Transcript How to write a good manuscript - Soil and Water Sciences Department

Writing a good
manuscript
Lena Qiying Ma
Professor
Biogeochemistry of Trace Metals
Soil and Water Science Department
University of Florida
A scientific paper
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Title
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussions
Conclusions
Acknowledgement
References
Title
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Fewest words to describe the content
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Avoid
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A study of
Investigations of
Observations on
Include
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A particular species
A region
www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/research/paper.html
Title
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Statement of the question or problem
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How smoking affects students’ grade?
Specific enough to describe the
contents or subject matter but not too
technical
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Effect of smoking on academic
performance
Summarizing the results can be
effective
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Students who smoke get lower grades
www.biochem.arizona.edu/marc/sci-writing.pdf
Abstract
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Short summary of the paper
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Purpose
Methods
Results
Conclusions
Include likely “search words”
Less technical than the article
Don't use abbreviations or citations
Avoid use of “in this paper”
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/research/paper.html
Abstract
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A shortened version of a paper
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Most read section of a paper
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Contain all information necessary for the
reader to determine:
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The objectives of the study-Introduction;
 How the study was done-Methods;
 What results were obtained-Results &
Discussions;
 The significance of the results-Conclusion.
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Write the abstract last
http://classweb.gmu.edu/biologyresources/ writingguide/scientificpaper.htm
Introduction
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Provide
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Background information
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Significance of the problem
Lead reader to understand the
hypothesis and means of testing it
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Provide the context for your investigation
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State the question and hypothesis
Hypothesis = tentative explanation
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Research is to prove a hypothesis false
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/research/paper.html
Introduction
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Introduction
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Discuss how the data will add knowledge to the field
What specific questions you tried to address
Don’t introduce literature in general terms:
need to be informative
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Why is this study of scientific interest and
what is your objective
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Move from general to specific information
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The last sentences should be a statement of
objectives and a statement of hypotheses
owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/03/
web.archive.org/web/20011127041109/www.hms.harvard.edu/fdd/comm/index.html
Introduction
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Creates a context for the paper
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Plants are constantly exposed to a myriad of
environmental and biological stresses
States a question or poses a problem
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How plants respond to drought stress is of major concern,
not only to researchers but also to farmers
 Indicates the consequences and importance of the
question
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By understanding the biochemical and physical changes
induced by drought, researchers may be more able to
target processes which could enhance drought tolerance
Presents a hypothetical answer or course of action
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It is likely that no single factor is responsible for
conferring drought tolerance in plants but that it is an
integrative process involving a number of signaling
pathways
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~natsci/writing/intro.shtml
Methods
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Report what you did to repeat the
findings
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Assume readers have the same basic
skills
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No laundry list
Target graduate students
Last paragraph provides statistical tests
used
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/03/
Results
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Focus on
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Describe the results in sufficient details to establish
their validity
 Identify the novel aspects of the results
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Identify the significance of the results
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What is new and what makes it non-obvious;
Implicated improvements and impact.
Things to avoid
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Do not include the same data in a table and a figure
 Too much motivational material
 Describe obvious results
 Describe unnecessary details
http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/etc/writing-style.html
Results
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General approach
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Briefly describe experiment without details
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A sentence or two
Report main results
Representative: most common
 Best case: best example of ideal or exception
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Additional tips
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Order multiple results logically
Most to least important
 Simple to complex
 Organ by organ, chemical class by chemical class
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http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/marc/sci-writing.pdf
General rules for figures
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Must have a caption
Using a capitalized name
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Figure 1. Ethylene glycol process flow sheet
Should stand alone as much as possible
Compare multiple plots, put them on one graph
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If the result is too cluttered, use different graphs
 Keep the scales consistent to compare
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Use different symbols and line types to distinguish
multiple plots on the same graph
Include error bars
Use "scatter" or "x-y" plots, not "line" plots
http://www.ent.ohiou.edu/~valy/techwrite.html
Discussion
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Interpret data in light of published results
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What principles have been established or
reinforced?
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What generalizations can be drawn?
