Post on 11-Jan-2016
Copyright: Dr. O.P. Sobukola
BY
SOBUKOLA, O.P. (PhD)Department of Food Science & Technology,
University of Agriculture, PMB 2240, Abeokuta, Nigeria.sobukolaop@unaab.edu.ng
SCIENTIFIC WRITING AND PRESENTATION (FST 413)
2010/2011 Session
Copyright: Dr. O.P. Sobukola
Semester: FIRSTFormat: 2 Hourly Lectures per week Instructor: Dr. O.P. Sobukola Temporary Office, FST Wing, COLAMRUD Building Tel.:+234-
8035637361
sobukolaop@unaab.edu.ngClass: Thursday (10-12pm @ RC
203)
Recommended Text:
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Grading of the course
Examination = 60%Oral presentation
= 20%Report writing
= 20%
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General Policies and Principles
Examination- CAT will be inform of written and oral presentation while the exam will be theory based;
Grading- The University rules applies in this case;
Attendance- This is compulsory for all the sections of the course. Make up test will not be encouraged by the instructor at all times;
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Academic Integrity- Students are expected to set high ethical standards for themselves and others;
Social justice- I will maintain a positive learning environment based upon open communication, mutual respect, and nondiscrimination.
There shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, color or national origin.
Any suggestions as to how to further such a positive and open environment in this class will be appreciated and given serious consideration.
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COURSE OUTLINEScientific communication;
Types of written communication- Journals, reviews, conference papers etc;
Types of oral communication- Seminar,
conferences, talks and art of oral presentation;
Modern information technologies;
Scientific illustrations – Figures, tables and plates
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What is Scientific writing?
Scientific writing is writing about science
The cornerstone of the philosophy of science is based on the fundamental assumption that original research must be published
-An unwritten law in science
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What is a research report?It describes the completed study to other researchers,
professionals, students or global audience;
It communicates information to the selected audience as clearly and accurately as possible about the research project;
Research reports highlights the essence of the study and brings the study to an end;
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Hence, scientist must not only do science but must be able to write science;
It is the art of presenting scientific results to fellow researchers or end users;
It is a written scientific document that the researcher produces as a result of a research study or investigation;
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Avenues for Communicating
Scientific findings
Research communications
Extension & popularcommunications
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Research Communication
Journals;Reviews;
Conference papers
Thesis & Dissertation;
Project proposal;Book chapters
Annual reports;Leaflets;Posters;
Newsletters;Lectures
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Extension & popular communication
Extension manuals; newspaper reports; magazine article; radio broadcast;
Films & videos; Audiovisuals shows;Practical demonstration; handbills;
Cartoons; photographs
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Research JournalIt is the most important for any academic/scientist;
It provides new and original information from a particular hypothesis;
It is patronized by specialist in that area & others that borrows ideas for other purposes;
Abstract; introduction; materials & methods; results & discussion; conclusion; acknowledgement; references.
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Research review/critical review
It is a research report in which the author(s) is an authority;
The information contained therein may not be as a result of the research activity of the authors;
It contains information on the subject matter but on different materials;
It is a compilation of research works from different scientist brought together in a particular field
Introduction; theoretical background; discussions; conclusion; acknowledgement; references
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Conference Paper/proceedings
Scientific conference is the gathering of specialist in that field to share ideas together;
A researcher can present the results of his research work to the audience;
The presentations are compiled together in a book/CD called conference proceedings;
It may be one page or extended abstract
Brief abstract, introduction; materials and methods; result & discussion; references
Copyright: Dr. O.P. Sobukola
CAT 1
Give ten examples each of the following in your field of study:
JournalsReviews &Conference proceeding
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Research Proposal
It is a detailed description of the plan intended to put into operation within a set time frame for achievement of the said objective or hypothesis to be tested in the research work being proposed;
It may be written for approval or for sponsorship;
It represents ideas in written form;
It allows for proper monitoring of the research work;
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Research Proposal
Front Matter Main Text Back Matter
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Front Matter
Title page
Short Summary
Main text
Introduction (problem statement; justification; short literature review; objectives)
Materials & Methods (equipment; sampling method; experimental design)
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Data AnalysisConclusions (practical implication and application of
the research results)Time schedulingCost implication
Back matter
ReferencesAppendices
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Thesis and dissertation
This is a report that is written as a result of completion a research result;
It has similar component as a research proposal;
A striking feature is the length of literature review.
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Front Matter
• Title page, name of researcher, degree at time of submission, statement affirming the degree to be awarded, address of university and department, year and month of supervision;
• Certification page;• Declaration page;• Dedication page;• Acknowledgement page
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Table of contentsList of tablesList of figuresEpilogueAbstract (between 100-500 words) but average of 250
words
Main Text
• Introduction• Literature review• Materials and methods
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Results and discussionConclusion and recommendations
Back matter
• References• Appendices (questionnaire, raw data or statistical
analysis)
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CAT 2
Write a research proposal in your field of study for submission to your project supervisor.
Your proposal must explicitly depict all the components of a standard research proposal.
Your proposal should also be ready for oral presentation.
Time frame: 2 weeks
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Reference styles
There are many ways of writing references but there are preferred ways;
The preferred ways could be divided into three as shown below:
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ReferenceStyles
Name-Year system
Number with Alphabetical
listing
Citation-sequence
listing
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Name – Year system
For text citation;
Sobukola (2007) or (Sobukola, 2007).
Sobukola and Dairo (2007) or (Sobukola and Dairo, 2007)
Sobukola et al. (2008) or (Sobukola et al., 2008).
