For graduate students, undergraduates, and postdoctoral fellows

Draft Done: The ultimate checklist for writing and publishing your manuscript

A step-by-step guide to help you write, edit, and submit your research paper with confidence.

Writing and publishing a scientific paper is overwhelming—especially if no one ever taught you how to do it the right way. This step-by-step checklist breaks down the entire process into clear, actionable steps, so you can write, edit, and submit your manuscript with confidence.

What you’ll get:

  • A structured process for writing your paper from start to finish

  • Common pitfalls to avoid when analyzing data, structuring your paper, and crafting your figures

  • Proven strategies for choosing the right journal and handling peer review

  • Guidelines for figures, methods, and discussion—so you always know what to write next

Feeling lost in the writing process?

You know you have to write a paper, but you don't know where to start, what to do next, or what to finish with?

You're just stuck in a mountain of random To-Do's that you can't seem to prioritize?

This is your guide!

Let me give you my step-by-step process for how I write papers that get accepted into high-impact journals.

No more guesswork!

You're welcome. ;)

Hey there!

Hey! I'm Julia Koehler Leman and I'm the nerd who LOVES writing papers and teaching others on how to do the same.

I have almost two decades of experience as a scientist in Computational Biology and software engineering. I have a PhD, done two postdocs, and even turned down faculty positions - but that's a story for another time.

Back in 2006, my first first-author paper took 18 months (and endless revisions). My second? Two weeks, minimal edits, and a Best Paper Award. Since then, I’ve refined the process—my rejection rate is around 3%, and my papers land in high-impact journals.

I love mentoring and teaching grad students, undergrads, and postdocs like you to do the same, as I've done for over 17 years. My passion is to make you successful through scientific communication because most people aren't getting the right support.

Ready to solve your biggest writing struggles? Let’s chat—no strings attached.