Writing Tips #40

Make your sentences strong !

A sentence should not start with “however” or “ for example”; put it in the middle.

Instead of : However, our recent findings challenge existing memories.

Write : Our recent findings, however, challenge existing theories

Writing Tips #39

acronyms

Abbreviations and acronyms are only good when they clarify, not when they obscure or confuse the readers.

ANOVA , ANN, GA are good

BPR is not; use them sparingly

Writing Tips #38

WRITING AND NUMBERS

 

 

Writing Numbers: Whether to enter numerals or words for a number is often confusing. In different situations, this will vary, but probably a fair generality is that a numeral is shorter than a word, so use a numeral, with the following exceptions:

• You cannot begin a sentence with a numeral. The number "1,256,781" must be entered at the beginning of a sentence as "One million, two hundred fifty-six thousand, seven hundred and eighty-one," as ridiculous as it seems. If the number involves a unit of measure, the unit must be likewise spelled out as a word in most cases (pH would be one exception). Work the sentence so you don't have to begin it with the number!

• When not speaking of data or experimental groupings, use words instead of numerals for small numbers: "two centuries ago," "For well over fifty years..", "Of the many millions of fish released..."

• Numbers are generally written as numerals when a specific value is named, and always when associated with a unit of measure: "270 centuries ago," "59 people...", "...47.8 g dry weight...".

Writing Tips #37

Avoid redundancy

Redundancy can sometimes slip by: “The leaf is triangular-shaped.” Triangular is a shape, so to write it is redundant. It is better to write “The leaf is triangular.”

Writing Tips #36

Be specific

 

If you know something to be true, then say so. Don’t be wishy-washy: “The teeth of Allosaurus appear to be sharp.” Is there doubt? “The teeth of Allosaurus are sharp.” 

There are many similar words you should avoid, such as: ‘suggests,’ ‘appears,’ ‘probably,’ ‘may be.’ 

Better words to use are ‘indicates,’‘implies,’ ‘shows,’ ‘illustrates,’ etc.

Writing Tips #35

  Avoid inaccurate word

The data lead to the assumption that x has no relationship to y. 

If you base a conclusion on data, then your conclusion is a deduction, not an assumption. In fact, in experimental science assumptions are usually avoided. A purpose of controls is to eliminate the need to assume anything.

 

The word 'data' is plural.

However since investigators usually refer to sets of data, there is a tendency to use the word as though it was singular. Hence a writer will state, 'the data was affected by the phase of the moon,' or 'the data suggests that phase of the moon has no effect on mood.' As awkward as it may seem to you, the proper phrases are, 'the data were affected...,' and 'the data suggest...' By the way, the singular form is 'datum.'

Writing Tip #34

 Superlatives

Superlatives include adjectives such as "huge," "incredible," "wonderful," "exciting," etc. 

For example, "the mitochondria showed an incredibly large increase in oxygen consumption when we added uncoupling agent." Your definition of incredible might be different from that of someone else - perhaps a five fold increase is incredible to you, but not for the next person. 

It is much better to use an objective expression, such as "Oxygen consumption was five fold greater in the presence of uncoupler, which is a greater change than we saw with the addition of any other reagent."

Writing Tips #33

Subjectivity

Subjectivity refers to feelings, opinions, etc.

For example, in your discussion you might write, "We felt that the fixative was bad, because we had difficulty finding flagella on our Chlamydomonas." Another researcher is unlikely to risk time and resources on the basis of your "feeling."

On the other hand, you might write, "The percentage of cells with flagella was inversely proportional to the time they spent in fixative, suggesting that the fixative was causing cells to shed flagella." This is information that another scientist can use.

Writing Tips #32

 Avoid anecdotal information

Sometimes you may feel the need to justify a statement or procedure by stating "'the instructor told us to do this instead of that." You might think it appropriate to write "we used Microsoft Excel to produce a graph of x versus y." Such information is anecdotal and is considered to be superfluous.

A research paper summarizes a study. It does not identify who did what. Reference to instructors, fellow students, teams, partners, etc. are not appropriate, nor is it appropriate to refer to "the lab".

