Quiz!

1. What do all technical readers look for in a technical document?

2. What are the main steps in the process of grouping your data?

3. What are natural orders of presentation? How do they differ from logical orders of presentation?

Putting the groups in order

There are natural orders• chronological• spatial

And there are logical orders• Decreasing importance• Increasing importance• Decreasing familiarity• Increasing difficulty• General to Specific• Specific to General• Comparative• …

Some observations on order• You will often have a choice where several orders

have some merit. It is up to you to pick the one that seems best.

• All of the orders listed on the previous page are regularly used in computer science journal papers.

• You cannot help but choose an order, because your writing can only describe one thing at a time. – Even when the points do not seem to have any concept

of order, to write is to impose order, intentionally or not.– If you do not consider the proper order, you are using

“random order”. – Random order makes writing hard for readers to follow.

There is always a better choice than random. (see p57)

Some observations on order• You will often have a choice where several orders

have some merit. It is up to you to pick the one that seems best.

• All of the orders listed on the previous page are regularly used in computer science journal papers.

• You cannot help but choose an order, because your writing can only describe one thing at a time. – Even when the points do not seem to have any concept

of order, to write is to impose order, intentionally or not.– If you do not consider the proper order, you are using

“random order”. – Random order makes writing hard for readers to follow.

There is always a better choice than random. (see p57)

Some observations on order• You will often have a choice where several orders

have some merit. It is up to you to pick the one that seems best.

• All of the orders listed on the previous page are regularly used in computer science journal papers.

• You cannot help but choose an order, because your writing can only describe one thing at a time. – Even when the points do not seem to have any concept

of order, to write is to impose order, intentionally or not.– If you do not consider the proper order, you are using

“random order”. – Random order makes writing hard for readers to follow.

There is always a better choice than random. (see p57)

Some observations on order• You will often have a choice where several orders

have some merit. It is up to you to pick the one that seems best.

• All of the orders listed on the previous page are regularly used in computer science journal papers.

• You cannot help but choose an order, because your writing can only describe one thing at a time. – Even when the points do not seem to have any concept

of order, to write is to impose order, intentionally or not.– If you do not consider the proper order, you are using

“random order”. – Random order makes writing hard for readers to follow.

There is always a better choice than random. (see p57)

Some observations on order• You will often have a choice where several orders

have some merit. It is up to you to pick the one that seems best.

• All of the orders listed on the previous page are regularly used in computer science journal papers.

• You cannot help but choose an order, because your writing can only describe one thing at a time. – Even when the points do not seem to have any concept

of order, to write is to impose order, intentionally or not.– If you do not consider the proper order, you are using

“random order”. – Random order makes writing hard for readers to follow.

There is always a better choice than random. (see p57)

Some observations on order• You will often have a choice where several orders

have some merit. It is up to you to pick the one that seems best.

• All of the orders listed on the previous page are regularly used in computer science journal papers.

• You cannot help but choose an order, because your writing can only describe one thing at a time. – Even when the points do not seem to have any concept

of order, to write is to impose order, intentionally or not.– If you do not consider the proper order, you are using

“random order”. – Random order makes writing hard for readers to follow.

There is always a better choice than random. (see p57)

Chronological Order

• In computer science writing, you use this order mostly to describe the steps in your algorithm or methodology– It is a natural order, so it tends to be easier to write– But it should sometimes be avoided because:

• It makes it hard to draw connections between non-adjacent events

• It can bury important points in the middle• The tendency is to overuse it just because it is

easier to write, since it is a natural order.

Spatial Order• This ordering has a physical basis

– Top to bottom– Bigger to smaller– Going clockwise– etc.

• It can be used to discuss a picture or a graph.– But just because you discuss something with physical

properties, it does not mean that you must use this ordering– It has the same drawbacks as chronological order:

• It makes it hard to draw connections between non-adjacent events

• It can bury important points in the middle• The tendency is to overuse it just because it is easier to

write, since it is a natural order.

Logical Orders• Natural orders are concrete but logical orderings are

subjective– There is no question whether event A happened

before event B. There is no question whether object A is to the left of object B. But it is a matter of opinion as to whether point A is more important than point B.

• Logical orderings are therefore harder to write because you impose your subjective order– But, this is exactly the strength of logical orders:

because you worked to impose order, the reader doesn’t have to. Logical orders help the reader understand connections and catch what is important.