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Reference listing
Akanbi, C.T., Adeyemi, R.S. & Ojo, A. (2006). Drying characteristics and sorption isotherm of tomato slices. Journal of Food Engineering, 73, 157–163.
Akpinar, E.K., Bicer, Y. & Midilli, A. (2003b). Modeling and experimental study on drying of apple slices in a convective cyclone dryer. Journal of Food Process Engineering, 26, 515–541.
Babajide, J.M., Obadina, A.O., Oyewole, O.B. & Ugbaka, L.N. (2006). Microbial quality of dry yam ‘‘gbodo’’ parboiled with ⁄ without adjuncts. African Journal of Biotechnology, 5, 278–281.
Chou, S., Chiang, B., Chung, Y., Chen, P. & Hsu, C. (2006). Effects of storage temperatures on the anti oxidative activity and composition of yam. Food Chemistry, 98, 618–623.
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Senadeera, W., Bhandari, B., Young, G. & Wijesinghe, B. (2000). Physical property changes of fruits and vegetables during hot air drying. In: Drying Technology in Agriculture and Food Sciences (edited by A.S. Mujumdar). Pp. 159–161. Enfield: Science Publishers.
Sobukola, O.P., Dairo, O.U., Sanni, L.O., Odunewu, V.O. & Fafiolu, B.O. (2006). Mathematical modeling of thin layer drying of fever leaves (Ocimum viride) under open sun. In: 2nd National drying symposium (NDS ‘06), Ilorin, Nigeria, 19–21 June.
Togrul, I.T. & Pehlivan, D. (2002). Mathematical modeling of solar drying of apricots in thin layers. Journal of Food Engineering, 55, 209–216.
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Numbered with alphabetical listing
The list in the numbered alphabetical system is arranged in the same order;
References are numbered;
The citation in the text is by number in parenthesis
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Citation - Sequence
Each citation in the text is given as a number written as superscript in the order it is mentioned;
The reference list is arranged sequentially by number and not alphabetical;
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Illustration of scientific result
Bar chart;
Pie chart;
Histogram;
Graphs;
Line graphs
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Characteristics of good Illustration
The title must be explicit enough;
The title must be clear and concise;
Must be simple and clear;
Must contain relevant legend;
It must be virtually appealing and not crowded;
It must be well organized
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Oral Presentations of Scientific research work
Oral presentation
Poster presentation
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Oral presentation
less formal than writinglanguage is conversationalaudience may interact with presenter; ask
questionsslides – provide structure, emphasize
visuals presenter controls pace (not reader) fixed time limit
strive for simplicity – less detail, less information
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Principles of Oral presentation
planning – purpose, audience, scope
preparation – assemble material, decide how to present
structure – logical development
visuals – graphs, images, photos
Practical tip: backup your presentation well: DVD, USB
Copyright: Dr. O.P. Sobukola
Structure of Oral presentation
Structure provides the basis for logical development
Introduction state purpose provide background
Body develop the topic
Closing state conclusion with conviction suggest what to do next; provide motivation
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Power Point slides
Use slide-making software, e.g., Power Point, SliTeX, …
Slides should provide structure for your talk
Keep slides simple, uncluttered
short, punchy lines use phrases, not sentences spelling and English usage should be
correct avoid numerous equations
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More on Slides…
Slides should be easy to read
Use images and graphs
Use large font size >18 pts
no more than 10 – 12 lines
graphs should be simple with large lettering and thick lines
► rule of thumb: slide should be legible at arm’s length
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Oral presentation: style
Try to be relaxed and comfortable
Write down outline of your talk beforehand
Practice beforehand
Speak clearly and plainly
Do not speak too fast
Allow 1 to 2 minutes per slide
Do not read from the slide word-for-word all the time
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Oral Presentation: style
Connect with audience eye contact pick several people to ‘talk to’
Avoid Fidgeting
Dress appropriately for formal presentation (e.g., conference),
look professionalDo not go over your allotted time
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Dressing
Casual/trendy
formal
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More on dressing…..
Traditional
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What about men?
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Oral presentation of scientific results
Steps to be taken before oral presentation
Prepare illustrative materials carefully;
Text must be easy to read and legible;
Proper rehearsal
Orderly presentation of illustrations;
Dress neatly and well.
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At the conference room
Ensure your presentation is well loaded by the operator;
Speak clearly to your audience and not at your audience;
Be masterly in your presentation;
Adopt a single conversation style;
Be relaxed and be confident;
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Pause after each slide and allow your audience to digest the information;
Be time conscious;
Do not distract the audience;
For proper audibility, do not get the microphone too close to your mouth;
Thank the audience after presentation.
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Using poster in presenting research result
A poster is a shortened form of a research paper;
Presented using one or more large sheets of paper;
Used effectively to present pictures that tell the full story of a research activity;
Information is provided through the use of visuals in a well coordinated and organized combination of text and illustration.
Copyright: Dr. O.P. Sobukola
Characteristics of a good poster
It must be simple and clear;
Easy to read and understand the relevant legend/key;
It should be visually appealing and attractive;
The text and illustration must be harmoniously
combined to produce an effective presentation;
It must tell the story completely
Copyright: Dr. O.P. Sobukola
Major elements of a poster
The title of the poster (bold & catchy);
Introduction (text);
Materials & methods (text & illustration);
Results (text & illustrations like graphs; line drawings;
actual specimen)
Conclusion (Text & presentation)
Copyright: Dr. O.P. Sobukola