How to write and publish a scientific paper from clutter to clarity

Good scientific writing is not a matter of life and death; it is much more serious than that. The goal of scientific research is publication. Scientists, starting as graduate students, are measured primarily not by their skill in laboratory manipulations, 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 keystone 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 database that we call scientific knowledge.It is not necessary for the Blacksmith who makes and repairs things to write about servicing, 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 she did, why it was done, how it was done, and what was learned from it.