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How do your findings compare
To the findings of others
 To expectations based on previous work?
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Are there any theoretical/practical
implications of your work?
http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/marc/Sci-Writing.pdf
Discussion
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Highlight the most significant results
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How do these results relate to the
original question?
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Do the data support your
hypothesis?
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Are your results consistent with the
literature?
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/research/paper.html
Discussion
 Summarize
 Start
the results in first paragraph
with the specific
 Criticize
your data and place your
observations in the context of the field
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address the larger significance of
the work to the field in general
http://web.archive.org/web/20011127041109/www.hms.harvard.edu/fdd/comm/index.html
Discussion
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Explain what the results mean or why they
differ from the literature
 Interpret your results in light of published
results
 Include information from sources you cited in
the Introduction and introduce new sources
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Relate to the objectives in the Introduction
 Make statements synthesizing all the evidence
 Suggest future directions for research, new
methods, explanations for deviations from the
literature
http://classweb.gmu.edu/biologyresources/ writingguide/scientificpaper.htm
Discussion
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Steps to organize discussion
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Restate your question, hypothesis, and prediction.
Answer the question.
Write down the specific data, e.g. statistical tests.
State whether your results confirm the prediction
and support the hypothesis.
Write down what you know in your experiment.
How do your results fit in with what you know?
What is the significance of your results?
List weaknesses you have identified in your
experimental design.
List any problems that arose during the experiment
itself.
http://classweb.gmu.edu/biologyresources/ writingguide/scientificpaper.htm
Effective discussion
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Move from specific to general
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Your findings  literature, theory, practice
Don't ignore or bury the major issue
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Did the study achieve the goal presented in the Introduction?
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Make explanations complete
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Resolve the problem
Answer the question
Support the hypothesis
Give evidence for each conclusion.
Discuss possible reasons for expected & unexpected findings.
What to avoid
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Don't over-generalize.
Don't ignore deviations in your data.
Avoid speculation that cannot be tested in the foreseeable future.
http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/marc/Sci-Writing.pdf
Effective discussion
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What do your observations mean?
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Summarize the most important findings at the beginning.
What conclusions can you draw?
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Describe the patterns, principles, & relationships results show.
 Explain how your results relate to expectations and to literature
cited in your Introduction. Do they agree, contradict, or are they
exceptions to the rule?
 Explain plausibly any agreements, contradictions, or exceptions.
 Describe what additional research might resolve contradictions
or explain exceptions.
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How do your results fit into a broader context?
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Suggest the theoretical implications of your results.
 Suggest practical applications of your results?
 Extend your findings to other situations or other species.
 Give the big picture: do your findings help us understand a
broader topic?
http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/marc/Sci-Writing.pdf
Scientific writing
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Writing order
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Method
Results
Introduction
Discussion
Abstract
Title
Rules for what needs a citation
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All direct quotations from another author
All substantial information taken from another source
One does not give a reference for well-known facts
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Newton's Three Laws of Motion
http://web.archive.org/web/20011127041109/www.hms.harvard.edu/fdd/comm/index.html
Use of tense
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Verb tense and voice
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All formal technical writing uses the past tense
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Describing methods and results
Use present tense for things that are true when the author
writes about them and will still be true in the future when
the text is read
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Published information or accepted facts
– Background information presented in the Introduction
– Discuss your results and conclusions
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Use of past tense
1. Abstract
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results sections
4. Introduction and Discussion sections when referring to your
experiment
http://www.rbs0.com/tw.htm
A scientific paper
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2.
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6.
7.
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Title
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussions
Conclusions
Acknowledgement
References
References
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Scientific writing
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Craft of scientific writing: a book
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Brenda S. Hoffma, Harvard Medical School
http://web.archive.org/web/20011127041109/www.hms.harvard.edu/fdd/c
omm/index.html
Scientific writing
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Michael Alley, Penn State
http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/csw.html
Communicating our work
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Penn State University
http://www2.lv.psu.edu/jxm57/irp/sciwrit.html
Natalie H. Kuldell
http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=123
Writing a scientific research article
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http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/research/paper.html