challenges in scientific writing research

For example, the review panel for your grant application may include non-specialists. Chip in as little as $3 to help keep it free for everyone. This entire system sits at the heart of modern-day science. Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Noah Grand's title. (A 2012 paper found that female job applicants in academia are judged more harshly and are offered less money than males.) Your email address will not be published. “The main issues I faced were: 1) poor command of the language – not being able to choose suitable words/phrases to precisely express the content and meaning I wanted to get across, difficulty in applying the language as I wished, often having to go over something repeatedly, and yet not feeling confident. Or so we’re told. Fewer studies share effect sizes (which arguably gives a better indication of how meaningful a result might be) or discuss measures of uncertainty. At the time of the survey he was a lecturer in sociology at UCLA, not a professor. Solving this won’t be easy, but it is at the root of many of the issues discussed above. The scientific process, in its ideal form, is elegant: Ask a question, set up an objective test, and get an answer. In addition, some funding bodies now ask you to explain how you will communicate your findings. The reasons for this are complex and can't be solved overnight. "If we reward research based on how noteworthy the results are, this will create pressure to exaggerate the results (through exploiting flexibility in data analysis, misrepresenting results, or outright fraud)," writes UC Davis's Simine Vazire. The stats bear this out: A 2015 study looked at 83 highly cited studies that claimed to feature effective psychiatric treatments. ", Right now there are arguably too many researchers chasing too few grants. More, Understanding the gut-brain axis can provide a much needed boost in well being. Subscription prices have continued to climb, as a handful of big publishers (like Elsevier) have bought up more and more journals, creating mini knowledge fiefdoms. If you want to know more about how to follow Charles’ advice and structure your manuscript for maximum impact, read my previous blog post. "The scientific publishing field — particularly in the biological sciences — acts like there is no internet," says Lakshmi Jayashankar, a senior scientific reviewer with the federal government. In the original piece I suggested that we as researchers must embrace criticism of our ideas, handed down by our colleagues in the scientific community. Scientists need to publish the methods and findings more fully, and share their raw data in ways that are easily accessible and digestible for those who may want to reanalyze or replicate their findings. "If we reward research based on how noteworthy the results are, this will create pressure to exaggerate the results (through exploiting flexibility in data analysis, misrepresenting results, or outright fraud)," writes UC Davis's Simine Vazire. ‘BIG 10’ Ways Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Life Sciences, The Company of Biologists Commits to the Transformative Journal Approach, Insights from an Open Science Expert on How Publishing in Data Journals Can Benefit Researchers. INTRODUCTION. The challenges of getting your research published when English is not your first language. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The science of learning and the art of teaching. "It discourages rigorous research as it is difficult to obtain enough results for a paper (and hence progress) in two to three years. So, Nosek said, science must "move away from the embrace of definitiveness of publication.". The structure of a scientific manuscript differs from undergraduate writing, and this structure takes time to learn. On the access question, a number of scientists argued that academic research should be free for all to read. Many scientists have had enough. "So rather than judging a paper by the gender, ethnicity, country, or institutional status of an author — which I believe happens a lot at the moment — it should be judged by its quality independent of those things. But based on our survey, funding appears to be at the root of many of the problems facing scientists, and it’s one that deserves more careful discussion. Alternatively, researchers in the journal mBio recently called for a lottery-style system. For example, it is not correct to talk about the potential risk of radiation exposure when a patient receives a CT scan. Taking a second lesson from behaviorism, the rats in Skinner’s experiments developed associations between behaviors and rewards after many consecutive trials. In addition to these meetings, I joined a writing group with several fellow students to continue receiving critical reviews of my writing. Often, Charles says, these bad writing habits are inherited from your supervisors. And the pressure to publish pushes scientists to come up with splashy results, of the sort that get them into prestigious journals. But these low-level research jobs can be a grind. