The moment has arrived, and you are opening a document to write the manuscript explaining your amazing work! As you look at an empty page, an important question comes up, “how do I actually write a manuscript?!”
Some labs have their unique ways of writing manuscripts, but many of us start writing our first manuscript with very little guidance. Your approach will evolve as you continue writing manuscripts, but having a starting point is very helpful in making the process less daunting.
As an example, I will explain how I approach my manuscript writing process. I find it incredibly important to break down writing a manuscript into small and manageable tasks. Small tasks are much easier to complete, rather than one large task, which can be very overwhelming for many, myself included.
I break down the manuscript writing process into three main steps: prepping, writing the first draft, and revising.
This may be controversial, but I believe that you should spend most of your time prepping for writing a manuscript. During this time, I collect and organize my data and information, write an outline, and determine the main ideas of my manuscript. I then sit down and write my first draft. Writing a first draft should be the shortest step of the process as you are simply converting the outline into a manuscript. This draft will be your worst draft, which is why you will need to spend a good portion of your time revising it!
Prepping
During the prepping stage, I make my figures ensuring that they present all the relevant data in a clear, concise, and detailed manner. As I collect data, I keep track of what data will be included in my manuscript and keep it all organized in one document or folder. Your figures should be standalone from your manuscript, and the reader should be able to understand the main points of your manuscript using just the figures. It’s usually best to present similar data types together as this is both aesthetically pleasing and an effective way to present related data. Once the figures are finished, I get started on writing an outline. An outline contains the main points and take-home messages of the manuscript. I like to begin by writing down the question I was asking (my hypothesis) and then stating how my data has (or has not) answered the question. Finally, I end the outline by mentioning the broad impacts of the results. Typically, the sections I include in the outline are: introduction, results, discussion, methods. I start by using the figures as a guide for how I will address key points in the results and discussion sections. Then, I will address the introduction and methods sections. I typically only include one sentence per each paragraph that I plan on writing. I prefer to include my references in this stage and incorporate them as a write.
Writing the First Draft
Once the prepping stage is complete, I begin writing the first draft. This draft will be terrible, but that’s the point of the first draft! It is simply the process of getting all the key information on the page. In fact, I think this step should take the least amount of time in your writing process.
Each main point written in the outline is expanded into a full paragraph. I begin by writing the results section (whether the journal requires it or not), guided by the figures. Next, I write the introduction, which I imagine to be in the shape of a funnel. The introduction section should start off with a broad description and end with specifics of your project and the question you will answer in the manuscript. I then work on my discussion section, which relies on the introduction and the results sections. In my mind, the discussion is an inverted funnel: start by answering the question you asked in the introduction and end the section by explaining the broad impacts this work has on the field. The last sections I write are usually the methods and abstract. The methods could also be the first section completed since it is a standalone section. The abstract relies on multiple sections in your manuscript and can be quickly and easily written by pulling key ideas from the introduction, results, and discussion sections.
Revising
The third and final task is revision! How you go about this can vary greatly. I prefer to edit the first draft a few days after I had completed writing it. This allows me to separate myself from the work and make effective changes since it is no longer fresh in my mind. I ensure that each paragraph has a main point and that the structure of the manuscript flows together in a logical manner. I will usually get insights and input from fellow colleagues or mentors (InPrint can help here too!). Finally, once I am on draft 5 (or 10 or 20 or 100…), and am happy with the main aspects of the manuscript, I will go through and make sure there are no spelling issues, grammar issues, etc.
Now you are ready for submission! Good luck!
(Many thanks to Ian and Alex for your suggestions and edits!)