Logical Orders• Natural orders are concrete but logical orderings are

subjective– There is no question whether event A happened

before event B. There is no question whether object A is to the left of object B. But it is a matter of opinion as to whether point A is more important than point B.

• Logical orderings are therefore harder to write because you impose your own subjective order– But, this is exactly the strength of logical orders:

because you worked to impose order, the reader doesn’t have to. Logical orders help the reader understand connections and catch what is important.

Logical Orders• Natural orders are concrete but logical orderings are

subjective– There is no question whether event A happened

before event B. There is no question whether object A is to the left of object B. But it is a matter of opinion as to whether point A is more important than point B.

• Logical orderings are therefore harder to write because you impose your own subjective order– But, this is exactly the strength of logical orders:

because you worked to impose order, the reader doesn’t have to. Logical orders help the reader understand connections and catch what is important.

Logical OrdersDecreasing importance

• Good for many writing situations, especially when you want to answer “WHY?”– Suppose you are explaining your algorithm and the

question comes up, “Why did you choose a greedy algorithm?” You have 5 reasons why. You probably should explain them in decreasing importance.

– Suppose you reference a very related paper. Your readers are going to want to know, “Why is your approach better?” You have 3 reasons why. Explain them in decreasing importance.

Logical OrdersIncreasing importance

• This is less often used than decreasing importance.

• It is good for situations where you want to quickly gloss over a variety of trivial points so that you can get them out of the way before getting to the main point.

• This can be particularly helpful if you think the reader will foresee the trivial points– You know the points are trivial, but the reader may

not. Then you should not keep them in suspense like a decreasing importance ordering would.

Logical OrdersGeneral to specific

• Used to establish general premises or criterion before moving to specific applications

• For example, you might discuss what features are desirable in sensor networks. Then you describe how your algorithm addresses these concerns.

Logical Orders Specific to General

• Not used that often for computer science journals

• It is useful when you want to build a case for some previously unknown general principle.

• Or, as in the book example, for some previously non-existing general safety guidelines. (But that would be not be journal paper.)

Logical Orders Comparative

• Combines Decreasing importance & General to specific

• In this order, you:– First identify what things will be compared– Second specify the criterion– Draw the comparison

• You could use this when comparing your results against other algorithms.

The Matrix problem• Complex comparison are difficult to describe.

• Maybe your paper is compared to three others– You have better energy performance and run time

than paper A, but worse code size.– You have better energy performance and code size

than paper B, but worse run time.– You better code size and run time than paper C, but

worse energy performance.

• Pages 60-62 give some suggestions.

Organizing for Multiple Audiences

• Not so useful for reports. Let’s skip this.

Time for a review

• Turn to page 63.

Discussion What order would you use?

To write a memo to your colleagues suggesting improvements in the design of a product that you are working on.

Discussion What order would you use?

To write a review of scholarly articles on the effects of violent movies on children.

Discussion What order would you use?

To write a laboratory report on the effects of high doses of sugar on rat metabolism.

Discussion What order would you use?

To write a set of instructions on how to build a “live-catch” mousetrap.

Discussion What order would you use?

To write a report to potential customers explaining how your company’s product compares with its three major competitors.

Discussion What order would you use?

To write a report to your research director on why your project should be allowed to continue despite your recent lack of success.

Discussion What order would you use?

To write a report describing a new piece of laboratory equipment and explaining why your company should purchase it.

Discussion What order would you use?

To write a report analyzing whether the chemical defoliant your research team has developed meets all federal health and safety standards.

10 minute Break

Outlining

“On your organizing worksheet, you should now have, in addition to your thesis statement, a list of main points with their supporting evidence, all arranged in a suitable order and number coded to your note cards. What you have, in other words, is … an outline.”

Outlining

• Such an outline as you now have is a scratch outline.

• Many good writers stop right here and go into writing

• But I doubt you are good English writers. – I’m not even sure if I am! (Later on today,

we’ll put my writing to the test.)

• So you should always use a formal outline.

Outlining

• Such an outline as you now have is a scratch outline.

• Many good writers stop right here and go into writing.

• But I doubt you are good English writers. – I’m not even sure if I am! (Later on today,

we’ll put my writing to the test.)

• So you should always use a formal outline.

Outlining

• Such an outline as you now have is a scratch outline.

• Many good writers stop right here and go into writing.

