15 Academic Writing Tips from a Published Researcher
Common mistakes I have seen after editing hundreds of scientific manuscripts — and how to fix them.
After publishing 87+ peer-reviewed papers and editing manuscripts across ecology, remote sensing, climate science, and soil science, I have compiled the most common writing issues I encounter. These tips will help you write clearer, more concise scientific prose that reviewers and editors expect.
Word Choice
1. Replace wordy phrases with concise alternatives
Use "to" instead of "in order to," "first" instead of "firstly," "also" instead of "in addition" or "additionally," and "then" instead of "after that." These shorter forms are preferred in scientific writing because they reduce word count without losing meaning.
2. Use "found" or "showed" instead of "revealed"
The word "revealed" implies uncovering something hidden and is often too dramatic for reporting scientific results. Similarly, avoid "proved" — scientific results support, suggest, or demonstrate a finding rather than prove it definitively.
3. Prefer "and" over "as well as"
"As well as" is grammatically a subordinating conjunction, meaning it does not give equal weight to both items. In most cases where you want to list items of equal importance, "and" is the correct and simpler choice.
4. Choose "however" over "yet" for contrast
In academic writing, "however" is almost always more appropriate than "yet" when introducing a contrasting point. Also avoid "on the contrary" — use "conversely" instead, as "on the contrary" is typically reserved for direct contradictions.
Sentence Structure
5. Put the subject at the beginning of the sentence
Readers process information more efficiently when the subject appears early. Instead of "Based on the results of the experiment, the growth rate was higher," write "The growth rate was higher based on the experimental results." Front-loading the subject makes your writing direct and clear.
6. Do not start sentences with "But," "Because," "And," or "What's more"
While these are acceptable in informal writing, they weaken scientific prose. Replace "But" with "However," restructure "Because" sentences to place the reason after the main clause, and drop "What's more" entirely — use "Also" or "Furthermore" if a transition is needed.
7. Place "however" at the beginning of a sentence, not in the middle
Burying "however" mid-sentence (e.g., "The results, however, showed…") disrupts the reader's flow. Leading with "However, the results showed…" signals the contrast immediately so the reader knows what to expect.
8. Use "respectively" correctly
"Respectively" pairs items in two parallel lists in the exact order given. Only use it when there is a clear one-to-one correspondence, and always place it at the end of the sentence — for example, "The height and diameter were 10 m and 5 cm, respectively."
Academic Style
9. Use "higher" or "lower" — not "increased" or "decreased" — when comparing groups
When comparing a treatment to a control, the value was higher or lower relative to the control. "Increased" and "decreased" describe changes over time within the same group. Confusing the two is one of the most common errors in results sections.
10. Say "upward trend" or "downward trend" — not "increasing trend"
A trend is a direction, not an action. An "increasing trend" is redundant because a trend that goes up is already described as "upward." Similarly, avoid "change trend" — simply write "trend." Also, be careful with "increasing rate" — make sure you actually mean the rate itself is changing, not just that the value is rising.
11. Remove unnecessary words like "still"
"The mechanism is still unclear" adds no information that "The mechanism is unclear" does not already convey. The same applies to "the findings of the present study showed" — simply write "we found." Cut filler words to keep your manuscript concise and within word limits.
12. Do not overuse acronyms
Sentences packed with acronyms become unreadable — for example, "CS-NDR and NDR-HQ were concentrated in BG-UA and HC-UA." If a term appears only a few times, spell it out each time. Introduce an acronym only when the full term appears frequently, and always write the term first followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.
Formatting & Conventions
13. Always use the Oxford comma
In a list of three or more items, place a comma before the final "and" — for example, "temperature, precipitation, and humidity." The Oxford comma prevents ambiguity and is required or recommended by most scientific style guides including APA, Chicago, and AMA.
14. Include units on all numbers in a range
Write "0% and 100%" or "0°C to 30°C" — not "0 and 100%" or "0–30°C." Both numbers need the unit so the reader immediately knows what each value represents. Also ensure there is a space between "Figure" and its number (e.g., "Figure 3," not "Fig.3").
15. Do not recycle paragraphs with minor changes
When reporting similar methods or results for different variables, resist the temptation to copy a paragraph and change only a few words. Reviewers notice this immediately and it signals careless writing. Restructure or summarize repeated content instead.
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