A guide to writing scientific-journal-style manuscripts, with examples, instructions, and tips.
Written by Dr. Alex Bajcz, Quantitative Ecologist for the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center at the University of Minnesota
Welcome fellow science writers!
On this site, you'll find a series of guides covering at least most of the process of writing a scientific manuscript, based on the system I myself use to write manuscripts. To navigate it, use the links found at the top of the page. I put together this guide because it is the one I wish I'd had, when I was a graduate student, so that is its target audience (especially Masters students who have not previously written a scientific journal article or thesis before). However, I am hopeful that even seasoned science writers will find something of value here as well. If nothing else, it may give you an alternative lens through which to view the science-writing process!
If you find this guide helpful, links to some of my other guides are as follows:
There's also a video on that same topic on MAISRC's YouTube channel.
Here's a guide describing the most common types of graphs and how to pick the right one.
Finally, a disclaimer: I am a regular user of ChatGPT. I used it to consider and critique many of the contents of this site; however, the organization, words, and central ideas herein are all entirely my own.
