Writing a paper for publication in a journal

First write the Methods section, largely derived from your initial research protocol, and perhaps during the experimental phase of the work itself so that all details are included. Construct all of the figures and tables that contain the data included in the work, and then write the Results section.

One way to get a head start is to publish one or two papers with your supervisor as the co-author. Since he/she is likely to have a substantial number of publications to his/her credit and is probably a known name in the field, it will be easier to publish in a renowned journal.

While you are deciding what you want to write about, an initial warm up that works is to write for five minutes, in sentences, in answer to the question: 'What writing for publication have you done [or the closest thing to it], and what do you want to do in the long, medium and short term?'.

The methods can therefore be described first, with the report of results, the discussion and the conclusions following. Once you know the contents of these parts, the introduction, background, abstract and list of references can be added. Be sure to take the time to assess your methods, analyse your results and interpret your findings thoroughly.