A Template and Suggestions for Writing Easy-to-Read Research Articles

Abstract

The number of research papers written has been growing at least linearly -- if not exponentially -- in recent years. In proportion, the amount of time a reader allocates per paper has been decreasing. While an accessible paper will be appreciated by a large audience, hard-to-read papers may remain obscure for a long time regardless of scientific merit. Unfortunately, there is still insufficient emphasis on good written and oral communication skills in technical disciplines, especially in engineering. As an academic, I have realised over the years that I keep telling my students the same things over and over again when they write papers, reports, presentations, and theses. This article contains some of those suggestions and serves as a limited template for organising research articles. I have adopted a very practical and personal approach and don't claim that this is a formal contribution to the scientific communication literature. However, I hope that this article will not only make my life a bit easier but also help other graduate students and academic supervisors.