications, some of them published in journals like Science. During the seminar, Kit touch several themes on how to build an article, from the ideal length of different sections, the correct use of keywords and some classic mistakes to avoid. The students also got to hear about some funny and educational stories about mistakes made in articles that she had read, showing the importance of good grammar and structure in a scientific paper.
5 simple tips on writing a good scientific paper
- Your results are the most important part of your paper, this is where your focus should be
- A figure is worth a thousand words
- Avoid common mistakes like a long introduction
- Read other papers on the topic before writing your own, this will give you an idea about what is already known and what is lacking on the subject
- Avoid repeating yourself! Information found in tables or graphs should be explained, not repeated
Mari Engelstad