Newsletter Nature Briefing – Back to the lab: Publishing in the pandemic

Today we learn how to write a top-notch paper, how to deal with (almost inevitable) rejections and why retraction can be a good thing.

Five science-writing tips  

• Limit each paragraph to a single message: do not try to fold multiple ideas into a single block of text. Keeping your paragraphs short and understandable helps readers to process the often-dense information you’re providing.
• Write good titles: research shows that articles with clear, succinct, declarative titles are more likely to get picked up by social media or the popular press.
• Structure your work: if you’re struggling to get your thoughts in order, be uber-structured. Bullet point each section, paragraph and sentence that might make up your work — you’ll find the act of writing after this a lot easier.
• Remember the point of your paper: all papers have a simple message: “This is what we did, and this is what we learnt.” Ask yourself if every sentence in your paper is contributing to that core message. If it isn’t, cut it out.
• Read aloud: by reading your work to a friend or colleague you’ll identify points that you can rephrase for rhythm or for meaning.

Read more from six paper-writing experts on making a manuscript you can be be proud of. (Nature | 8 min read)

Learn how to write a top-notch paper in our four-part podcast series. In the first episode, we delve into the all-important first stage of the process. (Nature Working Scientist podcast | 20 min listen)

No country for bad science writing

Pulitzer-prizewinning novelist Cormac McCarthy has edited many works by faculty members and postdocs at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, including theoretical biologist and ecologist Van Savage. In bite-size pieces relevant to academics and humble email-writers alike, Savage summarizes the advice he got from McCarthy over a winter of lively weekly lunches. McCarthy’s most important tip: keep it simple while telling a coherent, compelling story.

Nature | 6 min read

What we learnt from retracting a paper

“Someone I admire retracted a very important paper when I was a young scientist,” says Nobel-prizewinning chemist Frances Arnold, who retracted a paper in January. “I wanted to pay that lesson forward.” Arnold and three other senior scientists share what they learnt from the experience of retracting flawed papers.

Nature Index | 4 min read

How to bounce back from rejection

Not all papers will breeze through the editing and peer-review process. Rejection is a difficult and regular part of a scientist’s life. In this piece — itself initially rejected by Nature — zoologist Lucy Taylor offers advice based around her recent experience. She recommends taking the time to step back and reflect on your core goals before you move on.

Nature | 4 min read

Technology tips 

In these times, all scientists will have limited time in the lab and might need to use old data sets, share data or seek out unusual funding sources. Here are top tips and tools from Nature’s technology desk.

• Researchers are rushing to pool resources and data sets to tackle the pandemic, but the new era of openness comes with concerns around privacy, ownership and ethics. Here are six tips for data sharing in the age of the coronavirus (Nature | 6 min read)
• Now that even Microsoft has ditched Word’s built-in editor in favour of native support for LaTeX’s equation-writing syntax, it’s time to tackle it yourself — if you haven’t already. Nature explores the online tools and software add-ons that can make things easier. (Nature | 7 min read)
• Go beyond Google Docs with these three tools to collaborate on writing. HackMD is a lightweight, browser-based editor for files written in Markdown, with good version control. Manubot is a solution developed by scientists to turn a GitHub repository into a self-published manuscript, including error-checking and pulling in figures. And for those who love LaTeX, Overleaf is great at handling references and generating bibliographies. (Nature Index | 9 min read)
• Crowdfunding is gaining momentum as a way to finance scientific research, particularly among early-career researchers and in fields where grants are sparse. Three scientists who have successfully crowdfunded their research share some lessons. The researchers raised funds in just 30 days on the largest dedicated crowdfunding platform for scientific research, Experiment.com. (Nature | 5 min read)

Is this scientific publishing’s new normal?

The COVID-19 crisis has underlined just how fast and open science publishing can be. Preprint servers are overflowing with preliminary results, peer review is proceeding in record time and many journals have made relevant research free to read. The question is: are these changes here to stay?

Nature | 6 min read

Bookmark these

• Nature’s publishing collection has everything you could possibly need to know about how to write and publish better papers, as well as information about the publishing process and advice on peer review.
• And consider signing up to try a free taster of Nature Masterclasses online — with first-hand help and advice from Nature editors on how to craft a great paper.

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