Writing Tips #31

 Verb tense

 

Use past tense to describe events that have happened. Such events include procedures that you have conducted and results that you observed. Use present tense to describe generally accepted facts.

We sought to determine if mating behavior in Xiphophorus helleri is related to male tail length by placing combinations of two male fish with different length tails in the same tank with a female fish.

We found that protein synthesis in sea urchin embryos treated with actinomycin D was considerably less than in untreated embryos. This finding agrees with the model stating that protein synthesis in 24 hour sea urchin embryos is dependent on synthesis of new messenger RNA.

Reference to results of a specific study should also be in past tense.

Abercrombie and Fitch reported that 30% of the public is allergic to wool.

Writing Tips #30

REFERENCES (LITERATURE CITED)

 

In the text, cite the literature in the appropriate places:

—  Scarlet (1990) thought that the gene was present only in yeast, but it has since been identified in the platypus (Indigo and Mauve, 1994) and wombat (Magenta, et al., 1995).

In the References section list citations in alphabetical order.

—  Indigo, A. C., and Mauve, B. E. 1994. Queer place for qwerty: gene isolation from the platypus. Science 275, 1213-1214.

—  Magenta, S. T., Sepia, X., and Turquoise, U. 1995. Wombat genetics. In: Widiculous Wombats, Violet, Q., ed. New York: Columbia University Press. p 123-145.

—  Scarlet, S.L. 1990. Isolation of qwerty gene from S. cerevisae. Journal of Unusual Results 36, 26-31. 

If another format is used ( ie: IEEE) then write the elements accordingly.

Writing Tips #29

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

—  This section is optional. You can thank those who either helped with the experiments, or made other important contributions, such as discussing the protocol, commenting on the manuscript, or buying you pizza.

Writing Tips #28

DISCUSSION

 Highlight the most significant results, but don't just repeat what you've written in the Results section. How do these results relate to the original question? Do the data support your hypothesis? Are your results consistent with what other investigators have reported? If your results were unexpected, try to explain why. Is there another way to interpret your results? What further research would be necessary to answer the questions raised by your results? How do y our results fit into the big picture.

End with a one-sentence summary of your conclusion, emphasizing why it is relevant.

Develop a strategy for your Discussion.

Many novice paper writers begin their Discussion section with a statement about problems with their methods or the items in their results about which they feel most insecure. Unless these really are the most important thing about your research (in which case you have problems), save them for later. Begin a Discussion with a short restatement of the most important points from your results. Use this statement to set up the ideas you want to focus on in interpreting your results and relating them to the literature. Use sub-headings that structure the discussion around these ideas.

Writing Tips #27

 TABLES AND GRAPHS

 

—  1. If you present your data in a table or graph, include a title describing what's in the table ("Enzyme activity at various temperatures", not "My results".) For graphs, you should also label the x and y axes.

—  2. Don't use a table or graph just to be "fancy". If you can summarize the information in one sentence, then a table or graph is not necessary.:Captions should not merely name a table or figure, they should explain how to read it.

A caption (figure or table heading) should contain sufficient information so that a reader can understand a table or figure, in most cases, without reference to the text. Very simple tables and figures may require only a title for clarity, and exceptionally complex ones may require reference to the text for explanation.

Do not leave caption writing to the end of the project; write captions when you organize your Results section and it will help you write the text.

Writing Tips #26

: RESULTS

 

• —  This is where you present the results you've gotten. Use graphs and tables if appropriate, but also summarize your main findings in the text. Do NOT discuss the results or speculate as to why something happened; t hat goes in th e Discussion.
• —  You don't necessarily have to include all the data you've gotten during the semester. This isn't a diary.
• —  Use appropriate methods of showing data. Don't try to manipulate the data to make it look like you did more than you actually did.

Reporting your results—be honest and report what you’ve seen or received. Avoid trying to report the correct thing but do the right thing instead. If the result is negative then say so; the flaw might lead you to a greater discovery.

Converted data vs. Raw data 

• Converted data are presented in graphs or tables
• Raw data are not usually included in the results.

