The main mistakes to look for- format

Hi everyone and welcome back to our Review on writing an academic paper by and for PhD students. My name is Heloise, and in this video we will now go through some of the main and common mistakes in the form that you have to avoid to ensure that your paper is not desk rejected right away. So first of all improper language, spelling mistakes, typos all these are a no go. You should always be very mindful of your writing because it can convey the feeling that the paper, and the authors are not very rigorous nor up to the journal’s standards. You will want to make sure that everything is crystal clear, that there is no long sentence, that you are always writing in an active voice for English papers and not a passive one. And there is no need for complicated words, so just make it simple and straight to the point. If you are like the rest of us, you will know its hard to correct your own paper. So try and find proofreading buddies. Some friends who will read your paper, and to whom you will return the favor. If English is not your native language, it is always a good idea to use a professional copy editor. But do it when the final version of the paper is available, because this service of language editing is very costly. If you have submission deadlines, don’t forget to take this time factor into account. Then there are some common format oversights, like forgetting the paper’s pagination, something which really frustrates reviewers since it prevents them from referring to a specific page in their comments. Also, watch out for improper bibliographical styles. Always make sure you know the right rules for the journal you are targeting. And always make sure you are respecting their quoting styles. For that, you can often download a template or the writing rules on the website or the journal. And we’ll also tell you the words limit and all the guidelines that you have to comply with regarding the paragraphs, the font and the size and so on. Another important point is the adequate organization of the paper. Make sure you have clear sections and subsections as well as short introduction paragraphs or conclusion ones. This helps clarify the argumentation and makes it easier for the reader to follow. Also, verify that the titles of sections, of figures and tables, of the paper itself, are the right ones. That they correspond exactly to what you are showing in the paragraph, in the table, in the figure, and in the paper itself. If you have specific form requirements in your discipline, make sure you comply with them. And that’s it for this session, thank you very much for watching and good luck with your work. Stay tuned for the last video.