@DeepIndaba top tips from an extremely useful panel discussion on how to write a great research paper:
- tell one story throughout the paper. make sure this story is clear and that you are able to frame your paper in 1 sentence.
- be clear about what the problem is and about the solution you are putting forward.
- you don't have to put everything you did in everything you write.
- be academically honest. don't oversell your results.
- introduce a concept and its mathematical notation at the same time to keep your reader in the loop.
- spend time on creating images that help to visualize concepts, put them at the top of the page with a self-contained caption.
- keep your reader in mind. use the "blank slate" experiment (take a break from writing, reread your work as if for the first time) to make sure you are being clear and concise.
- ask for feedback from your colleagues well before submission date.
- make it a daily habit to write. make a list of what you want to achieve that day, and a list of what you have achieved at the end of the day.
- don't wait. write.