Each time you are planning to publish a paper, it is generally anticipated that you will read thoroughly instructions or guidelines for authors. It actually helps you ensure that your manuscript is written and published according to the standards of the journal. But the fact is that very few authors rigidly follow the instructions. Even though you may eventually edit your manuscript in accordance with the instructions, still you need to remember a few points to ensure that your manuscript is mistake free. So, let us now discuss how not to write your manuscript.

Do not write inconsistent manuscript
If you research, you will come to know that most of the authors do not maintain consistency while writing a paper. The words usage is not uniform throughout the manuscript. If you do not maintain consistency, it can lead to extreme confusion for the editors. For instance, if you are using the word “girl” for a particular individual in your paper, keep referring to the individual as girl throughout the manuscript. Do not use the word “female” or “lady”. It can create confusion.

Do not use wrong citations
Before writing the manuscript, do check the type of citation which your intended journal accepts. The fact is that various citation styles are used, like numbers, alphanumeric, name and year and so on. So, if you choose the wrong citations, you may eventually end up correcting the mistakes later on, which can consume significant amount of your time. So, check out the citation style which is accepted by the journal and then use citations accordingly.

Do not use wrong reference styling
Similar to citations, nowadays different journals have their separate reference styling and formatting. Do you know that nowadays manuscripts are largely rejected due to wrong reference styling? So, ensure that you are using the right reference styling before drafting your manuscript.

Do not use self-created abbreviations
If you research, you will discover that various authors use non-standard and self-created abbreviations in their manuscript. They actually forget or ignore the fact that their manuscript is going to be published internationally as well and will therefore have a global reach. For this reason, using non-standard and self-created abbreviations should be ignored. In fact, the authors need to use abbreviations that are standard and largely used by all both nationally and globally.

Consider the aforementioned points and do not make these mistakes in your manuscript.