For graduate students, undergraduates, and postdoctoral fellows

Top 12 Time Traps: Avoid the

12 biggest Time Traps in scientific writing

Struggling to write your paper?

Learn the 12 mistakes that waste 80% of your time—and what to do instead!

Writing and publishing a scientific paper shouldn’t feel like an uphill battle. Yet, many junior scientists unknowingly fall into common time-wasting traps that slow them down. This guide will help you recognize and avoid these pitfalls, so you can write smarter, not harder.

What you’ll get:

  • The 12 biggest time-wasting mistakes scientists make

  • How to streamline your writing and publishing process

  • Proven strategies to save time and publish faster

Feeling stuck in the writing process?

You’re working on your paper, but somehow, it’s taking forever.

Endless edits, unclear feedback, constant rewrites—you’re trapped in a cycle that wastes 80% of your time.

But there's a better way.

This guide breaks down the 12 biggest time-wasting mistakes scientists make when writing and publishing their papers—so you can avoid them and get your paper done faster with less frustration.

Let’s skip the trial and error.

Learn what NOT to do and what to do instead!

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.