Epilogue: The (Written) Road to Scientific Knowledge Diffusion

Chapter 20 — Epilogue: The (Written) Road to Scientific Knowledge Diffusion Executing science creates evidence. Writing science diffuses it. This epilogue guides the researcher through the final step of the scientific process: communicating findings to the scholarly community in a way that informs what others should think and believe—and gives them questions worth pursuing. It introduces the BEC (backdrop, evidence, conclusions) approach to structuring academic papers at every level, discusses leveraging theory of mind and an eight-step “inside out” writing approach, and closes with five necessary conditions that give the novice author confidence their work is ready to share.

1. The final piece of the scientific process is diffusion of your research insights, which most often comes via communicating to the scientific community, demanding two key considerations: paper structure and writing style.
2. A BEC (backdrop, evidence, conclusions) approach defines the structure of an academic paper on several levels: within paragraphs, within sections, and as a whole.
3. Leveraging theory of mind and understanding your writing production function aid in communication effectiveness and creating visible scientific output.
4. Passing five necessary conditions gives the neophyte author confidence that the overarching structure and writing style are conveying the intended message.