WRITING PAPERS FOR SCIENTIFIC JOURNALSburtman/2007 Scientific writting APS style_c… · Read related scientific papers. Became an expert in the field; (Read all key-publications

WRITING PAPERS FOR SCIENTIFIC JOURNALSMotivation: Lab # 5 should be submitted as Scientific paper (letter)

Why to write scientific papers (SP)?Where to send SP?How to write SP?

AIP stylereview of John Viner paper

Logic, Style,Format

July 17 and July 19 2007July 17 and July 19 2007

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Research flow-chart

Your own, your supervisor orsomeone

ideaidea

Discussion & literature

search

Discussion & literature

search

Day in the library= to month in the Lab.

Feasibility check; develop model and

goals

Feasibility check; develop model and

goals= pre-report!

Resources available?

Resources available?

Write proposal(s) and look for collaboration

and students

Write proposal(s) and look for collaboration

and students

Develop Exp. Procedure.Take data

Develop Exp. Procedure.Take data

Check model, assumptions

Check model, assumptions

Control Experiment(s)

Control Experiment(s)

Prepare for writing

Prepare for writing

Write paper(s)Write paper(s)

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Be sure that your data is self-contained and artifact-freeDo not cut edges; record everythingDevelop critical mind and independent thinking!Be self-critical; be devil-advocate to yourself; ask help if you can not do that

yourself (otherwise referee will do this job); Read related scientific papers. Became an expert in the field; (Read all key-publications in the field of your research, build database );Presentations are extremely useful to achieve most of these goalsHowever: protect your intellectual property before publishing!

Before writing Scientific paper

Write paper(s)Write paper(s)

1. Read Instructions to Authors.

2. Locate a paper in the journal which is similar to yours – use this paper as your bible.

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Overview: Why to write scientific papers

A critical aspect of the scientific process is the reporting of new results in scientific journals in order to disseminate that information to the larger community of scientists. Communication of your results contributes to the pool of knowledge within your discipline (and others!) and very often provides information that helps others interpret their own experimental results.

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Where to send

2005 Impact CitedTotal Cites Factor Half-life

SCIENCE 345991 30.927 7.3NATURE 372784 29.273 7.5NAT BIOTECHNOL 20914 22.738 4.3CHEM REV 51878 20.869 7.4SURF SCI REP 2668 17.857 7.2NAT MATER 5450 15.941 2.2

PROG SOLID STATE CH 788 15.167 >10.0

ACCOUNTS CHEM RES 21293 13.141 6.5ANNU REV MATER RES 2451 11.219 6.6MAT SCI ENG R 2313 10.517 5.4PHYS REP 14803 10.458 8.7ADV PHYS 3737 10.421 >10.0P NATL ACAD SCI USA 357239 10.231 6.9NANO LETT 13040 9.847 2.5ANGEW CHEM INT EDIT 89731 9.596 5.2ADV MATER 28094 9.107 4.5REP PROG PHYS 5488 8.893 8.8PHYS REV LETT 250517 7.489 6.6J AM CHEM SOC 257810 7.419 8.2ADV FUNCT MATER 3406 6.77 2.6NAT METHODS 496 6.741 0.8PHYS TODAY 3084 5.685 6.9ANAL CHEM 64301 5.635 7PROG MATER SCI 1777 5.586 6.2PHYS LETT B 55129 5.301 7.4PHYS REV D 82935 4.852 5.2ECOLOGY 33510 4.506 >10.0P IEEE 10658 3.887 >10.0J MATER CHEM 15323 3.688 4.5PHYS REV C 26370 3.61 6CHEMPHYSCHEM 2882 3.607 2.6J PHYS CHEM A 32086 2.898 4.5J PHYS B-AT MOL OPT 12129 1.913 8.9APPL SURF SCI 11631 1.263 5

Abbreviated Journal Title

1. Identify the journal to which you intend to submit your paper.

2. Identify your preference: letter or full papers

dream-list

stro

ng-li

st

Impact factor

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Report vs. Paper

1. SP is your scientific achievement. Published in databases and are cited

2. Nobody beside referees has to read your paper

3. Nobody will read boring SP

4. Could be directly rewarded in your carrier, funding and power (condition: HIF journals high citations.

SP = scientific papersHIF = high impact factor

1. Writing report usually is part of our job, they are not published in databases and are not cited

2. Someone expect to read report and take action

3. Report could be formal

4. Strong report could lead to job promotion

5. No abstract; introduction is more formal; Usually contain more technical information and details and less or no science than SP

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GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Modern scientific writing is compact, direct and,

unfortunately, sometimes….

