THE PROCESS OF

WRITING SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

Parlindungan Pardede
Christian University of Indonesia

Presented on the Scientific Writing Workshop held by The English

Teaching Study Program of the Christian University of Indonesia
(UKI) & Journal of English Teaching (JET)
April 29—May 27, 2011
 WRITING PROCESS
• Writing is like making a trip. It necessitates
plan, getting lost, retrials (repeating the same
routes twice or more times) until you reach
your destination.
• Writing does not happen all at one time.
Rather, many steps are required from the time
you first think about a piece of writing until
the time that you consider yourself finished.
 WRITING PROCESS

PRE-
WRITING
PUBLISH-
ING

DRAFTING

EDITING /
PROOF-
READING
REVISING
 PREWRITING

PRE-
Prewriting = idea-generation stage
WRITING (Plan your journey)
• Discover, determine & percolate Ideas
PUBLISH-
ING to write
• Lists things which are related to the
DRAFTING topic (Use note book or cards)
• Organize the ideas (Use mind-
mapping or clustering)
EDITING / • Write an outline
PROOF-
READING
• Find information to fill the gaps (read
journals, textbooks, etc.)
REVISING
• Discussing/talk to other people
• Freewrite!
 DRAFTING

PRE-
WRITING

Drafting= first trial to put the

PUBLISH-
ING collected information into words
• Drafting needs to be done several
DRAFTING
time. No-one gets it right first time.
• Like taking a trip, each time you
EDITING / write a draft you are more
PROOF-
READING knowledgeable than you were
REVISING previously and, thus, better
prepared to write.
 REVISING
Revising= A.R.R.R. (Adding, Rearranging,
Removing, Replacing)
Adding:
PRE-
WRITING • What else does the reader need to know?
• If you haven’t met the required word-count, what
PUBLISH- areas could be expanded? (Go back to your
ING
prewriting notes to get ideas you didn’t use).

DRAFTING Rearranging
Do you need to reorder your paragraphs to make
your argument flow better?
EDITING /
PROOF-
READING
Removing
Drop anything irrelevant!
REVISING

Replacing
Is it better to present data in table or graph than in
paragraph?
Is there any out-of-date citation you can replace
with more recent on?
 EDITING

PRE-
Editing/Proofing = the act of making
WRITING certain that the terms are consistent,
spelling is correct, the grammar is
PUBLISH-
ING accurate, and the mechanics is proper.
• Print out your work and edit on paper.
DRAFTING It’s usually easier to spot mistakes this
way.
• If possible, show your writing to
EDITING / someone else (a writers’ circle, a
PROOF-
READING
friend who’s good with words, or a
lecturer. Ask them for feedback. It’s
REVISING
best if you can show your work to
several people, so that you can get
more than one opinion.
 WRITING PROCESS

PRE-
WRITING
Publishing = getting a piece into the
hands of a lecturer, teacher,
PUBLISH-
ING
examiner, a journal, or a publisher.

DRAFTING

EDITING /
PROOF-
READING

REVISING
WHERE TO START?

• Writing a manuscript is not a linear

process. It’s not necessary to begin
with the Abstract and Introduction
and end with References.
• Start with Methods, then the
Results, Discussion, etc.
• After completing, check and recheck
your manuscripts
 Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing= the three ways of

incorporating other writers' work to support your own writing.

• Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow

segment of the source. They must match the source document
word for word and must be attributed to the original author.
• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into
your own words. It must also be attributed to the original source.
Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage,
taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing
it slightly.
• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own
words, including only the main point(sSummaries are significantly
shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source
material.
 Uses of Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries

• To provide support for claims or add credibility to your

writing
• To Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now
doing
• To give examples of several points of view on a subject
• To call attention to a position that you wish to agree or
disagree with
• To highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or
passage by quoting the original
• To expand the breadth or depth of your writing
RECOMMENDED BOOKS