As a busy researcher it can be hard to find the time to start improving your writing, but it doesn’t have to be.

My first approach of writing better started right after starting my PhD. Although at the time that was not the main reason why I did what I did.

I started with doing background reading, just to get the lay of the land so to speak. I soon figured that without putting in some structure I would forget what I found out. So, I wrote down some questions which I wanted answers to and started reading accordingly.

The second thing I did was actually literally copying the bits of text from papers that where relevant in answering those questions I had. Not realising at the time, but this greatly contributed to improving my English.

Because every time you write a text, especially when you do it by hand your brain registers it. Etching a pathway for how a specific kind of text should look like. How its grammar works, how to spell the words etc. And also, if you choose the text that you copy wisely, how to write good readable bits of text.

After having read a couple of articles that each provided some part of the answer to my questions, I sat down to answering the question in my own words. Those short summaries I then showed to my supervisors, asking them to correct my grammar and spelling. Spell and grammar check in Word were still in its infancy and could not completely relied on.

But in addition to just correcting my grammar and spelling, my supervisors also told me how to get it right the next time. They explained the rules. Not just of English grammar and spelling, but also on scientific writing. Why you couldn’t use certain phrases. How to write gene and protein names so readers could distinguish between then without you having to add ‘gene’ or ‘protein’ after the name. And more.

It also gave me interesting discussions with my supervisors about what I had read. About how they would, at first instance, not believe that the plant embryo had a cell called the hypophysis. Thinking I made a spelling mistake. I didn’t. Look it up if you don’t believe me. It is located there were the embryo meets the suspensor that connects the embryo with its mother plant.

I am not telling you to do as I did at the start of my PhD, although I don’t stop you either. But what I hope you get from this post is that you don’t have to wait with improving your writing till you have results to write up. You can start with little things right now. Like summaries of what you read, or daily reflections of your work in the lab. But honestly anything will do. But the essential bit is to go over your writing after you wrote it, try improving it.

Prompt

Today’s prompt is set out in two parts.

First set a timer at 1 minute and write down as many questions you have, or need to answer, about your current project. You probably get some between 2 and 5.

Then for each question set your timer at 5 min and do a brain dump from what you already know. Afterwards go over this, read it out load and improve your writing where it feels off. Correct your spelling and grammar mistakes you made while writing in haste. And annotate where you need references, bonus point if you can pull out the reference out of your head. Also note what you still need to look up.

Feel free to post in the comments some of what you came up with or any questions you have about how to improve your writing.

Happy writing