Who should read this book and why? -- Why does writing feel so hard? -- Part I -- Story -- How to choose the key point of your paper -- How to choose the supporting results -- How to write the abstract -- How to choose the title -- Part II -- Outline -- The power of outlining -- How to write the introduction, Part I: Structure -- How to write the introduction, Part II: a four-paragraph template -- How to write the introduction, Part III: the lede -- How to write the materials and methods -- How to write the results, Part I: figures -- How to write the results, Part II: text -- How to write the discussion -- Part III -- Words -- How does your reader read? -- How to write your first draft -- How to edit your first draft -- Tips for revising content and structure -- Tips for editing sentences -- Part IV -- It's not over yet -- How to write the cover letter -- How to deal with reviews.

"What if writing scientific papers was faster, easier, and a bit less painful? This book provides a step-by-step, top-down approach that makes it easier to turn your hard-won results into papers that your fellow scientists want to read and cite. You'll learn how to outline your paper from top to down, how to develop your story, and how to think about what you write before you write it. You'll also learn how to deal with many issues that writers of science commonly face, from the fear of the blank apge to critical reviews"