Structural levels in the manuscript

4.4.2.Sentences

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  Avoid repetition of the same word or root in the same sentence.
  
• 
  Check your grammar with the computer.
  
• 
  Avoid needlessly complex sentences. Break your complex thought into a logical easily understandable sequence of simpler thoughts. This rule is particularly important for foreign speakers, since many languages allow construction of much longer sentences than English allows.
  
• 
  Avoid ambiguity in pronouns. The most frequent mistake in this class is to start a sentence with “it,” or “this” without making clear which noun or concept in the previous sentence this particular pronoun is referring to.
  
• 
  Learn the rules for placing commas. Commas are important for defining structure of sentences, avoiding ambiguity in lists, and providing little stops for the reader, to make the sentence easier to digest. go deeper into commas or refer to a specific source
  
• 
  Avoid blanket introductory statements, and overstatements such as “everyone knows that…,” “it is obvious…,”
  
• 
  Use active voice when possible. However, in many cases, placing proper emphasis on the subject of discussion requires passive voice. In those cases, use passive voice even if the software grammar check suggests otherwise.
  

4.4.3.Paragraphs

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  Proper paragraph construction.
  
• 
  Vary the length and structure of sentences in a paragraph.
  
• 
  Avoid annoying the reader by using unfamiliar analogies. One such example is a professor explaining something to a group of foreign graduate students using extensive and complex analogies with baseball. Since baseball is hardly known outside of the USA, these analogies not only would be misunderstood, but also would readily annoy the audience.
  
• 
  Be specific with your statements and examples, especially when establishing framework of your discussion.
  

4.4.4.Sections

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  Use a meaningful sequence of sections
  
• 
  Use analogies (judiciously) to emphasize the significance of a certain number, to clarify the idea, and to make your writing more memorable.
  

4.4.5.Papers

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  What do you want to achieve with this paper?
  

4.5.General advice

Find out who are the best writers in your field, pick two or three, and try to emulate their style in your writing. Conversely, simply because some papers are poorly written is not a reason for you write poorly as well.

General rules to remember.

Below is a list of general rules to remember. For most people, mastering these rules requires taking classes and/or reading books and articles on the subject [1,3].

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  Provide transition between paragraphs and between sections.
  
• 
  Make sure that each paragraph and section has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
  
• 
  Check your sources. If you reference open literature, make sure to give proper credit to the original source.
  
• 
  Be aware of confidential information. You may have to work with unfinished patents, classified reports, internal memos, and other sources of information that are not appropriate for open literature. Make sure that you are not accidentally releasing information that your colleagues do not wish to be released.
  

4.5.1.How to write a cover letter

MTRM

4.5.2.How to deal with reviews

Peer-reviewed papers hardly ever are accepted without some changes requested and some questions posed by the reviewers. Disagreement between the author and the reviewer is extremely common. The authors should not expect that reviewers would always do a perfect job. The reviews are often conducted in a rush, superficially, and by non-experts in the field. In case of disagreement, sometimes the reviewer is right, sometimes the author is right, but the most frequent scenario is that both sides are missing part of the argument. It helps greatly if the author strives to understand the origin of reviewers comment, rather than taking all comments literally. For example, a clearer introduction or a proper restatement of experimental results may be needed to address a negative comment about conclusions. You do not have to agree with the reviewers, but you should address each of their points in your rebuttal letter, stating either your changes or the reason why you feel that a change is not needed.

Recommended additional reading: [3].

4.6.Language

Naturally, most students do not have adequate writing skills when they embark upon scientific research. The most outstanding typical deficiencies are different for different groups of students:

Domestic graduate students: colloquial writing.

Foreign graduate students: grammatical errors, stylistic errors.

Domestic undergraduate students: lack of subject understanding, lack of structure.

Foreign undergraduate students: grammatical errors and lack of subject understanding.

Self-help literature, classes, and consultations are available at the University of Washington. Start with The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and, E.B. White, then receive feedback on your first write-up and identify the ways you can improve your writing. The more serious your scientific output is, the more significant are your technical writing skills.

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