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Purpose of this Lecture Read what others are writing

 Understand the general flow of a research paper
 Journals contain many papers that are relevant.
 Avoid common pitfalls when writing
 All underwent a rigorous review process during
which the authors probably revised their work many
times to incorporate most of the ideas discussed in
this lecture.
 Follow their example.
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE
WRITING

Follow a logical order Be clear, concise and complete Strive for accuracy

 When writing any paper, it is important that it be  Do not use more words than necessary. A good  Try to leave nothing to doubt.
laid out in a logical and orderly fashion. paper is not written in a day.  Base conclusions only on facts, not on conceptions or
 Organization of the paper is important for clarity.  Review each draft with the specific intention of assumptions.
eliminating unnecessary words, phrases and even  Readers may not agree with your conclusions, but
that should not be because they did not understand
paragraphs.
what you were trying to tell them.
 Active voice is usually preferable to passive voice,  Ask others to read your drafts for clarity and
and uses fewer words. completeness.

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Cite only references that are relevant and Include only figures and tables that are
Get to the point quickly, and stick to it
necessary necessary

 Length counts for little in a paper.  Including references does not by itself enhance the  Make sure figures and tables are clear, legible and
 State the problem clearly, move on to an analysis of merit of a paper, it only makes it longer. relevant.
the problem, summarize results, and include useful  Make sure all references listed at the end of the  Each should be self-explanatory from its caption.
references. paper are actually cited in the paper, and check for  Avoid including extra details (lines or data) that only
 Do not wander off into lengthy discussions of topics accuracy of dates, authors and sources. clutter up and hide the real point you are trying to
that have no real bearing on the problem being  Avoid citing references that no one else will be able to illustrate.
studied. find (from unpublished sources, for example). Follow an  One figure may save a thousand words, so try to let it
accepted style for listing references. speak for itself and avoid unnecessary words to
describe what it shows (in the caption as well as in the
text).

Use a spell-checker Common Structure of a Paper

 It can help you avoid misteaks.

SUGGESTED LOGICAL
ORDER

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Title Author & Affiliation Abstract

 State the work and attract the reader's attention.  Give your name and how someone could contact you,
typically your professional address.  A brief summary (about 250 words) of the main
 Include words that will allow for a useful computer findings of the research.
search later.  The affiliation is where the author did the work or
 It summarizes four essential aspects of the report: the
research for the paper. purpose of the experiment (sometimes expressed as the
purpose of the report), key findings, significance and
major conclusions.
 The abstract often also includes a brief reference to
theory or methodology.
 The information should clearly enable readers to decide
whether they need to read your whole report.

Key words Introduction Related Work

 Give a list of words useful in cross referencing your  Introduce the topic giving the general context of your  Discuss what other researchers have done to solve the
paper. observations and the phenomena. problem or similar problems.
 These words should be important ones not in your  State clearly what problem your work is  Explain briefly the strengths and weaknesses of other
title, and probably not in your abstract. addressing. work.
 They facilitate computer searches.  This is often known as a literature review.

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Materials and Methods Results / Conclusions Discussion

 Describe how you solved the problem.  Generally discuss your findings, especially in the
 Describe how you made the observations including  Describe what you observed. context of what other people have found.
time, date, duration, and any methods you might have  Be very precise and factual.  You may add some of your own interpretation for
the data you gathered.
used to get the data.  Data can often be summarized in the form of tables
and figures.  Some speculation of plausible interpretations is
 List any important or unique pieces of equipment appropriate here to spur interest in future research.
that aided in the research.  No speculation or interpretation is included in this
section.
 Just the facts, please.

Future Work Acknowledgments Literature Cited

 You may discuss questions that were raised by your  Give thanks to those who may have helped you in any  Give proper bibliographic citations for work
observations that you think deserve further way. related to your topic.
investigation.  Perhaps include people who gave you key ideas,  The format of references should follow the standard
 Any inconsistencies or ambiguities between your people who assisted you in obtaining field data, format.
observations and published accounts should be sources of funding, and people who helped you
noted. prepare the report.

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Appendices
 Typically include such elements as raw data,
calculations, graphs pictures or tables that have not
been included in the report itself.
 Each kind of item should be contained in a separate
appendix.
 Make sure you refer to each appendix at least
once in your report