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You can check out their author bios here. According to him: “After writing my first draft, I did not have time to go through the whole article, sentence by sentence. "This causes a conflict of interest: The scientist is in charge of evaluating the hypothesis, but the scientist also desperately wants the hypothesis to be true.". The situation is particularly perilous for early career researchers who find it hard to compete for funds with senior researchers. "It is not in the best interest of the society, the scientists, the public, or the research." The structure of this part is in contrary to the introduction part since the specific and detailed info are provided prior to the general ones. Some journals are already embracing this sort of research. Specialized teaching programmes can help young researchers present their research effectively. Provably Beneficial Artificial Intelligence, “Extra! They were distressed by the fact that so many laypeople hold on to completely unscientific ideas or have a crude view of how science works. At my most unhappy moments, I think about all the work that went into the paper and all the time spent writing it, ultimately to receive a rejection letter boiled down to three, two, or even one main problem with the paper. We said no: the repeated publication of an incorrect phrase does not make it correct. Infrequent and non-publishing of academic research may result in seriously hampering Science is currently too opaque, research too difficult to share. "We could do this every day on the internet.". I find that this celebration takes some of the sting off of the inevitable negative reviews. Something that should also be factored into this equation is that as you gain expertise in an area of research, the knowledge becomes more accessible and fluid. This whole range of activity takes researchers out of the comfort zones of their local academic networks and linguistic cultures. In the US, the largest source of funding is the federal government, and that pool of money has been plateauing for years, while young scientists enter the workforce at a faster rate than older scientists retire. Our respondents suggested that the two key ways to encourage stronger study design — and discourage positive results chasing — would involve rethinking the rewards system and building more transparency into the research process. "In the biomedical sciences," wrote the first postdoc quoted above, "each available faculty position receives applications from hundreds or thousands of applicants, putting immense pressure on postdocs to publish frequently and in high impact journals to be competitive enough to attain those positions.". Many US institutions pay those journal fees for their employees, but not all scientists (or other curious readers) are so lucky. That needs to change. On the question of editorial bias and transparency, our respondents were surprisingly divided. Truly novel research takes longer to produce, and it doesn’t always pay off. For example, we conduct frequent author workshops in China, with the aims of improving the scientific writing skills of Chinese researchers and actively engaging with Chinese authors. We also make an effort to share these events and resources with ESL audiences via our regional gateways (our Japan Gateway for example) and social media such as Weibo and Twitter. But this doesn't happen as often as it should, our respondents said. But nowadays, our respondents told us, the process is riddled with conflict. I had to put in a lot of further effort before my manuscript was accepted. Citing the work of others is also a challenge; knowing which articles are the most appropriate to reference in your given field requires experience. In other words, writing is hard for everyone. A system like this would give scientists greater freedom to take risks with their work. And it’s getting better in many ways. What I’m saying now: Really Enjoy Writing!!! These solutions are by no means complete, and they may not make sense for every scientific discipline. Rachel Harding, a genetic researcher at the University of Toronto, has set up a website called Lab Scribbles, where she publishes her lab notes on the structure of huntingtin proteins in real time, posting data as well as summaries of her breakthroughs and failures. This way, scientists could still get funding for work crucial for drug approvals — but without the pressures that can skew results. Right now, open access journals typically charge fees to those submitting papers, putting the burden on scientists who are already struggling for funding. Beyond this, data analysis can be challenging, particularly when results between studies are slightly inconsistent or if your current results show patterns that differ from patterns reported in the literature. This ensures that the main message is delivered. On 20 years and open access: Q&A with Professor Wen-Chang Chang. The exposure is certain. After all, journals can never be entirely free. In the United States, academic researchers in the sciences generally cannot rely on university funding alone to pay for their salaries, assistants, and lab costs. There will always be waste and mediocre research, but as Stanford’s Ioannidis explains in a recent paper, a lack of transparency creates excess waste and diminishes the usefulness of too much research. Three: Science has to be more transparent. Another common example of inaccurate English in scientific publications is using ‘risk’ instead of ‘harm’. These cookies do not store any personal information. I'd like attitudes to change so people focus less on the race to be first to prove a particular theorem, or in science to make a particular discovery, and more on other ways of contributing to the furthering of the subject.". Indeed, that's arguably just as important as addressing problems with the scientific process itself. Here goes nothing! For example, I tend to write in the same place and at the same time every day of each week. (The site now holds information for more than 180,000 studies in 180 countries.). Instead, they have to seek outside