1 Scientific Writing and Presentation in English Lecture 2-b: How to write your paper A. Godfrey Tsinghua University, Spring 2008 Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b#2 Writing is only (the last) part of writing a paper objective: a set of guidelines to show that you can build up a paper by a series of steps helps to ensure that you maintain the main idea of your paper throughout removes the need to consider English language problems until the last stage 2 Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b#3 You will see this list many times during this course define the problem that you wish to address choose the data that you will include to support your idea organize the data and arguments to support your idea write the paper Three important steps before you start writing! Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b#4 The writing part can also be broken down into a number of steps begin with simple statements of the idea you wish to describe write each as a single sentence expand to 2-3 sentences to include the important detail group the sentences to form the content of each paragraph finally combine the sentences to make “good English” 3 Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b#5 The procedure is best illustrated by an example paper for Japan MRS meeting first thing: read any style instructions! 4 pages maximum (means 4 pages) TimesRoman 9pt font; single spaced; fixed paper size 2 levels of subheading allowed “camera-ready” copy you are the publisher Therefore it is up to you to make sure that everything is typeset as required it gives a bad impression of your work if your paper is the only one that is layed-out in a different style if they dont know you, people can only judge your abilities on how your papers look at worst the organizers may refuse to include the paper Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b#6 (1) Define - what problem do you want to write about? conference is on advanced metal processing techniques special things I want to emphasize high strain metal deformation methods several different methods basic mechanisms new idea for a parameter to compare different samples 4 Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b#7 Choose your tag-line “SPD (severe plastic deformation) can give different microstructures, but the basic dislocation storage is similar” possible Titles: “Comparison of severe plastic deformation techniques using a stored energy dependent flow-stress parameter” “Comparison of severe plastic deformation techniques using a combined dislocation boundary spacing and misorientation parameter” note that the title suggests what will be included, and that the focus is a little different for each title Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b#8 (2) Choose (your data) what results do you plan to include in the paper you may have to reduce the number of results later if there is not enough space for each SPD method: microstructure qualitative results (what are the main features: EBSP) quantitative results boundary spacings(d)/misorientations()/aspect ratio mechanical properties (flow-stress = hardness) model relating flow-stress to (d, ) annealed microstructures 5 Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b#9 Outline the results you plan to include including what figures/tables you will use microstructure: 1 figure(a,b,c) giving example microstructures spacing/misorientation: graphs: each giving data for all three routes hardness values one graph for all data my “model”: 1 graph of hardness vs.f(d,) 1 graph showing normalized data annealed microstructures 1 figure(a,b,c) giving example microstructures d Hv f(d,) f(d,) HvHv Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b #10 (3) Organize both data and ideas start with the simple “I-M-R-D-C” pattern two problems with this pattern where to include the combined spacing/misorientation parameter Introduction? Discussion New section? whether to use a combined “Results and Discussion” format 6 Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b #11 Organize - where to include the new parameter Introduction not a good place. This is a new parameter. Remember that in the introduction the details should be taken from existing (i.e. published) literature Discussion could go here. Remember that in the discussion you can combine individual results (here I am combining the spacing and misorientation data). But the parameter is a main part of the paper, so it is not so good to only introduce this in the discussion section New section best solution add a separate section just after the Introduction Scientific Writing: Lecture 2b #12 Organize whether to use a combine “Results and Discussion” section depends mostly on how many idea you wish to discuss (and the length of the paper) if just one idea better to use a combined section if two quite different ideas (or more) better to use a separate section separate section: what can the (stored energy) parameter tell about the basic mechanisms annealing be