• … boring because of these two characteristics.

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• Scientific papers writing is a specialized type of writing, justlike the writing of novels, poetry, plays, newspaper articles, memorandums, reports, and even letters to your boy/girlfriend.

• Scientific Journal writing should be:– Directed at professional readers who have a reasonable

level of knowledge about the topic.– Logical, i.e., the main deductive steps should be

identifiable.– Direct, without hyperboles.– Clear, without ambiguities.

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If the reader is to grasp what the you means,

you must understand what the reader needs

The writer, must practice writing and thinking within this structure, and, learn by example from the writings of others; learning the nuances of this style and format will be enhanced as you read the scientific literature - pay attention to how professional scientists write about their work. You will see improvement in your own scientific writing skills by repeatedly practicing reading, writing, and critiquing of other’s writing

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Audience: Usually you will be writing to your peers. Simple advice: address your paper to another interested student, or lab group, in this course or major, and assume they have at least the same knowledge and expertise base as you.

Do not write your paper specifically for your instructor or supervisor.


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Above all, remember to write with precision, clarity, and economy.

Remember: Writing and thinking are closely linked enterprises -many people have noted that, "fuzzy writing reflects fuzzy thinking."

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SUGGESTIONS for Beginers

• When reading a scientific paper published in an international journal of good quality, read it several times at two levels:

a) Scientific content.

b) Structure and use of the language. Plagiarism of these methods is permitted and even recommended.

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Plagiarism can be easily avoided by adequately referencing any and all information you use from other sources.

.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is the representation of another person's words, ideas, or information as if they were one's own. You may use another person's words, ideas, or information, but to do so without acknowledgment constitutes plagiarism.

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Your writing should be in complete sentences and easily understood.Be certain you choose your words correctly and wisely.

Make sure that every paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that the paragraph content supports the topic.

Style Considerations

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Style Considerations

•It is important to write clearly and concisely

•Precise word use is critical

•Use Past Tense

•First vs. Third Person: •Limit your use of first person construction (i.e., " I (or we) undertook this study ....): usually it is most acceptable in theIntroduction and Discussion sections, and then only to a limitedextent in Conclusion

•Use Active Verbs

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From AIP Style:

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USE OF WORDS

•Ideally, you would check whether every word could be deleted or replaced by a better one.

•Aim for economy: because instead of based on the fact that; for or to instead of for the purpose of. Similarly: there were several subjects who completed…; it is suggested that a relationship may exist…; both alike; one and the same; a total of n subjects; four different groups; absolutely essential; found previously; small in size; in close proximity; very close to zero; much better; period of time; summarize briefly; the reason is because; also included; in order to; except for.•Aim for precision: concentration or frequency instead of level of concentration or frequency.

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•Avoid hype (hyperbole). Words like very and extremely are usually unnecessary.

•Note these singular and plural forms: criterion, criteria; datum, data; medium, media; phenomenon, phenomena.

•Don’t use however or its synonyms twice in one paragraph, because changing the direction of an argument twice in one paragraph mayannoy readers. •Don’t use however more than once every 10 paragraphs. Try a thesaurus for synonyms.

•Keep jargon (technical terms) to a minimum.

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•Avoid as such. Example: Poor: The A is a reliable test of state B As such, it is suitable for experimental studies. Better: The A is a reliable test of B; it is therefore suitable for experimental studies.

•Avoid her, his and any other sexist language, even if the subjects are clearly of one gender.

•Old rules: •Use while and since to refer to time. Do not use them when the meaning is whereas, although, or because.

•Don't start sentences with because, since, or as.

•APS do not encourage using words new and novel

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THE RULE OF THE BIKINI - the text should be compactbut long enough to cover the mostimportant and interesting points.

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A BEGINNER’S APPROACH TO THE WRITING OF A SCIENTIFIC PAPER

Start with an outline, making a listing of the major ideas and facts to be included in each section. Use the following order:

• RESULTS (4)• METHODS (3)• DISCUSSION (5)• INTRODUCTION (2)• Abstract (1)

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AIP Style

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Now things changing,some journal require figures in TOC!

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IntroductionIntroduction

for long papersNot for letters!for long papersNot for letters!

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Main body of the paper

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Conclusions

Old, n/aOld, n/a

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Dr. Viner's paperDr. Viner's paper

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The abstract: we’ll come back to this, since it is usually written last.

The Introduction:Q: What is the purpose of this introduction? What kinds of information do the authors provide (and what do they save for later)? Do they make clear why the topic is of interest to them? Do they clearly state the objectives (goals/purpose) of the study?

