Structure

1 Check the scope of the targeted journal and any specific requirements, e.g. RSER requires the study to fit within the SDG. –  Important!

2 Put your main point into your title?

3 Make it easy for readers to tell from your title and your abstract what is new and important about your work?

4 Effective abstracts include: Background statement, Problem statement/rationale, Aim/objective/purpose, Methods, Results, and Core Conclusion.

5 Structured results: Does each paragraph deliver a key message, stated clearly at the beginning or end?

6 Comprehensive discussion includes: Summarize conclusions and achievements, comparative literature, indicating limitations, propose solutions to problems, propose new suggestions for the future outlook.

7 Tried to reduce your paper to its skeleton by making a one-page outline of it? Is the logic flow smooth? Might help you see if your paper is organized in the best possible way.

8 Is all information presented (text and figures) essential to support your main storyline and findings? others should go to SI.

9 SI contains enough information for readers to reproduce your work.

Figures

10 Basics: high resolution, visible font size, concise and accurate text with no spelling errors; order of captions follows the flow of the text.

11 For multi-panel figures, ensure strict alignment of subplot borders; it is recommended to add a box around the entire figure or key subplots and use inward-facing ticks.

12 Color Scheme and Contrast: Choose a clean, professional color scheme ensuring high contrast for easy differentiation of data series;

13 Consistent Font Type: All text within figures (titles, axis labels, legends, annotations) should use a consistent sans-serif font (e.g., Arial, Helvetica), ideally matching or recommended by the journal.

14 Font Size: Font sizes within a figure should be consistent and hierarchical (e.g., axis labels slightly larger than tick labels), ensuring legibility when scaled to final publication size (typically no smaller than 6-8pt).

15 Axis Labels and Units: All axes must have clear labels, and units should be specified (using standard abbreviations, in parentheses or separated by a slash).

16 Axis tick marks should be clear, appropriately numerous, and reasonably spaced; if background grid lines are used, they should be fine and light to avoid obscuring the data.

17 The legend should clearly explain all symbols or lines used and be placed where it doesn't obscure data and is easy to find

18 For multi-panel figures, label subplots consistently (a, b, c...), maintain similar sizing and style across panels, and arrange them in a logical flow.

19 Avoid Chart Junk: Remove unnecessary decorative elements like patterned backgrounds, 3D effects (unless essential), excessive colors, or lines that don't convey information (chart junk).

20 Last but most importantly: Strive for a high “Data-Ink Ratio”, meaning the "ink" used to display data should dominate, maximizing information transfer efficiency.

Writing

21 TOC/Graphic abstract tells the story of your article and provides a general view of an article for better comprehension.

22 Scheme 1 proposes the hypothesis of your study or raise the problem.

23 Make sure all your verbs and subjects match. Plural verbs have plural subjects. Singular verbs have singular subject.

24 Spelled the same name exactly the same way throughout your paper.

NOT “Bragg. Brag”

BUT BRAGG every time!

25 Change nouns to adjectives when necessary.

NOT “three dimension ordered array”

BUT “three dimensional ordered array”

26 Use active verbs rather than passive verbs as much as possible.

NOT “The effects were investigated. ”

BUT “We investigated the effects”

27 Find a way to break a sentence that’s much too long (over 4 lines) into two sentences.

28 Break up a paragraph that is way too long into two paragraphs.

29 Remove all contractions, such as “can’t” or “couldn’t” and changed them to “cannot” or “could not”.

30 Move “however” away from the beginning of sentences to a spot later in a sentence where it sounds better?

31 Make all your abbreviations the same.

NOT 48 hrs 3 hours 2h five h

BUT 48h 3h 2h 5h

32 Use strong definite words.

NOT “We have been interested in”

BUT “We have focused on”

33 Use parallel wording where you lead your readers to expect it?

NOT “not only for fabricating. .but also for reduction”

BUT “not only for fabricating. but also for reducing. ”

OR “not only for the formation of. . .but also for the elimination of. . ”

Don’t mix words ending in “ing” with “ion” words.

34 Did you use “later” when you meant “latter”?

Formatting

35 Made all equivalent items look the same?

NOT “scheme 1 Scheme 2”

BUT “Scheme 1. Scheme 2”

36 Use Fig. not Fig

37 Follow the reference format for the journal you are submitting to?

38 Proofread your references? Made sure that a journal title, no matter how often it occurs, is always spelled the same way.

39 Spell out numbers one through nine, except in the case of units of measure or time. For these, and for values of 10 and higher, use Arabic numerals. Always spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence if the sentence cannot be rearranged to avoid starting with a number. Use different number styles when putting two numbers next to each other.

Fifteen days previously… NOT 15 days previously…

Five 50-kg women, NOT 5 50-kg women

40 One space between a number and a unit

41 Use a virgule (/) for proportions, and a colon (:) for ratios:

42 Spell out fractions that modify nouns:

Half the cases showed…

43 When writing a range or series, give the unit after the final item:

NOT 25 mg–30 mg

BUT 25–30 mg

44 Do not insert a space on either side of an en-dash (–):

NOT The three sites — Taipei, Shanghai, and Bangkok — all experienced severe weather events in the time period studied.

BUT The three sites—Taipei, Shanghai, and Bangkok—all experienced severe weather events in the time period studied.

Ways of Working

45 Ask a friend or a native English speaker to read your paper and tell you what’s confusing or unclear.

46 Stop working on your paper for a day? To see and hear your words better when you look at it again.

47 Spell checked the whole paper? Have you run a spell check on the entire document (including captions and references)?

48 Proofread your paper 3 times? At least!

49 Read your paper aloud to yourself?

Questions to Ask Yourself:

• Have I thoroughly read the journal's "Guide for Authors"?

• Can the title capture the essence of my paper in under 15 words?

• Does my abstract clearly state the research gap and how my study addresses it?

• Does each sentence in my abstract contribute essential information without unnecessary jargon?

• Is the presentation of my results logical and easy for readers to follow?

• Does my discussion go beyond restating results and truly interpret the meaning of my findings?

• Is each figure/table self-explanatory, requiring minimal effort from the reader to understand?

• Are there any logical gaps or abrupt transitions in my argument from introduction to conclusion?

• Is there any content that could be moved to Supplementary Information (SI) without weakening the main argument?

• Have you provided all necessary parameters, code (if applicable), and detailed methodological descriptions in the SI?

• Are all my figures visually appealing and informative? Is it up to publication standard?

• Does this scheme help readers quickly grasp the starting point and theoretical framework of my research?

• Have you used spell-check and grammar-check tools, followed by manual proofreading?

• Are all abbreviations defined at first use and consistently applied throughout?

• Have I updated my EndNote library, no duplication? and have I double-checked each citation for accuracy?