Writing Guidelines (Updated: Nvember 25, 2009) Frwards I have fund in my review f the manuscripts frm ur students and research assciates, as well as thse submitted t varius jurnals by thers that the majr writing challenge is nt language, but rganizatin and flw f thughts. T help imprving ur writing, I have summarized belw the main pints made by Michael Jay Katz in his bk Frm Research t Manuscript a Guide t Scientific Writing (Published by Springer). Each member f ur research grup is strngly recmmended t study these pints and use these pints as a guidelines in future writing. Yu are als encuraged t buy this bk fr mre cmplete reference. As I intend t cntinue t revise these dcument, it is nly limited fr the internal use f the grup. Distributins t thers utside f BBEL need t be apprved by me. Shulin Chen Sectin specific writing guideline Title: Cmplete summary f the paper in tw lines r less Rewrk the title s that it meets these basic requirements: It shuld recapitulate yur cnclusin It shuld be succinct, limit the title t tw r fewer lines f text It shuld include a verb, which shuld be in the present tense. Find an active verb, and aim fr the grammar structure Subject-active verb-bject It shuld nt be thickly wrded. Use n mre than three mdifiers fr any ne nun. Abstract: One paragraph, written in past tense: we did, we saw, we cncluded, including A. One r tw sentences BACKGROUND B. Tw r three sentences METHODS
C. Less than ten sentences RESULTS D. One sentence CONCLUSION Intrductin: A. Backgrund Currently-accepted general statements Available supprting data B. Gap C. Yur plan f attack Materials and Methds A. Recipe n. 1 B. Recipe n. 2 C... Recipes A recipe results reprt Identify the methds, apparatus, and prcedures in sufficient detail t allw ther wrkers t reprduce the results Repeatable recipes t prduce reprducible results Write yur materials and methds sectin Yur daily lab ntebk is a first draft Be exhaustive cmpleteness Specify the apparatuses, including the manufacturers names and addresses Identify all chemicals and supplies used Describe the salient characteristics f all experimental subjects and tell exactly hw the subjects were fund r chsen, including the eligibility requirements, the criteria fr exclusin, and the nature f the surce ppulatin frm which they were drawn
Define everything in practical, peratinal terms fr example: temperature was measured under the tngue using a flexible-tip standard digital hspital thermmeter (LifeSurce A&D Medical) Fr the methd, yur recrd shuld: Explain the verall design f yur research prgram Fully describe all the peratins and prcedures in sufficient detail t allw ther wrkers t repeat them and t reprduce yur results Cite reference fr all previusly dcumented methds, including any statistical methds Give cmplete recipes fr any new r mdified techniques Explain the prcedures used t analyze yur data Use algrithms, a well-defined prgram describing the steps necessary t get frm pint A t Pint B. Include detailed instructins Write a statistical methds/experimental plan sectin Explain the statistical methd used. Give the definitins f statistical terms, abbreviatins, and symbls that yu use and include citatins f yur exact surces Organize the materials and methds as an instructin manual s that it is easy t understand First grup the instructins tgether int units that cntain cmplete recipes. Label these grups with clear, explanatry titles Next, rganize the grupings s that readers can quickly find whichever set f instructins they are lking fr. Often, the Materials and Methds recipes are presented chrnlgically, in the rder that they are dne during the experiment. Yu may hwever, feel that it is clearer t grup them sme ther way. Fr instance, yu may decide t put the chemical recipe tgether in ne subsectin and the prcedures dealing with experimental subjects in a separate sectin. Cmmit t a few key variables After drafting a cmprehensive Materials and Methds, explicitly limit yur manuscript by defining the fcal experimental variables f yur scientific reprt.
List thse few experimental variables that yu will be studying. Label them yur key variables. T keep yu n track, write the key variables at the head f the drafts f the Results, Discussin, Title, and Abstract sectins f yur paper. Results A. General bservatins B. Specific bservatins C. Case studies a. Best cases and/r b. Representative cases Carving ut yur results frm yur bservatins Recrd everything while yu experiment put everything yu bserved int yur cmputerized research diary Recrd things as they happen Wherever pssible, write dwn numbers Limit yur final reprt t key variables Select the frm yur lab recrds nly the data cncerning key experimental variables Reprt all data prduced by fllwing yur recipe Once yu decide n a key experimental variable, yu are bligated t reprt the cmplete data set generated by the recipe fr that variable. Explratry data analysis At this pint, yu shuld gather the cmplete utput f yur research recipes, befre yu write any text fr yur Results sectin, yu need t rganize this data, and in this case, rganize means find a natural arrangement that will help yur reader t see sme f the structure inherent in the set f data. Try ut a variety f visual arrangement have the data drive the arrangement, let the data lead yu. Tables, graphs, pictures, diagrams, charts Pick a simple inclusive arrangement fr presenting yur data
Write a descriptin f the pattern in yur data Yu have chsen an rganizatin f yur data, and ideally, this rganizatin can be represented by a picture. With the picture in hand, yur next task is t describe it in wrds. Begin by studying the picture with a naive eye. Put aside any thughts f the meaning f the data, just absrb the patterns. Then write a detailed descriptin. Nw, set aside yur picture and yur descriptin, and g back t yur cmputer screen, where yu can begin t write the main text f yur results sectin, which will put yur data in its experimental cntext. Write the results Yur results sectin shuld have three parts, and each part will ften be lng enugh t have its wn heading. General bservatins. The results begins with a panramic view f the research setting Specific bservatins. The results then zms in t fcus n the data abut yur key variables, and it presents this data in the arrangement that yu created during yur explratry analysis Case studies. The results ends with ne r tw examples, shwing the specific details r individual bservatins Subsectin One- General bservatins When yu write the results, d nt rush t the heart f yur data. Easy yur reader int the details by first giving a brief verview f yur experiments in a general bservatin subsectin. The general bservatin subsectin rients yur reader. Subsectin Tw Specific bservatins The middle sectin f yur Results presents the heart f yur research. Here yu shuld reprt the cmplete data fr yur key variables. The Specific Observatins subsectin shuld als include the visual presentatin i.e. the table, charts, diagram, r graph that yu have already made t summarize yur data. As a draft fr the text summary f yur data figure, use the descriptive paragraph yu had written earlier ans set aside.