A: The purpose is to give background information on the subject: Measurement of PL in amorphous semiconducting films, and different structural and diamagnetic properties, and also to mention areas where we know little about the physical properties of these films. In this case, the authors also give some information on the study material, although this could have just as appropriately been placed in the "Methods" section. They also use the introduction as a place to state their objectives clearly and concisely in the last section of introduction.

Page 1Page 1

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Notice the style. They don’t use frilly language, or state personal opinions. They also don’t explain how the study was conducted. That comes later. Note the style of writing: the authors write in the active voice, and use the present tense, which is not recommended… past tense is recommended in most sources for scientific writing ("…we examine the PL spectra etc...")The Methods:Q: What is the purpose of this section? Do they describe what they did in enough detail? Do they provide any unnecessary details? What is the style? What tense and person do they use when writing?A: The authors use this section to describe how they did what they did (not why they did it or what they found). Notice that they give very detailed descriptions of things likedeposition of thin films, what they used to do it (PECVD), and gases were used.

Page 2Page 2

= methods= methods

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Note the style of writing: the authors write in the passive voice to use Third Person vs. First Person, and use the past tense ("Thin films were prepared using....."), rather than writing in a style that sounds like they are giving directions or cooking book ("First, you prepare sample, which are thin film..").

Page 2Page 2

= methods= methods

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The Results:Q: What is the purpose of the results section? Do the authors talk about the reasons for the results, or what they mean in terms of the physics of materials? How have they organized this section? Are there any graphs or figures?

A: The purpose is to tell the reader what they found, period. Notice that the authors do not discuss the results. They don’t discuss why properties (K0deffectects) could be explain using(Ueff )model. Notice that in this paper, the "results" section is fairly long. In many papers, this is not often the case, but notice that they have divided this section into sub-topics, which makes it easier to follow. Finally, notice that there are 3 figures, which help to visualize the data.

Page 2-3Page 2-3

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The Discussion:Q: What is the purpose of this section? Do they discuss what their results might mean? Do they discuss how their methods might have influenced (in good or bad ways) their results?

A: This is the section where the authors tell you what they think their results mean. They discuss possible reasons for why they found what they did, and why it’s different from what somebody else found in different, but similar, studies. They also discuss how their results might have differed if they had changed some of their methods. But, they did not go on and on about what was wrong with their study (after all, you want people to read it!).Notice the kinds of sentences and wording they used: "The result of A, B and Cmeasurements appear to be related”, “Similar results have been reported” “.

Page 5-6Page 5-6

“A event cause B, therefore C related to D”[Thermal annealing removes K centers. Therefore…]; “It has been suggested..”“Using A-model most of experimental observations, including those presented in the paper, can be successfully explained..

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The Discussion (cont-ed):These sentences all indicate that the authors are thinking about their results and what they mean. But they aren’t describing the methods, they aren’t giving very many numbers, and they aren’t discussing why they did the study. These things have already been covered.Other suggested expressions ”Reasons for...", "It is possible that...", “.A, B, C. factors may contribute..." "If A is important, then a B should..."

Finally, notice that there are no figures. Should there have been? Probably so, because figures almost always make discussion easier to understand.

Page 5-6Page 5-6

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The Abstract:Q: What does the abstract provide? How much detail is included?

A: The abstract is a concise summary. Notice that it gives the reader a good, but not entirely complete, idea of what was done, what they found, and what the results mean.

Page 1Page 1

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SEQUENCE AND INTERRELATIONSHIP OF “STEPS” IN THE WRITING OF A

SCIENTIFIC PAPER

1. Choose a journal

2. Results (Figures, Tables, Legends)

3. Methods

4. Discussion

5. Introduction

6. Title/key words

7. Abstract

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To summarize...

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THE TYPICAL STRUCTURE OF A SCIENTIFIC PAPER

1. Introductiona) Clearly state the “question” you want to respond to.b) Use the literature to identify the originality and relevance

of your “question”.c) Clearly identify the objectives of the study.d) See bible.

2. Methodsa) Provide sufficient information to:

Repeat the experiment – see bible.Evaluate the adequacy of the experimental approach – see bible.

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3. Results – the most important sectiona) Present the relevant results in logical order

thereby creating an argument to convince the reader.

b) Determine the most adequate manner to present data as text, figures or tables.

c) Present other information necessary to interpret the results.

