How to Write a Math Paper (Rough Draft)

This is a skeletal and opinionated description of paper writing. Take from it the good things, and disregard the bad things. 1 First Draft The hardest thing about writing a paper (in my experience) is getting a first draft written. In particular, if there are proofs, the hard part means getting some draft of a proof written down on paper, not necessarily with every detail included. It is not necessary to get a polished presentation on the first draft. After a first draft is written, one can edit and re-edit the paper to get it in a better form. Editing tools now permit significant rearrangement/reordering of contents. (Latex will keep track of renumbering everything, section numbers, theorem numbers, page numbers.) Many of the principles of good writing in general apply to math paper writing. I wish I knew what they all were. However the next section gives the point more important for math papers than others; good organization. 2 Organization A paper should tell a story, if possible. This makes the paper easier to follow. This is true also of “experimental” papers, where the paper may describe the journey. An example of a well-organized expository paper, that tells a story, is one by Andrew Granville and Greg Martin [1]. I think a paper lives or dies in its organization. If the organization is good, revision of the paper lies locally in the details. (This is a “great truth”. The