INTRODUCTION

Writing papers for academic or scientific journals requires particular skills. You certainly need to be able to write well, using all the skills you acquired through studying the section on Effective Writing: core skills. But writing for journals is different from other forms of writing.

Although most researchers, whether working in the social, physical, biomedical or other sciences, have an intimate knowledge of their disciplines, very few have been trained in writing for publication. Most acquire these skills through trial and (often painful) error.