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4. Discussiona) Do not repeat all of your results in detail.b) Identify the principal important results,

discussing them in terms of literature.c) Identify new information and new concepts

derived from your results and discuss them in terms of literature.

d) Establish a connection between your results and concepts in the literature.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS

Read scientific journals for their form and how they solve problems.Read the journal to which you intend to submit the paper and a paper similar to one you intend to submit.Rule of bikini.Be kind to the reader. The less he has to work to understand the paper the more he will like it. Place information in place where readers expect

to find it. Aim for simplicity: many readers are less intelligent and less knowledgeable than writers

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CHARACTERISTICS OF MANUSCRIPTS OF POOR QUALITY

1. Introduction that is a review without a statement of objectives or justification.

2. Text confusing and not properly organized.

3. Data or result collection with no conclusions. Data not sufficiently analyzed.

4. DISCUSSION that goes much beyond the results and/or does not adequately identify what is new and relevant in the paper.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF MANUSCRIPTS OF POOR QUALITY

5. Original (i.e., not previously published), but of questionable relevance in terms of current questions.

6. Not original, only confirmatory.

7. Confused and obscure writing of the text that makes it difficult to understand the Methods, Results and/or Conclusions.

8. The misplacement of old and new information turns out to be he No. 1 problem in American professional writing today.

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THE MANUSCRIPT MUST PROVIDE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS OF THE

EDITOR

1. Is the objective of the research (hypothesis) original and scientifically valid?

2. Are the methods used and the experimental design appropriate to answer the questions proposed?

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THE MANUSCRIPT MUST PROVIDE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS OF THE

EDITOR

3. Are the experimental data of sufficient quality to be interpreted within the context of the objectives?

4. Do the results justify the conclusions?

5. Does the manuscript contain new and relevant information that justify publishing?

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SUBJECTIVE WORDS THAT DEPEND ON THE POLICY OF THE JOURNAL

• Scientific validity• Originality• Appropriate methods• Quality of data• Relevance• Priority

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FINAL COMMENTS

• Follow Instructions to Authors when preparing the manuscript for submission to a journal.

• If not, the Editor will think you do not know how to read or the paper was rejected by another Journal or both.

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FINAL COMMENTS

• We are all beginners because our results are new unless we repeat the same experimentation over and over again.

• Don't be disheartened by a rejection. Some of my best papers have been rejected by high-impact international journals which were later accepted by other high impact journal.

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A.A. First stepFirst step:: Study the structure and use of the language of papers published in the journal which you intend to submit your paper. If possible identify one or more papers similar to the paper you intend to write.

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B.B. Second stepSecond step:: Your results are the central part of your scientific paper. All other parts of the paper should complement them. Because results differ from paper to paper, there is no single “formula” nor a set of all-purpose solutions for the difficulties met in the construction of a scientific paper. The variables are:

• Research area• Journal• Specific questions• Experimental approach• Level of documentation required

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D.D. Fourth stepFourth step: : Survey the literature in order to update your bibliography and then adjust your outline. Things may have changed since you prepared the original research plan.

If necessary redo your outline, especially the Discussion and Introduction.

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E.E. Fourth stepFourth step: : Prepare all data for the RESULTS section, but select the most important:

• Determine which data will appear in the Tables and Figures; the remainder will have to be included in the text.

• Try different forms of data presentation.• Determine the results that are more relevant and that,

therefore, will have to be emphasized; in other words, select the data to be included. It is impossible to report all your data.

• Determine the order of presentation of your data to provide a convincing and logical argument.

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F.F. Fifth stepFifth step: : Prepare the METHODS section using, if possible, a structure similar to that of the results. Determine the information that should be placed in the legends of the Figures and Tables since it complement the information of the methods. The amount of detail in methods varies from journal to journal – see your bible.

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G.G. Sixth stepSixth step: : Adjust the METHODS and RESULTS sections to one another in terms of presentation of information, consistency and logic. Do not repeat the same information in the two sections unless there is a special justification.

H.H. Seventh stepSeventh step: The RESULTS section is the “heart” of your contribution, the “fish” you must sell. Treat it with care. It must be clear and direct.

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I.I. EighthEighth stepstep: : The DISCUSSION andINTRODUCTION complement each other. Returnto your original outline and reconsider thesesections in terms of:

• The new information provided by your results.• Relationship with the literature in terms of:

• Originality• Relevance• Importance

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Credit

Prof G Hopkins (New Zealand);

http://sportsci.org/jour/9901/wghstyle.html

http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWgeneral.htmlPresentation ideas:http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/jcabbott/courses/bio208web/writing/exercise.htm

http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWgeneral.html

http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWgeneral.html

Documents

WRITING PAPERS FOR SCIENTIFIC JOURNALSburtman/2007 Scientific writting APS style_c… · Read related scientific papers. Became an expert in the field; (Read all key-publications