Helder Oliveira
Guidelines for writing clear and effective scientific papers
1. Write Clearly and Concisely
Scientific writing should be clear, precise, and objective. Avoid unnecessary words
and overly complex sentences.
Weak:
Many very good results were obtained in our experiments.
Better:
The proposed algorithm reduced blocking probability by 35%.
2. Avoid Long Sentences
Long sentences make scientific texts difficult to read. Prefer short and direct sentences.
Weak:
In this paper we propose a method that is able to improve the performance of
communication networks and reduce several problems discussed in the literature.
Better:
This paper proposes a method to improve network performance.
3. Prefer Active Voice
Active voice usually makes sentences clearer and easier to understand.
Passive voice:
The experiments were conducted by the authors.
Active voice:
We conducted the experiments.
4. One Idea per Paragraph
Each paragraph should present a single main idea. A typical paragraph structure is:
- Topic sentence (main idea)
- Explanation
- Evidence or example
5. Support Claims with Evidence
Statements in scientific papers should be supported by experimental results,
references, or analytical arguments.
Weak:
Our algorithm performs better than existing approaches.
Better:
Our algorithm reduces blocking probability by 28% compared to the baseline method.
6. Use Figures and Tables
Figures and tables help communicate results clearly and efficiently.
- Use graphs to present experimental results
- Use tables to compare algorithms
- Always explain figures in the text
7. Avoid Common Writing Problems
- Using vague words (good, very, many)
- Writing overly long paragraphs
- Repeating the same idea several times
- Not citing related work
- Poor grammar or unclear sentences
8. Useful Academic Expressions
Common expressions used in scientific papers:
Introducing the topic
- Recently, there has been growing interest in...
- Several studies have investigated...
Describing contributions
- This paper proposes...
- The main contribution of this work is...
Discussing results
- The results indicate that...
- The proposed method outperforms...
9. Review Before Submission
Before submitting a paper, perform several revisions.
- Check grammar and spelling
- Verify references and citations
- Ensure figures are properly labeled
- Confirm the paper follows the conference/journal guidelines
10. Final Advice
Good scientific writing is a skill that improves with practice. Reading
high-quality papers and writing frequently are the best ways to improve.
11. Recommended Resources
Improving scientific writing is a continuous process. In addition to the
guidelines presented on this page, the following resource is highly
recommended for students who want to further improve their academic writing.
