Last week, I had the pleasure of discussing some of the best practices in scientific writing with on Daniel Shae’s Scholarly Communication podcast. Together with co-author Houari Sahraoui, we analyzed our award-winning MODELS paper “Digital Twins for Cyber-Biophysical Systems: Challenges and Lessons Learned“. (Pre-print available here: https://istvandavid.com/files/models-2023-dt4cbps-preprint.pdf.)
This paper has been particularly challenging (though extremely fun) to write due to its layered and symmetrical structure. However, as we discuss this with Houari, symmetry and logical structure, as well as strategically placed figures, improve readability by reducing the cognitive effort required for processing information. Good thing that we also know a thing or two about visual modeling languages and instantiation (between figures, that is), as those come in handy in crafting economical yet expressive figures. In my experience as a reviewer, visual support is particularly strong in MDE papers, which makes them a pleasant read in general.
Take a listen: https://newbooksnetwork.com/guide-the-reader-toward-your-way-of-thinking.
(Be warned that I haven’t been able to listen to my own voice since my unheralded rockstar years—some 1.5 decades ago. Proceed at your own risk.)