When writing scientific papers, the first step is often the hardest. Rather than waiting for everything to be perfect, you should view writing as an open process. Just start with what you already know, whether it’s a rough outline, fragments of thoughts, or individual sentences – just get something down on paper.
Consider writing as a tool for thinking: through writing, you develop your ideas further. What’s important is that you start early, write regularly, and allow yourself to revise texts rather than expecting perfection from the start.
Pro Tip
“Struggling to formulate your draft? Correcting every sentence immediately without making progress? Don’t fear the blank page! I recommend writing things down emotionally first.”
– Prof. Dr. Christine Niebler
This might sound like:
“The stupid measurement setup failed. Some idiot unplugged the device while it was running. After that, the calibration was lost, and it took me two hours to get everything back up and running.”
Remove all emotional/personal content during revision. The text already sounds more scientific:
“The measurement setup failed. During a power outage, the device lost its calibration.”
This text is revised again to highlight connections and conclusions:
“The measurement setup lost its calibration due to a power outage, which prevented a safe shutdown of the system. The cause was identified as the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) only maintaining power for 20 min.. Due to system upgrades, the shutdown process (see Table XY) took an average of 22 min. – therefore, the UPS or shutdown procedure must be adjusted.”
Frequently asked questions
How do I start my writing process?
Allow yourself to first formulate your thoughts in a draft text and organize them before refining the text into its proper form in several revision loops.
How do I revise my draft text?
First, remove all personal or emotional content. In the next revision, focus on clarifying connections and drawing conclusions.
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This article was published in August 2025 and last updated in November 2024.