• But I doubt you are good English writers. – I’m not even sure if I am! (Later on today,

we’ll put my writing to the test.)

• So you should always use a formal outline.

Outlining

• Such an outline as you now have is a scratch outline.

• Many good writers stop right here and go into writing.

• But I doubt you are good English writers. – I’m not even sure if I am. (Later on today,

we’ll put my writing to the test.)

• So you should always use a formal outline.

Outlining

• Such an outline as you now have is a scratch outline.

• Many good writers stop right here and go into writing.

• But I doubt you are good English writers. – I’m not even sure if I am. (Later on today,

we’ll put my writing to the test!)

• So you should always use a formal outline.

Outlining

• Such an outline as you now have is a scratch outline.

• Many good writers stop right here and go into writing.

• But I doubt you are good English writers. – I’m not even sure if I am. (Later on today,

we’ll put my writing to the test!)

• So you should always use a formal outline.

Formal Outlines

• page 64 gives an example of a formal outline.– In this outline, the 1st level uses capitalized Roman

numerals, the 2nd level uses capitalized letters, the 3rd level uses numbers, …

• Such an outline may combine sentences, noun phrases, and/or clauses.– But each individual grouping in the outline must be

parallel, using either: all sentences, all phrases, or all clauses.

• This does not apply across groups, even if they are at the same level of the outline

Formal Outlines

• page 64 gives an example of a formal outline.– In this outline, the 1st level uses capitalized Roman

numerals, the 2nd level uses capitalized letters, the 3rd level uses numbers, …

• Such an outline may combine sentences, noun phrases, and/or clauses.– But each individual grouping in the outline must be

parallel, using either: all sentences, all phrases, or all clauses.

• This does not apply across groups, even if they are at the same level of the outline

Formal Outlines

• page 64 gives an example of a formal outline.– In this outline, the 1st level uses capitalized Roman

numerals, the 2nd level uses capitalized letters, the 3rd level uses numbers, …

• Such an outline may combine sentences, noun phrases, and/or clauses.– But each individual grouping in the outline must be

parallel, using either: all sentences, all phrases, or all clauses.• This does not apply across groups, even if they

are at the same level of the outline

From Outline to Draft• The outline is like a blueprint for your paper.

– Entries will appear in your draft as headings, subheadings, paragraph topic sentences, etc.

• At construction sites, problems with the blueprints lead to delays and cost overruns.– The same principle applies to outlines

– Fix you outline now, not later. Make it so well ordered and structured that you can forget about organization once you begin writing.

From Outline to Draft• The outline is like a blueprint for your paper.

– Entries will appear in your draft as headings, subheadings, paragraph topic sentences, etc.

• At construction sites, problems with the blueprints lead to delays and cost overruns.– The same principle applies to outlines

– Fix you outline now, not later. Make it so well ordered and structured that you can forget about organization once you begin writing.

From Outline to Draft• The outline is like a blueprint for your paper.

– Entries will appear in your draft as headings, subheadings, paragraph topic sentences, etc.

• At construction sites, problems with the blueprints lead to delays and cost overruns.– The same principle applies to outlines

– Fix you outline now, not later. Make it so well ordered and structured that you can forget about organization once you begin writing.

From Outline to Draft• The outline is like a blueprint for your paper.

– Entries will appear in your draft as headings, subheadings, paragraph topic sentences, etc.

• At construction sites, problems with the blueprints lead to delays and cost overruns.– The same principle applies to outlines

– So, fix your outline now, not later.

From Outline to Draft• The outline is like a blueprint for your paper.

– Entries will appear in your draft as headings, subheadings, paragraph topic sentences, etc.

• At construction sites, problems with the blueprints lead to delays and cost overruns.– The same principle applies to outlines

– So, fix your outline now, not later.

– Make it so well ordered and structured that you can forget about organization once you begin writing, next week.

In-Class AssignmentPutting the Prof to the test!

• Beginning writers can learn a lot through imitation. So get out your copies of Dynamic Functional Unit Assignment for Low Power.

• Working in groups, reverse-engineer an outline for an assigned section of the paper. Your outline will have 2 levels: 1) paragraphs and 2) key points within paragraphs.

• When your group has agreed on an outline, come up to the board and write it neatly.

Homework

• Read pages 69-85– Answer the following review questions from

page 96: 1, 3, 4, 5.

• Prepare a detailed formal outline for your paper. Type it on a computer and print it out with double-spacing.