A Space Odyssey: Tips and Tricks for Science Writers to Avoid Disaster

By Kim Davey and Karen Albright

“I’ve just picked up a fault in the AE35 unit. It’s going to go 100% failure in 72 hours.”

- Hal from 2001: Space Odyssey

(Photo Credit: Nasa on the Commons- Flickr)

Granted, 2001 Space Odyssey is science fiction, but as a science/research writer, do you sometimes find yourself on a crash course with a writing disaster? Perhaps you received feedback that identifies a number of ‘'faults" in your writing. Or, you have 72 hours to meet a submission deadline and feel that failure is eminent. Or, you are exploring territory that no one has ever mapped before.

The point is: Scientific writing can feel like a space odyssey. Especially to aspiring scholars. Luckily, we were able to avoid a collision on recent projects and would like to provide a few tips and tricks to help you do likewise on your next manuscript mission. These insights are based on our combined professional experience, our teamwork in an online research writing course, GRD 728, from the UAB Graduate School's Professional Development Program (PDP), and recommendations from R. Day and B. Gastel (2011) in their book How to Write and Publish Scientific Paper.

Tip 1: Create a flight plan - or manuscript outline.

• Trick 1: Create an outline of the points that you want to address in your manuscript, including issues of title, authorship, journal selection, or analyses. Ideally, the outline will include table shells and figure legends that will appear in the manuscript. It will also incorporate "writer's math" writer's math" to ensure that you don't overwrite or underwrite, based on the maximum word limit your journal allows for your article type. 

Tip 2: Identify and consult with your co-captain and flight crew.

• Trick 2: Identify a mentor or trusted colleague on your research team. Ideally, s/he will be close to your level of experience. Begin the conversation by sharing your outline with him/her. Ask if s/he would be willing to review your outline (which is something they can do quickly if it is a high-level skeletal document, 1-2 pages, with bullet points on each paragraph topic.) For more on strategic outlining, see our companion wiki resource, WritingIntheZone.

Tip 3: Review your flight plan – or manuscript outline.

• Trick 3: Meet with your mentor or colleague to discuss your outline. Listen carefully to the feedback you receive concerning your outline. Do not take personal offense to changes suggested. If they seem reasonable, incorporate them. If they don’t seem entirely reasonable, counter with a different suggestion. Negotiate back and forth until both parties can agree on the outline. (This can be done via e-mail, but in-person or on the phone is preferable.) Remember, your team is helping you avoid disaster.

Tip 4: Begin your mission – or writing.

• Trick 4: Create a first draft of your manuscript using the agreed upon outline. Circulate this draft to your mentor or colleague and repeat the process of back and forth negotiation-- offers, counter offers, etc. until both parties agree on a working draft. 

Tip 5: Ensure you are on course by checking with your flight crew.

• Trick 5: Circulate a clean copy of the agreed upon working draft of your manuscript to the remaining co-authors. Welcome their feedback, but request that they provide it within 2 weeks or 10 working days. (Time will vary depending on situation.)

Tip 6: Meet with the commander to finish your mission.

• Trick 6: After everyone has had a chance to review the edits/comments of the other authors, meet with the senior author (or commander). As a team, discuss the feedback and make decisions on what to incorporate and what not to incorporate. Depending on the project, team members, and the project dynamics you may want to repeat steps 5 and 6 after meeting with your team.

One final piece of advice. Spaceships, like writers, have finite fuel resources and equipment tolerance levels. So trips cannot exceed a certain number of days, weeks, or months. Determine a target deadline at the start of your mission and budget your research, writing, reviewing, and editing time accordingly. If you really want to to meet a deadline and work efficiently, define mission specifications by creating a writer's SMART plan, as describe in the blog, GradHacker.

Then, after hitting the send button to submit your manuscript, enjoy a smooth reentry into life on earth. 

Reference:

Day, R.A. & Gastel, B. (2011). How to write and publish scientific paper (7th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood.

Photo Credit:

NASA on the Commons. (1970, June 30). Soyuz spacecraft in orbit [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/9457864309/