The Man of Science appears to be the only man who has something to say just now---and the only man who does not know how to say it.
          ----Sir James Barrie

          There are four things that make this world go round; love, energy, materials, and information. We see about us a critical shortage of the first commodity, a near-critical shortage of the second, increasing shortage of the third, but an absolute glut of the fourth.

          We in science, of necessity, must contribute to the glut. But let us do it with love, especially love of the English language, which is the cornerstone of our intellectual heritage.... Let us also do it with energy, the energy we need to put into the scientific paper so that the reader will not need to use much energy to get the information out of the paper.... And let us husband our materials, especially our words, so that we do not waste inordinate quantities of paper and ink in trying to tell the reader more than we know or more than the reader wants to know.

          Whether or not one wholly subscribes to the "publish or perish" adage, there is no question that the goal of scientific research is publication. Scientists, starting as ... students, are measured primarily not by their dexterity in laboratory manipulation, not by their innate knowledge of either broad or narrow scientific subjects, and certainly not by their wit or charm; they are measured, and become known (or remain unknown), by their publications.

          A scientific experiment, no matter how spectacular the results, is not completed until the results are published. In fact, the cornerstone of the philosophy of science is based on the fundamental assumption that original research must be published; only thus can new scientific knowledge be authenticated and then added to the existing data base that we call science. This concept was given added weight when it was accepted as a matter of national policy. Current government policy, first proclaimed in 1961 and restated in 1974 by the Federal Council of Science and Technology, states: "The publication of research results is an essential part of the research process. This has been recognized in part through authorization to pay publication costs from federal research grant and contract funds."

          It is not necessary for the plumber to write about pipes, nor is it necessary for the lawyer to write about cases (except brief writing), but the research scientist, perhaps uniquely among the trades and professions, must provide a written document showing what he or she did, why it was done, how it was done, and what was learned from it.

          Thus the scientist must not only "do" science but must "write" science. Although good writing does not lead to the publication of bad science, bad writing can and often does prevent or delay the publication of good science. Unfortunately, the education and training of scientists are often so overwhelmingly committed to science that the communication arts are neglected or ignored. In short, many good scientists are poor writers. Certainly, many scientists do not like to write. As Charles Darwin said, "A naturalist's life would be a happy one if he had only to observe and never to write."

----Robert A. Day, 1983. How to write and publish a scientific paper, 2nd ed.
      Philadelphia: ISI Press, p. ix.