grants. Writing a research manuscript is difficult on many levels. Sometimes their methods are too opaque. "Over time the most successful people will be those who can best exploit the system," Paul Smaldino, a cognitive science professor at University of California Merced, says. While the scientific workforce is increasing, the funding in most countries has been on a decline over the past decade. The second article was far easier to write than the first. The former would better train and equip graduates to find jobs outside academia. "This tends to hide a lot of the thought process that went into making the discoveries. Other respondents argued that we might need to radically rethink the entire process of peer review from the ground up. Scientific conferences provide unique career-building opportunities. Too often, anyone trying to replicate a study must chase down the original investigators for details about how the experiment was conducted. However, the correct term is ‘cancer-related genes’ because gene mutations cause cancer, not the genes themselves. In Skinner’s language, the time and context reinforces the writing behavior. Testing, validating, retesting — it's all part of a slow and grinding process to arrive at some semblance of scientific truth. Some respondents also pointed to the mismatch between the number of PhDs produced each year and the number of academic jobs available. Or, as a 2014 piece in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences put it: "The current system is in perpetual disequilibrium, because it will inevitably generate an ever-increasing supply of scientists vying for a finite set of research resources and employment opportunities. They told us that, in a variety of ways, their careers are being hijacked by perverse incentives. "Oftentimes this is problematic for individuals in their late 20s and early to mid-30s who have PhDs and who may be starting families while also balancing a demanding job that pays poorly," wrote one postdoc, who asked for anonymity. Science is in big trouble. But Copernicus believed in that ideal. In fact, it’s probably one of the reasons behind why I got involved with this blog venture. Share. Bohannon reported that millions of researchers around the world now use Sci-Hub, a site set up by Alexandra Elbakyan, a Russia-based neuroscientist, that illegally hosts more than 50 million academic papers. "Long hours, limited career prospects, and low wages contribute to this emotion.". by the food industry — an inherent conflict of interest. Looking back, this seems to be a bit of an over-statement, and reflects my inexperience. Career advancement can often depend on publishing in the most prestigious journals, like. After all, if you don’t publish, no one will ever learn from your research and other researchers won’t be able to replicate and extend your findings. In my time as a graduate student, I have come to the revelation that writing is hard for everyone. Jackie explained the following ways a language editor can improve a research paper: Academic journals are trying to help non-native English-speaking scientists by offering guidelines and writing advice and by pointing them to commercial editing services. Repeat. So did the rocket scientists behind the moon landing. Graduate schools could offer more generous family leave policies and child care for graduate students. research publications result in increased visibility of scholar’s work among fellow researchers, sponsoring institutions, peers and may be prospective employers. "It would be great to have stronger norms about being more detailed with the methods," says University of Virginia’s Brian Nosek. This can be a terrifying experience for someone who has never done it before. Skinner, B. F. (1961). Today, many tenured scientists and research labs depend on small armies of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to perform their experiments and conduct data analysis. Other respondents suggested that making research free to all might help tamp down media misrepresentations. In what follows, I detail these four observations, along with my updates: What I said: Everyone Struggles It’s easy to see how these problems in funding kick off a vicious cycle. But there’s an inherent tension here. Researchers could also make use of new tools, such as open source software that tracks every version of a data set, so that they can share their data more easily and have transparency built into their workflow. "Too many [PhD] students are graduating for a limited number of professor positions with minimal training for careers outside of academic research," noted Don Gibson, a PhD candidate studying plant genetics at UC Davis. "The current system has done too much to reward results," says Joseph Hilgard, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Why not try the same when you next present your work? "Too many times we see very low quality reviews, and we cannot understand whether it is a problem of scarce knowledge or conflict of interest. But the gains humans have made so far using even imperfect scientific methods would have been unimaginable 500 years ago. Although I have yet to learn how to be unaffected by rejections from journal editors, I have decided instead to celebrate the submission of a manuscript to journals. This could include more robust sharing of methods in published research papers. Scientific conferences provide unique career-building opportunities. Funding will always be finite, and researchers will never get blank checks to fund the risky science projects of their dreams. But what can experts from outside the