  The number of research papers written has been growing at least linearly --
if not exponentially -- in recent years. In proportion, the amount of time a
reader allocates per paper has been decreasing. While an accessible paper will
be appreciated by a large audience, hard-to-read papers may remain obscure for
a long time regardless of scientific merit. Unfortunately, there is still
insufficient emphasis on good written and oral communication skills in
technical disciplines, especially in engineering.
  As an academic, I have realised over the years that I keep telling my
students the same things over and over again when they write papers, reports,
presentations, and theses. This article contains some of those suggestions and
serves as a limited template for organising research articles. I have adopted a
very practical and personal approach and don't claim that this is a formal
contribution to the scientific communication literature. However, I hope that
this article will not only make my life a bit easier but also help other
graduate students and academic supervisors.
