- Spell check and Grammar check then follow the suggested changes.
- Use active voice not passive voice
- Avoid phrases like “it has been shown” or “has been implicated in”
- Do not start a sentence with the word “It”
- Never use the phrase “The fact that”
- Never use the phrase “In order to” (Use “To…” instead)
- Avoid statements about evolution. Do you really know why something has evolved?
- Do not personify proteins. Proteins are not people and do not think
- Avoid the metaphor “plays a role in”. It is used all the time and says very little.
- Avoid statements of belief. Reviewers don’t care what you believe. They do care what you hypothesize.
- Do not use adverbs like “really” or “very”
- Avoid jargon like “run a gel”
- Define every acronym
- Reference everything, if possible use primary literature instead of reviews
- Avoid stating that something is interesting. Perhaps use the word “Importantly” instead.
- Break up paragraphs into reasonable sizes. Readers get bored and distracted during long paragraphs.
- Add graphics, bullet points, or tables whenever possible to break up the text.
- Look at the text from the perspective of a reviewer. The reviewer is unlikely to start by reading your first sentence. Typically, they will skim the grant/paper and make some preliminary judgement before reading anything. Draw the reviewer’s attention to important points using figures, bold, italics, line breaks, etc….
Figure examples: