Ten simple rules for structuring papers

Abstract

Good scientific writing is essential to career development and to the progress ofscience. A well-structured manuscript allows readers and reviewers to get excited about the subject mat- ter, to understand and verify the paper’s contributions, and to integrate these contributions into a broader context. However, many scientists struggle with producing high-quality manu- scripts and are typically untrained in paper writing. Focusing on how readers consume infor- mation, we present a set often simple rules to help you communicate the main idea ofyour paper. These rules are designed to make your paper more influential and the process ofwriting more efficient and pleasurable.