For science to be understood, assimilated, and further developed, it must be accessible through clear and concise writing. Science is about solving problems that often interlink with each other. To improve the clarity of scientific writing, every project should focus on solving a single problem and consequently every document should include a clearly articulated problem statement. The ‘What's your problem?’ exercise is a method for articulating a clear problem statement and then using this problem statement to guide the structure, design, and logic of the document. This exercise can be applied to the presentation of original research as a primary source document (papers, reports, dissertations) or to the interpretation or analysis of others’ primary research (literature reviews, opinion pieces, magazine articles).