Narrative descriptins and Pictures Begin the Specific Observatins subsectin with thse key variables that cannt be easily quantified. Describer, fr instance, the structure, textural, shape, r clr details f yur bservatins, and tell hw these variables changed during the experiments. Lk fr patterns in the changes, and pint them ut t yur reader. This is the part f the text that usually refers the reader t phtgraphs, illustratins, and diagrams. Numerical data Next, present the numerical data abut thse key variables that yu have quantified. The Results sectin shuld cntain yur experimental bservatins withut much filtering r adjusting. Therefre, when yur end-results are nrmalized (r therwise adjusted) values, be sure t include at least sme f the raw data values. Subsectin Three- case studies Finally, present the full, unretuched details f ne r tw specific examples frm yur data set. Yur reader will understand yur experiments better after seeing raw bservatins with all the cmplexities f the real wrld. Hw d yu chse these raw example? There are equally acceptable categries: best cases and representative cases. Best case shws an extreme. They are the biggest, smallest, slwest, r fastest. Best cases fall at ne end f the spectrum f yur actual results they shw what can happen, nt necessarily what usually happens Representative cases are mdel cases, the mst cmmn example f yur data set. Discussin A. Recap yur recipe recipe results reprt B. Archive yur results C. If pssible, make a prpsal The archives f science are enrmus, and withut sme effrts, yur data will be lst amng the millins f ther scientific bservatins already in strage. A well written Discussin sectin will help t assure that yur results will be bth visible and accessible in these achieves. T accmplish this, yur Discussin shuld d tw things:
First, it shuld present a clear, cncise summary f yur data; Secnd, it shuld link yur bservatins t thse f ther scientists in ne r bth f these ways Include an anntated list cmparing specific aspects f yur data t data that is already in the scientific archives. Use yur data and related data frm the scientific archives t generate a prpsal, a generality, a thery, r a mdel. Recap yur results begin yur Discussin with a recap, a shrt summary f what yu learned abut the key variables f yur data. Archive yur results After clearly summarizing yur results, help t archive them by shwing the cnnectins between yur research and research reprted by ther scientist. T make a prpsal Yur Discussin can smetimes ffer a prpsal, that is, a cnjecture, predictin, generalizatin, hypthesis, mdel, r thery. Cnclusin One paragraph statement f the pint f the paper Each research paper shuld present nly ne r tw main ideas, and these ideas shuld be stated in the Cnclusin. The Intrductin f the paper shuld shw the current need fr the ideas, the Discussin shuld tie these ideas t ther existing scientific papers, and the Cnclusin shuld summarize the ideas in ne succinct paragraph. When yu first face the Cnclusin sectin f yur paper, yu shuld already have a draft f the Discussin. The Discussin mves frm yur specific bservatins t mre general statement relating yur data t the wrk f thers. T write a Cnclusin, take recap frm the beginning f yur Discussin and the general statements frm the remainder f yur discussin, and frge a single uncluttered paragraph. Limitatins f the Study A. Qualifier n. 1 B. Qualifier n. 2 N experiment is perfectly unambiguus, and yur experimental bservatins will always cme with caveats, assumptins, and limitatins. The real wrld experiments ften need qualifiers. In yur paper, yur Materials and Methds sectin shuld detail the limits f yur techniques, yur Results sectin shuld describe the range and variatin f yur data, and yur Discussin sectin shuld state clearly the assumptins yu have used when frmulating yur general statements prpsals.
Explicitly stated qualifiers help the reader t evaluate the strength f the details thrughut yur paper. It is equally imprtant t summarize the majr qualifiers f yur experiments alngside yur cnclusins. This can be dne in a brief sectin, titled limitatins f this Study, places immediately after the Cnclusin sectin. In the Limitatins f this Study, write the mst significant qualifiers and prviss, each as a single, brief paragraph. The paragraph shuld: Describe the activity that had the limitatin i.e. an experimental technique, an analytical technique (e.g., a statistical test), r a line f reasning. Explain the limitatin. Suggest hw the limitatin may have affected ne f yur cnclusins. Appendix A. Title B. Lng recipe C. Reference