Cheat Sheet For Writing A Scientific Manuscript (Page 2 of 2) in pdf

Style and Grammar in the manuscript

Write short and descriptive sentences.

Never hide the subject of your sentence and stick to subject-predicate-object sentences whenever

possible. Use precise language and avoid vague terms.

Bad: To be able to compare the capabilities of the VMI to measure the electron spectra of high kinetic

energy particles, a simulation of the ionization of Xenon with a photon energy of 1200 eV is done.

Better: A simulation modeled the energy resolution of our VMI under realistic experimental

conditions. We simulated the ionization of xenon with 1200 eV photons.

Use the active tense

To compare the capabilities of the spectrometer, a simulation is done. --> A simulation modeled the

capabilities of the spectrometer.

Remove unnecessary words and qualifiers

Much better to be able to describe the fundamental importance in a brief summary.

Stay positive, avoid negation

Apart from fluoride, CTTS states are not accessible. --> CTTS states are only accessible in fluorides.

We show that also for fluoride, the excitation of the CTTS state does not play a role.

--> We show that excitation of the CTTS state is negligible even for fluorides.

Do not give opinions

The reader will not care what you can see in you data, whether you believe in a result, or what you

think about the problem at hand. Use arguments, reasoning and evidence to persuade the reader.

Be precise, be specific

spectrometer capability --> energy resolution of the spectrometer.

High-energy radiation interacts with large molecules. --> 860 keV photons ionize 60 MDa proteins.

Stay scientific

Separate experimental observations (facts) from the interpretation (fiction). Be aware, that many

models can explain the same observation. Decompose your scientific question into Yes/No options.

Can your results answer those questions? A definite answer to a small question may be worth more

than a vague answer to a big question. (The big questions belong into the Introduction and into your

proposal!)

Check your subjects and verbs

Make sure the verb stands in proper relation to the Subject (singular/plural, context).

Repeller and extractor needs to be biased. (Two subjects); To shorten the flight tube enhances the

spectrometer. --> A shorter flight tube enhances the spectrometer. (Missing subject)

Put in the commas

Comma rules:

(Capital Community College);

(Purdue U.).

Put a comma after: However, ... (Introductory word); As last step, ... (Introductory element);

Compared to the Parker VMI, ... (Introductory clause).

Use Dictionaries and Spellcheckers

Dictionaries

(English),

(English-German)

Cheat Sheet For Writing A Scientific Manuscript Page 2