Effective scientific writing

PSYC 11: Laboratory in Psychological Science

Jeremy R. Manning
Dartmouth College
Spring 2026

Pieces of a paper

  • Title: one-line take-home message that attracts interest
  • Abstract: 250--500 word summary (question, approach, findings)
  • Introduction: your question, why it matters, what is already known
  • Methods: what you did (participants, experiment, analyses)
  • Results: what you found (figures + stats that tell a story)
  • Discussion: what it means, broader context, future directions

The common thread

  • Every section reminds the reader of the question, the approach, and the key findings
  • Different sections emphasize different aspects
  • A reader should be able to get the gist from any single section
  • Introduction: focus on the question and summarize the approach and findings
  • Methods: focus on the approach and summarize the question and findings
  • Results: focus on the findings and summarize the question and approach
  • Discussion: summarize everything and then situate the work within the broader context of the literature

What makes writing effective?

  • Easy to read: clear sentences, logical flow
  • Empathetic: written for the reader, not the author
  • Concise: say what you need to say and then stop
  • Trustworthy: claims are supported by evidence
  • Interesting: the reader wants to keep going

How much should you write?

  • Never write to "fill space"
  • Include something if (and only if) it is:
    • Directly relevant to your core message
    • Necessary for someone to reproduce or understand what you did
    • Adding a specific tangible element to your story
  • When in doubt, cut it

Example discussion paragraph

In this study, we were basically interested in looking at whether or not there might be some kind of relationship between the amount of sleep that college students get and their ability to remember things that they learned in class. We think this is important because sleep is something that affects a lot of people and memory is also very important for students.

  • What is wrong with this paragraph?
  • How would you rewrite it to be clearer and more concise?
  • Discuss with a partner, then we will share revisions as a class

Principles for revision

  • Cut filler words: "basically," "some kind of," "whether or not," "interestingly," "very," "really," "actually," etc.
  • Be specific: replace vague claims with concrete ones
  • Cite everything: if you make a claim, you must back it up with concrete evidence— either your own data or a citation to someone else's
  • Use active voice: "we examined" not "it was examined by us"
  • One idea per sentence: if a sentence does two things, split it
  • Read it aloud: if you stumble, your reader will too

Empathy as a writing strategy

  • Put yourself in the reader's position
  • What would you want to read about?
  • What would you find interesting, convincing, worth your time?
  • The best scientific writing feels like a conversation with a knowledgeable friend

The critical consideration is that you are responsible for everything in your final paper. You can use GenAI to help you write, but you must ensure that the final product is accurate, clear, and reflects your own thinking.

GenAI is (generally) good at:

  • Fleshing out ideas into prose (but specify tone and style, edit into your own voice)
  • Rephrasing sentences to be clearer and more concise (but check that the meaning is preserved!)
  • Formatting stats and references (but check that everything is correct and properly cited!)

GenAI is (generally) bad at:

  • Guessing what's interesting or important to your reader
  • Organizing your paper into a coherent story
  • Ensuring that your claims are supported by evidence
  • Constructing a set of self-consistent ideas

Your paper: getting started

  • Start with an outline: map your story before writing sentences
  • Write the Methods section first (you already know what you did). Think: Drawing Lab!
  • Then Results (Data Sleuthing Lab!), then Introduction (Pitch Lab!), then Discussion (Literature Review Lab!)
  • The Abstract comes last
  • Send me anything you'd like feedback on! Sending a PDF via Slack works best. I'll try to get back to you within 2 business days, but the sooner you send it, the better.

Questions? Want to chat more?

📧 Email me
💬 Join our Slack
💁 Come to office hours
  • Monday:: No class (Memorial Day)
  • Wednesday and Friday: TA-led "work on your projects" time
  • June 1: project wrap-up
  • June 3: public poster session + all final deliverables due (11:59pm)