Let me clarify a couple of things first. I don't necessarily keep to all the advice written below and it's not easy. At the same time, clear writing is extremely important. How many times have you read a paragraph of text and suddenly had a realisation that you have no idea what you've just read? A lot of the time, it's down to the main point being hidden deep within the text where no-one can find it.
Without further ado, let's launch in. My advice is ordered on three levels: overall structure, paragraph structure and sentences. Don't expect to find any tips about the finer points of grammar here (use a grammar checker or a native English speaker).
Overall structure
The question here is that one when you're faced with a blank piece of paper/Word (or Latex) document and you're thinking 'Aaaaaaagggghhh! How do I even start?'Idea 1: Start with a brainstorm (sorry, pc folk tell me mind map). Basically, grab a piece of paper and write down everything you want to put in the document. Here's examples of a couple I did for my thesis.
(sorry about orientation of the second one here - I tried...)
The next step is to rearrange all the headings and ideas you have on the page and put them into an order that makes sense. Start with what you think should be first, what should logically follow it and whether some bits need to be introduced before others, etc. As a piece of miscellaneous advice: put results you're certain about before more speculative or controversial things, that way you've already inspired confidence in your reader.
Idea 2: Plan your section headings. This can easily follow on from idea 1 if you like. Basically, lay out the sections you want, imagine what you would write about in this section and generate sub-headings. E.g., under 'DNA' you may have sub-headings of 'diccovery', 'molecular structure', 'biological relevance' and so on.
Once you have the outline, go back and write each section. Doing this breaks it down into smaller tasks and makes it fairly clear how much you have left to do.
Idea 3: Decide on your figures first. This is a great way to do experimental results. Even if you don't have the exact figure you want when you do the plan, put it in a list and make a note that you need to generate it at some point. Once you have the figures, what you should say around them becomes a lot clearer. If you are still working on experiments, this method also focuses the mind on doing things that will be useful to your write-up rather than what seems interesting at the time.
Paragraph structure
The single most important thing with paragraph structure is this: put what the paragraph is about in the first, sentence of the paragraph. The only time you would'nt want to do this is when you're writing something literary and you want to grab attention to make the reader 'search' for your meaning. If you're writing anything factual it's a golden rule that needs a really, really good reason to be broken. Trust me, if you don't do this, your work appear inaccessible and so much more difficult to read.That's almost all I have to say about paragraphs. How long a paragraph should be is mostly a matter of opinion. The only point I would make is not to use pronouns across paragraphs. He/she/it/the data should be defined and used within one paragraph only. Let me give an example:
The linear dichroism data in Figure 1 clearly shows that the end of the world is iminent.
It shows that catastrophe can occur at any moment and is becoming more frequent.
It's wrong to put these two sentence in different paragraphs, because the 'it' hasn't been properly defined in the second paragraph.
Sentence structure
For the final installment of my guide to writing properly, here's a list of tips for writing sentences:- As for paragraphs, make your impact at the beginning of the sentence. Don't leave the reader looking for your meaning.
- Aim for one comma per sentence. Lots of sub-clauses, for example, break up the, so to speak, rhythm of the sentence and can, one might say, obscure the meaning. It also feels 'chunky' and awkward to read. Most sub-clauses you might be tempted to put in are unnecessary, or can be added as another sentence at the end.
- Try to impress with content, not style. Using fancy linking words and phrases (nonetheless, notwithstanding, henceforth etc.) has the same effect as sub-clauses. Just take them out!
- Use as few words as possible to say what you mean. This is different to most European languages as far as I am aware. The word 'that' is not needed half as much as you think. For example: In general, it is considered better to use the least possible number of words when expressing your thoughts when you are writing.
- Avoid jargon, even in your own field - you never know who will be reading. If you see a key word you don't understand in something, how much time do you waste going to look it up? It breaks the concentration of the reader. Often it is unavoidable, so when you do use a specialist word, make sure it is well defined and specific. Also make sure your use is consistent: a word like 'cell' can mean lots of things to different people given the context.
Follow all the advice here and I promise your life will be happier and more people will want to read your work, which can never be a bad thing. If I were to sum up the advice above, it would be to think of the flow of your writing. Grammatical correctness is all well and good, but something readable will have much more impact.