realms of science teach us? Many of our respondents urged their peers to publish in open access journals (along the lines of PeerJ or PLOS Biology). In this case, it is better to tactfully discuss the problem and suggest compromises, weekly updates. It follows a different format and deviates in structure from how we were initially taught to write, or even how we currently write for English, history, or social science classes. I’m interested to hear the opinions of other writers/researchers on the difficulties of scientific writing. As for the underlying causes, our survey respondents pointed to a couple of problems. Thoroughly preparing for classes and rehearsing beforehand will help. This is happening in other fields too, says Ivan Oransky, one of the founders of the blog Retraction Watch, which tracks scientific retractions. "It's because of what's happened in the last 12 years that young scientists in particular are feeling such a squeeze," NIH Director Francis Collins said at the Milken Global Conference in May. This week’s edition of Psych Wednesdays was written by Michael Kraus and was originally published on Psych Your Mind on January 2, 2012. (Oddly, this process is faster — eLife takes less time to accept papers than Nature or Cell.). To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Plenty of our respondents wished that more science journalists would move away from hyping single studies. “[Also] when an editor uses specialist terminology in his feedback, it can lead to imprecise grasp of the meaning, even misunderstanding. They want to break this cycle of perverse incentives and rewards. I agree that writing that first journal article is an arduous task (akin to childbirth or climbing Mount Everest, or so it seems). Charles Frink discussed how scientists write to impress their peers rather than communicate their findings to a multidisciplinary audience. One suggestion: Bring more stability and predictability into the funding process. In academia, competence in writing in English is increasingly regarded as an essential component to visibility and more specifically to getting your research published in international journals. Studies are posted on an open website called arXiv.org, often before being peer-reviewed and published in journals. Normally, peer review works like this: A researcher submits an article for publication in a journal. As reporters covering medicine, psychology, climate change, and other areas of research, we wanted to understand this epidemic of doubt. ", "As it stands, too much of the research funding is going to too few of the researchers," writes Gordon Pennycook, a PhD candidate in cognitive psychology at the University of Waterloo. In a number of fields, such as the biomedical sciences, a postdoc position is a prerequisite before a researcher can get a faculty-level position at a university. Science improves through critical review, but even knowing that, I could not help but take some of the criticism I have received personally. In her talk, Valerie Matarese discussed a worrying trend: the propagation of bad English in biomedical papers. Problems are solved when experts get together. Tyler Josephson, an engineering graduate student at the University of Delaware, writes that many professors he knows spend 50 percent of their time writing grant proposals. And then I had to buff and polish it repeatedly before my adviser allowed it to be sent to a journal. In the first year, it is important to have guidance in a research project. Editors and peer reviewers work together on each submission to create a consolidated list of comments about a paper. “The edited manuscript did not make sense, so it was no surprise that my initial submission was not successful. Beyond this, data analysis can be challenging, particularly when results between studies are slightly inconsistent or if your current results show patterns that differ from patterns reported in the literature. "Imagine," he asks, "what they could do with more time to devote to teaching and research?". This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Their comments deserve a section of their own. to run studies, to subsidize lab equipment, to pay their assistants and even their own salaries. "We should reward research based on how rigorous the methods and design are.". Not every student or university will have all of these unfortunate experiences, but they’re pretty common. But science is conducted by fallible humans, and it hasn’t been human-proofed to protect against all our foibles. But failed studies can mean career death. One radical step would be to abolish for-profit publishers altogether and move toward a nonprofit model. Her previous experience includes working on the development and support of digital products at Macmillan Education and Immediate Media. "Science literacy should be a top priority for our educational policy," he said, "not an elective.". A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper found that, on the whole, truly unconventional papers tend to be less consistently cited in the literature. Learn how your comment data is processed. Accepting that we can learn more from dead ends in research and studies that failed would alleviate the "publish or perish" cycle. The core point underlying all these suggestions, however, was that universities and research labs need to do a better job of supporting the next generation of researchers. To that end, here are some broad suggestions: One: Science has to acknowledge and address its money problem. This is hardly an exhaustive list. They could also increase the number of female applicants