Writing skills

No matter how novel your research, or how much time you’ve invested in your work, you still need to pay attention to some basic writing rules if you want to get published.

Our writing skills modules contain some helpful advice so you can ensure poor use of language or sloppy article structure doesn’t let you down.

You will discover the 10 most common mistakes researchers make in their manuscripts, from ambiguity and inconsistency to incorrect referencing. And then, of course, there’s the ethics issue of plagiarism….

We also look at the topic of manuscript language in detail, and offer some advice on where you can find support to improve it.

What you will learn

  • Information on common writing mistakes
  • Advice on how to avoid those errors
  • A guide to correct manuscript language

Modules in Writing skills

1 h
Writing skills

How to prepare a proposal for a review article

At many journals, the process for submitting a review article is much different from the process for a research article: rather than uploading your research manuscript and clicking Submit, it might
30 m
Writing skills

Writing a persuasive cover letter for your manuscript

Submitting your manuscript without a cover letter or an incomplete one can impact the outcome of your submission.
1 h
Writing skills

How to turn your thesis into an article

The process of writing a manuscript is considerably different from the work undertaken for academic degree requirements.
45 m
Writing skills

5 Diseases ailing research – and how to cure them

Learn how you can avoid or be cured of the 5 diseases affecting academic writing and research.
40 m
Writing skills

Using proper manuscript language

Why poor manuscript language can prevent your research getting the recognition it deserves – and what you can do about it.
52 m
Writing skills

10 tips for writing a truly terrible journal article

These top tips on how NOT to write a research article will help you avoid some common pitfalls.