Habits and attitudes toward writing affect the publication output of environmental biology trainees

Publications are the mainstay of academic success, yet scientific writing requires consistent feedback and practice to build and maintain skills. In this study, we surveyed 342 environmental biology trainees (i.e., graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) about their writing habits. Our objective was to explore whether trainee writing habits align with suggestions from scientific writing guide books and articles, and how individual habits and attitudes may impact writing output. We found that the majority of respondents (>65%) felt negatively about writing and publishing, and few adhered to established advice such as scheduling writing time, setting attainable goals, or joining a writing accountability group. Our results show that trainees who dedicated more hours to writing each week and individually tracked their writing progress had more first-author publications. In particular, graduate students who regularly scheduled writing time during the week and participated in writing groups also had more first-author publications. Conversely, trainees who felt negatively about writing, wrote mainly before deadlines, and relied on "check-ins" with advisors or writing groups to monitor writing progress had fewer first-author publications. We describe ways that individuals, advisors, and institutions could improve trainee writing habits and assist them in developing more positive attitudes toward writing to ultimately help trainees achieve their writing goals.