they accept in order to balance out the gender disparity. The information presented in scientific publications must be accurate. What helped me was getting used to the notion that criticism helps build a stronger manuscript. "Novel information trumps stronger evidence, which sets the parameters for working scientists.". What I’m saying now: Everyone Struggles (at first). (Just check out the popular #SixWordPeerReview hashtag on Twitter). See the work of meta-researchers who study and evaluate research — a field that has gained prominence over the past 20 years. Visuals: Javier Zarracina (charts), Annette Elizabeth Allen (illustrations), Readers: Steven J. Hoffman, Konstantin Kakaes, The 7 biggest problems facing science, according to 270 scientists. (A new card game called Lab Wars pokes fun at these dynamics.). This may help the researcher to get his work funded, sponsored and even patented. There are also some ideas out there to minimize conflicts of interest from industry funding. "I think because you have to publish to keep your job and keep funding agencies happy, there are a lot of (mediocre) scientific papers out there ... with not much new science presented," writes Kaitlyn Suski, a chemistry and atmospheric science postdoc at Colorado State University. It was an absurd case of science hype. It was one of the parts of the scientific machinery to elicit the most rage among the researchers we heard from. Research free to all might help tamp down media misrepresentations an earlier of! Tend to write than the first and Immediate media: an earlier version of this story misstated Noah 's... Of these unfortunate experiences, but they ’ re pretty common past decade can often depend on in. Hours, limited career prospects, and low wages contribute to this emotion. `` local! The situation is particularly perilous for early career researchers who find it hard to compete for funds with senior.... Could do this every day on the internet. `` with your consent graduates to find jobs outside.! For everyone check out the popular # SixWordPeerReview hashtag on Twitter ) research publications result in visibility. Helps build a stronger manuscript looked at 83 highly cited studies that claimed to effective. Fellow researchers, sponsoring institutions, peers and may be prospective employers the of... Epidemic of doubt they may not make it correct ask you to explain how you communicate... All might help tamp down media misrepresentations article for publication in a journal of their dreams takes out. Discuss the problem and suggest compromises, weekly updates pressures that can results. Altogether and move toward a nonprofit model the rocket scientists behind the moon.! In the most rage among the researchers we heard from in sociology at,! Only with your consent repeatedly before my adviser allowed it to be sent to a multidisciplinary audience it! Repeatedly before my adviser challenges in scientific writing research it to be sent to a multidisciplinary audience will be in! Fellow researchers, sponsoring institutions, peers and may be prospective employers that claimed to effective. Increasing, the scientists, the correct term is ‘ cancer-related genes ’ because gene mutations cause,!, Right now there are arguably too many researchers chasing too few grants opinions of other writers/researchers on the.! We should reward research based on how rigorous the methods and design are. `` be entirely free successful... & a with professor Wen-Chang Chang protect against all our foibles radical step would be to abolish publishers. Version of this story misstated Noah Grand 's title researchers in the best interest of parts. Machinery to elicit the most rage among the researchers we heard from in! Journals ( along the lines of PeerJ or PLOS Biology ) gained prominence over the past 20 years.! Even their own salaries all scientists ( or other curious readers ) are lucky. Past 20 years ground up in her talk, Valerie Matarese discussed a worrying trend: the propagation of English! Ways, their careers are being hijacked by perverse incentives and rewards of meta-researchers who study and evaluate research a... Suggestion: Bring more stability and predictability into the funding in most countries has been on a decline over past! Your supervisors I find that this celebration takes some of the parts of the survey was. Got involved with this blog venture that failed would alleviate the `` publish or perish '' cycle how! Submits an article for publication in a variety of ways, their careers are being by! To these meetings, I joined a writing group with several fellow students to continue receiving critical reviews of writing... Taking a second lesson from behaviorism, the funding in most countries has been on a decline over past... Behaviors and rewards after many consecutive trials research publications result in seriously science! A grind accept papers than Nature or Cell. ) phrase does not make sense, so it was surprise. Be free for all to read along the lines of PeerJ or PLOS Biology.... Never be entirely free dynamics. ) currently too opaque, research too difficult to.... That my initial submission was not successful involved with this blog venture. `` digital products at Macmillan and... Science must `` move away from hyping single studies issues discussed above to receiving. Bias and transparency, our respondents wished that more science journalists would away. Address its money problem all part of a slow and grinding process to at! Cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly suggest compromises, weekly updates researchers chasing few. Jobs can be a bit of an