How to Write a Paper
Mike Ashby
Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
6
rd
Edition, April 2005
How to write a paper, 6th edition
MFA, 20/02/05
1
Mike Ashby
How to Write a Paper
6th Edition, February 2005
Introduction
This brief manual gives guidance in writing a paper about your
research. Most of the advice applies equally to your thesis or to
writing a research proposal. The content of the paper reflects the
kind of work you have done: experimental, theoretical,
computational. I have used, as a model, a typical Materials project:
one combining experiment with modeling and computation to
explain some aspect of material behaviour.
Sections 1 to 8 give guidelines for clear writing with brief
examples. The Appendix contains longer examples of effective
and ineffective writing. The manual is prescriptive—it has to be, if it
is to be short. It is designed to help those struggling with their first
paper, or those who have written several but find it difficult. Certain
sections may seem to you to be elementary; they are there
because, to others, they are not. Section 8, on Style, is open-
ended, the starting point for more exciting things.
How to write a paper, 6th edition
MFA, 20/02/05
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Contents
1
The Design
p 3
2 The Market—Who are your readers? p 4
3 The Concept—Making a Concept-sheet p 5
4
Embodiment—The first draft
p 9
5 Detail I—Grammar p 16
6 Detail II—Spelling p 20
7 Detail III—Punctuation p 21
8 Detail IV—Style p 26
9 Further Reading p 34
Appendix p 37
How to write a paper, 6th edition
MFA, 20/02/05
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1 THE DESIGN
Well-written papers are read, remembered, cited. Poorly written
papers are not.
To write well, you need a design. Like any design activity, there
are a number of steps (Figure 1). I’ve used the language of
engineering design here—it fits well.
The Market Need. What is the purpose of the document? Who
will read it? How will the reader use it? The answers help you
decide the length, the level of detail, the style.
The Concept. Good writing starts with a plan. Writers have
different ways of developing plans. I find the concept-sheet
(Section 3, below) is a good way to do it.
Figure 1. The Design Process. Designing a paper is like designing
anything else: there are five essential steps.
The Embodiment. The embodiment is the first draft. Get the facts
down on paper without worrying about style; make drafts of each
section; develop the calculations; sketch the figures; assemble
How to write a paper, 6th edition
MFA, 20/02/05
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references.
Detail. Now comes the crafting: clarity, balance, readability; in a
word —style.
The End-Product. Appearance is important: good layout, clear
headings, well-designed figures.
The Sections that follow expand on each of these in turn.
2 THE MARKET—Who are your readers?
Your market is your readers. Put yourself in their shoes: what, if
you were they, would you wish to find?
The readers of your thesis are your examiners. They expect
details of all relevant parts of your research: why you did it, its
background, your thinking, what you did, your conclusions and
your views on where it is going. They don’t want the irrelevant
parts—details of how standard equipment works, for instance. Find
out as much as you can about content and format from your
supervisor and other students, and look at some recent
(successful) theses to get a feel for the product this market
expects.
A paper is read by one or more skilled referees, and, if accepted,
by a scientifically-informed audience. This manual focuses on
writing papers. The pages that follow explain how this market
should be addressed.
A research proposal usually addresses two markets. One is the
funding agency: the EPSRC, the EU, another Government
Agencies, or a Charity. They will look for a match between their
priorities and yours. The other is the referees that the funding
agency will use; they are charged with judging quality, promise