Use an appropriate number of decimal places—reflect the degree of precision

Graphs/diagrams/charts are figures. Numbered consecutively.

Do not draw conclusions in the results section. Reserve data interpretation for the discussion.

Writing Tips #25

METHODS

 

• —  How did you answer the question you asked in this paper? There should be enough information here to allow another scientist to repeat your experiment. Look at other papers that have been published in your field to get some idea of what is included in this section.
• —  If you had a complicated protocol, it may helpful to include a diagram, table or flowchart to explain the methods you used.
• —  Explain the related algorithm or technique used.
• —  Do not put results in this section. You may, however, include preliminary results that were used to design the main experiment that you are reporting on. ("In a preliminary study, I observed the owls for one week, and found that 73 % of their locomotor activity occurred during the night, and so I conducted all subsequent experiments between 11 pm and 6 am.")
• —  Mention relevant ethical considerations. If you used human subjects, did they consent to participate. If you used animals, what measures did you take to minimize pain?

Writing Tips #24

: INTRODUCTION

 

—What question did you ask in your experiment? Why is it

interesting? The introduction summarizes the 

relevant literature so that the reader will understand why you 

were interested in the question you asked. One to four 

paragraphs should be enough. End with a sentence explaining the

specific question you asked in this experiment. 

ps: Eid Mubarak folks!

Writing Tips #23

ABSTRACT

 

1. — An abstract, or summary, is published together with a research article, giving the reader a "preview" of what's to come. . Such abstracts may also be published separately in bibliographical sources. They allow other scientists to quickly scan the large scientific literature, and decide which articles they want to read in depth. The abstract should be a little less technical than the article itself; you don't want to dissuade your potential audience from reading your paper.
2. — Your abstract should be one paragraph, of 100-250 words, which summarizes the purpose, methods, results and conclusions of the paper.
3. It is not easy to include all this information in just a few words. Start by writing a summary that includes whatever you think is important, and then gradually prune it down to size by removing unnecessary words, while still retaining the necessary concepts.
4. — Don't use abbreviations or citations in the abstract. It should be able to stand alone without any footnotes.

—  What should be in an abstract?

1. The Question(s) you investigated (from Introduction)

—  State the purpose clearly in 1-2 sentences

2. Design and Methods used (from Methods)

—  Briefly describe the basic methodology used

—  Data, design and technique

3. Major findings (from Results)

—  Report the results which answer your questions

—  Identify any trends or changes

4. Summary of analysis (from Discussion)

—  Clearly state the implications of the findings

—  What should  NOT  be in an abstract?

1. Lengthy background information
2. References to other literature
3. Incomplete sentences
4. Abbreviations or confusing terms
5. Any sort of illustration or figures

Writing Tips #22

: AUTHORS

 

1. — The person who did the work and wrote the paper is generally listed as the first author of a research paper.
2. For published articles, other people who made substantial contributions to the work are also listed as authors. Ask your mentor's permission before including his/her name as co-author.
3. — Corresponding author-- the one that maintain communication with the publisher. could be anyone in the team.

If you are a research student then try to put your name the last even though you have put a lot of effort into the paper. Be modest and ask you supervisor if he/she could be interested to be the first author. Some supervisors are reluctant due to the low quality of the paper--so you know right there and then whether your work is up to the standards or not. 

Writing Tips #21

:TITLE

 

Make your title specific enough to describe the contents of the paper, but not so technical that only specialists will understand. The title should be appropriate for the intended audience.

—  The title usually describes the subject matter of the article: Effect of Group Studying on Academic Performance

—  Sometimes a title that summarizes the results is more effective: Students Who Study Alone Get Lower Grades

—   

Poor titles :

• —  Cloud Computing
• —  Knowledge Management

—  Why? Because they are too general

—  Better titles would be :

• —  Resolving Security Issues in Cloud Computing
• —  The Effects of Efficient Knowledge Management In an Organization

—  Why? Because the keywords identify a specific action (resolving, finding the effects),area of study ( security, knowledge management) and the platform of the study (cloud computing, organization)