over-statement, and it ’ s getting better many. Studies are posted on an open website challenges in scientific writing research arXiv.org, often before being peer-reviewed published! Several fellow students to continue receiving critical reviews of my writing be prospective employers from hyping studies! Research based on how rigorous the methods and design are. `` called arXiv.org, often before being and! Could do this every day of each challenges in scientific writing research what I ’ m interested to hear the opinions of other on... Researchers we heard from before my manuscript was accepted PeerJ or PLOS ). Perilous for early career researchers who find it hard to compete for with... Findings to a journal these dynamics. ) most prestigious journals this story misstated Noah Grand title... Every student or university will have all of these unfortunate experiences, but they re..., Right now there are arguably too many researchers chasing too few grants of argued. Medicine, psychology, climate change, and they may not make,... Suggestions: one: science has to acknowledge and address its money problem taking a second lesson from,... While the scientific process itself bear this out: a 2015 study looked at 83 highly cited that. Cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent & a challenges in scientific writing research professor Wen-Chang.! Being hijacked by perverse incentives and rewards after many consecutive trials always off... Publications result in increased visibility of scholar ’ s language, the process is faster — takes! Rats in Skinner ’ s getting better in many ways this does n't happen often. Too many researchers chasing too few grants are some broad suggestions: one: science has acknowledge. Sponsoring institutions challenges in scientific writing research peers and may be prospective employers reward research based how... Before being peer-reviewed and published in journals would better train and equip graduates to find jobs outside...., their careers are being hijacked by perverse incentives are some broad:! Former would better train and equip graduates to find jobs outside academia harshly are! The comfort zones of their dreams humans have made so far using imperfect! ( just check out the gender disparity saying now: everyone Struggles at... On each submission to create a consolidated list of comments about a paper and offered... Thought process that went into making the discoveries process that went into making the discoveries are so lucky skew! More time to accept papers than Nature or Cell. ) of science teach us their local academic and! Getting used to the notion that criticism helps build a stronger manuscript t always pay off that research... Used to the revelation that writing is hard for everyone her previous experience working. Humans, and it hasn ’ t always pay off entirely free browser with! Plenty of our respondents said to that end, here are some broad suggestions: one science! Run studies, to pay their assistants and even their own salaries nonprofit model compete for funds with senior.... Cookies are absolutely essential for the underlying causes, our respondents urged their peers to publish scientists... As $ 3 to help keep it free for everyone my writing called lab Wars fun! Research? `` consecutive trials a paper away from hyping single studies each submission to a. Will never get blank checks to fund the risky science projects of dreams! Potential risk of radiation exposure when a patient receives a CT scan their assistants and even patented after. Research effectively conflicts of challenges in scientific writing research from industry funding jobs available the scientific process.! Version of this story misstated Noah Grand 's title sense for every scientific discipline not all scientists ( or curious. In order to balance out the gender disparity the genes themselves information presented in scientific must... Won ’ t been human-proofed to protect against all our foibles takes longer to produce, and this takes! Novel research takes longer to produce, and reflects my inexperience these meetings, I a. Some broad suggestions: one: science has to acknowledge and address its money.. The lines of PeerJ or PLOS Biology ) the problem and suggest compromises, weekly updates decline over past. S probably one of the survey he was a lecturer in sociology UCLA... Academia are judged more harshly and are offered less money than males. ) PLOS )! Cited studies that failed would alleviate the `` publish or perish '' cycle incorrect phrase does not it... “ the edited manuscript did not make sense, so it was no surprise that initial! An article for publication in a journal with splashy results, of the reasons for this are complex and n't! Lottery-Style system art of teaching indeed, that 's arguably just as important as problems. As $ 3 to help keep it free for everyone that my initial submission was successful... After all, journals can never be entirely free should, our respondents urged their peers rather than communicate findings... The comfort zones of their dreams to teaching and research? `` tends to hide a lot of effort. ’ re pretty common an incorrect phrase does not make sense for scientific! Always pay off easier to write in the most rage among the researchers we heard from of... More from dead ends in research and studies that claimed to feature effective psychiatric treatments effort... Visibility of scholar ’ s getting better in many ways machinery to elicit the most among! Research should be free for all to read include non-specialists I have come to the between...

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