In this blog post, Martin Nuñez, one of Journal of Applied Ecology’s Senior Editors tells us about the importance of being able to write effectively and how his latest book can help researchers to do just that.
Working as an editor for Journal of Applied Ecology has made me think a lot about the barriers researchers face in getting their papers published. There are many barriers and we have published many Editorials on this (see here for an example). One of the biggest barriers is the set of unspoken rules of scientific writing and publishing. Senior researchers usually learn these over time, but for many early-career researchers, they can be a frustrating mystery. I wrote this book to help change that.
When I was an undergraduate lab assistant, I thought writing papers would be a minor step compared to actually doing research. I quickly learned it was one of the biggest challenges. Like most researchers in Latin America, I didn’t grow up speaking English, so writing a scientific manuscript felt overwhelming—sometimes more so than developing research questions or collecting data.
Over the past 20+ years—as a student, researcher, and now editor—I’ve seen countless great ideas never reach publication. Sometimes the manuscript lacks structure. Sometimes avoidable mistakes in replying to reviewers end up in a rejecton. And often, writing simply feels so hard that we put it off.
I’ve been there. Early in my career, writing often felt impossible. Even after moving to the U.S. for my PhD, it remained a challenge. But I was determined to improve. I paid attention to what prolific writers were doing, asked questions, made (many) mistakes, and kept going. I still remember when I got two rejection emails for the same paper in one day (yes, it’s possible!).
This new book is the guide I wish I had 20 years ago. It distills everything I’ve learned: how to structure a paper, choose the right journal, respond to reviewers, and avoid common pitfalls. It’s short, practical, and (I hope) easy to read. I even added comics by Walter Policelli to make the process a bit more enjoyable (see some examples in this post).
My goal is to make this book especially useful for early-career researchers, particularly those from the Global South or anyone facing barriers to writing and publishing. I know how isolating the process can feel, and I hope this guide makes it more manageable—and maybe even a little fun.
We don’t need to be brilliant writers (I’m not!). But if we want to share our findings—or, more practically, earn a degree or get a job in science—we do need to make writing happen. If you’re working on a manuscript, mentoring students, or just want to better understand publishing, I think this book can help.
After years of learning from the Journal of Applied Ecology community, I hope this book gives something back. It’s my first, so I’d love your feedback. You can find it here.
