Effective Scientific Writing

Book excerpt: Writing a scientific article in English is often a major challenge for non-native speakers of the language. They not only need to produce a well-structured and coherent text, but they are also expected to use correct and idiomatic English throughout. While many books and guides deal with academic writing in general, few focus specifically on writing a scientific article, and most are not written with non-native speakers of English in mind. This guide now offers help. It provides comprehensive and practical advice for non-English graduate students (Master's and PhD) and researchers from various disciplines who wish to communicate their work effectively. It presents all the essential elements for writing a successful scientific paper: (1) getting started and structuring your thoughts; (2) structuring your paper; (3) citing sources; (4) writing well-structured and coherent paragraphs; (5) constructing effective sentences; (6) considering information placement and word order; (7) adopting the right style and using appropriate vocabulary; (8) avoiding the pitfalls of English grammar; (9) using correct spelling and punctuation. This guide is the culmination of Taalcentrum-VU's years of experience in providing clear language and communication consulting in combination with practical tools to aid the aspiring writer of scientific English.