From Research Question to First Draft: How to Write Manuscripts Faster
Written by: Ayushe Sharma, Edited by: Ayushe Sharma, Beverly Setzer
Do you dread the thought of writing your manuscript? Have you been putting off the task of compiling all your lab journal notes into a cohesive story? Fear not! With a few guiding principles, a little organization, and a lot of undistracted focus, you can create the first imperfect draft of your manuscript in no time.
Question-guided research, with clear guideposts for which questions will be answered in which publications, streamlines the publication process.
Let's face it, the world of scientific research can be overwhelming at times. With so many different labs pushing the boundaries of neuroscience, it's easy to get lost in the technical details and forget what it's all for. It’s tempting to pursue projects that present exciting technical challenges in and of themselves (i.e., experiment-guided research). But at its core, scientific research is about answering questions with real-world implications. And when we focus on those questions (i.e., question-guided research), we have a clear direction that also streamlines the publication process.
Funding institutions understand this, and that's why any grant application process is built around question-guided work. By identifying gaps in our understanding and designing studies that address those gaps, we can ensure that their work is meaningful and impactful. But it's not just funding institutions that place a strong emphasis on questions. Scientific journals are also guided by this philosophy, with a format that requires authors to specify the research question(s) they will answer in their paper in the beginnings of the paper (with a common placeholder being the last paragraph of the introduction!). This not only helps guide the publication process, but also sets up the expectation that submitted research is both relevant and useful to other scientists.
In contrast to question-led work, experimentally motivated research lacks direction and purpose. Unfortunately, this is often symptomatic of a research gap not being identified or a thorough literature review being neglected. This creates ambiguity about which questions need to be answered, making it more difficult to develop a publication plan or recognize when experimental results are sufficient to answer a research question. The lack of focus in experiment-motivated research also leads to difficulty in identifying target journals and preparing a manuscript for submission. In contrast, question-motivated research provides greater detail, depth and semantic richness, and is characterized by thorough reading and writing, leading to a more successful publication outcome.
PhD students and postdocs often don't have the independence to develop their own research questions, with exceptions being those funded by T, F, or K grants. Depending on what lab you join, your project may already be predetermined for you; it could even consist of a dataset that was collected in years prior! Sometimes data collection can fall onto your plate as well - however this isn't always the case. Each laboratory is unique, and the processes between studies may vary. If your mentor or lab colleagues hand you the background, research gaps, and hypothesis on a silver platter, then great! If not, it is still critical that you do the work necessary to get aboard the "question-motivated research" train:
Know what’s been done: Reviewing existing literature is essential for discerning well-established areas and, most importantly, to identify untouched areas of research. Then you compile and synthesize what you learned during the literature review. If a silver platter filled with knowledge on the matter is made readily available, then reviewing its contents may suffice; however, further investigation may still be needed to gain deeper insight.
Streamline your work with a focused blueprint: After the literature review, create focused outlines that organize the questions, methods, and hypotheses for each publication. It’s certainly helpful to create one big, comprehensive outline for an entire study - say, in grant proposal that will yield several publications. When writing manuscripts, create individual outlines for each publication. This way, you can focus on the unique aspects of each study and keep your writing on track. Plus, having these outlines as a jumping-off point will help you fill in the blanks and write your publication faster than ever before.
Plan out your reading, data processing, statistics, and writing with a deadline in mind.
Train your deep work muscles: Maximize productivity by scheduling 2-3 hour deep work sessions during your most productive hours. It’s worth noting that deep work takes time, training, and focused effort. Read Cal Newport's Deep Work if you want to dive deep on the topic!
Harness the power of digital minimalism and timed work sessions: If time slips away from you, try a Pomodoro timer + combination with digital minimalism principles. You could even challenge yourself by setting an ambitious goal (e.g., “Write the methods within 90 minutes”), coupled with rewards for meeting these time limitations!
Use time-blocking to organize your deep work over days and weeks: Each deep work session should have a specific aim. When planning the weeks leading up to your deadline, block out 1 to 3-hour blocks of time dedicated to specific tasks (e.g., Make Figure 1). Incorporate wiggle room when you plan these blocks by striving finish the manuscript ~2 weeks before the deadline.
Rewards in science are delayed, so reward yourself: Make your deadline more meaningful and tangible by planning a reward once you finish your first draft (maybe even a special incentive for finishing it by your established deadline!). The journey from initial draft to published paper can be lengthy with numerous unanticipated detours - so why not reward yourself? Delayed gratification isn’t super rewarding on a day-to-day basis, so boost your own motivation with rewards that entice progress!
A well-maintained lab journal, nurtured with proper love and attention, is your secret weapon in the manuscript-writing process.
Ah, the beloved lab journal! The mere mention of a “lab journal” likely takes you back to the first day of your PhD. The lab journal is an often-neglected cornerstone of research: it’s the thing we all strive to keeping up with, but most of us ultimately discard it after underestimating its importance. If you use electronic versions (e.g., LabArchives), these tools are specifically designed for easily tracking of what you have and haven’t done in your experiments. Whether they are electronic or paper-based, they can also serve as a compilation of crucial notes from seminars, conferences, and workshops. By including detailed breakdowns, interpretations, and visualizations of statistically significant results that you found, you add depth and richness to your manuscript while making the writing process much smoother.
Combine these powers and tactics to finish your first draft.
As you collect your data and visualize your results, add to your manuscript blueprint (i.e., outline) with your lab journal content. This will help to keep your thoughts and ideas organized as you move through each step of the writing process – and you’ll even be able to track which parts you’ve addressed or totally neglected. Most importantly, don’t strive for perfection. The goal is to get all your ideas down on paper, and several rounds of revisions (and reviewers’ feedback) are often needed to achieve that sparkly publication-ready polish. Once you have all your content compiled, use storytelling techniques to improve the structure and flow of your writing. In no time, you'll have a clear, concise manuscript that tells the story of your research question and findings. If you ever get stuck on creating figures, try to get those creative juices flowing by watching your favorite TV show/film or listening to podcast. Background entertainment can ease the cognitive load and help you focus. If you want to create super stunning figures or graphical abstracts, you might even consider using a tool like Biorender.com.
So, don’t be intimidated by the process of writing a manuscript! Take it one step at a time, use your lab journal as a guide, and remember that your first draft will only get better. With practice and perseverance, you’ll have a polished and impressive manuscript in no time.