Post on 03-Apr-2018
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TheEZ way to write a prospectus,thesis, publishable paper
John M. Hoenig, Ph.D.
Department of Fisheries Science
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The EZ Way to Write a Prospectus
1) Define the problem
2) Say what you
re going to do3) Say what you need
4) Show youve reviewed the literature,
but only in context of 1, 2, & 3
All you need to do is
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11 - 15 pages, MAX!
(but check with your committee)
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Can you believe its so simple?
1) Do you understand the problem and its
complexities? Will your approach work? Are
you reinventing the wheel?
2) You have no business going in the lab or the
field if you don
t know what you
re going todo. Are you familiar with the procedures?
3) Are you going to be able to get the data,
specimens, equipment youll need?
Think of the purpose of the prospectus: your
committee wants to know
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What if you dont stick to the
plan in the prospectus?
Its an action plan, not a contract. Unforseeableproblems arise. Plans change. Get over it. Youll
be judged on whether you did good work, not on
whether you stuck to the plan.
Unforseeable problems happen. A good
prospectus has a back-up plan.
The prospectus is to help you. Done after the
fact its a waste of time. Do you want to waste
your committees time?
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Writing a thesis or dissertation
chapter vs manuscript format
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Writing a thesis or dissertation
Introduction (review of literature)
AllMaterials and Methods
AllResults
AllDiscussion
Chapter format the old way to do it
Complete rewrite to publish this!
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Short(er) Introduction (define the problem)
Manuscript 1 (in format for journal 1)
Introduction
Materials & MethodsResults & Discussion
Manuscript 2 (in format for journal 2)
Introduction
etc.
Concluding chapter (pull things together)
Manuscript format the modern way
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Some things in the thesis wont go in the
published version (maybe put them in an
appendix)
Use this to your advantage: things you dont
want in the publication but that need
documenting can go in the thesis (e.g.,negative results)
Example: youre interested in how growth of clams varies with
depth, temperature and salinity but you measure 15 otherenvironmental variables just to eliminate the possibility that
theyre influencing growth. None of the correlations are
significant. Including all of these data would take up a lot of
space and be tedious. So, put the results in your thesis or atechnical report and simply refer to it in your journal article.
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So the secret to writing a thesis is to write
manuscripts. OK.
So what
s the secret to writing manuscripts?
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Cardinal Rule: Write the paper before you
do the research.
! ??? !!!!
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Write the Materials and Methods first.
Its easy.
And you need to know what to do (preferablybefore you do it!)
(Hopefully, you can lift this from your prospectus)
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Next, write the Introduction
EZ Formula:
1) What
s the problem?2) Why is it of interest?
3) How does your work contribute to an
understanding of the problem?
There are other ways to write the introduction
but the EZ formula works every time
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Also write the Results section
! ??? !!!!
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Make up plausible results
I might see this, or this, or maybe this
How are you going to graph the data?
How are you going to analyze the data?
How are you going to interpret the data?
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Is it unethical to write the results before you
do the research?
No. Its good practice. You get to
- review your design
- think about assumptions- anticipate problems
- plan your analysis
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For the discussion section, just list points
you want to remember to discuss
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After the research
Update everything
Insert results
Now, a major portion of your thesis is already
done. (This is important sitting down towrite a 100 page thesis is intimidating.
Having it half done makes it MUCH easier.)
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Generally, its easier to combine
results & discussion into one section,
and most journals will let you do this.
Th h h i bl i h id
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The sphaghetti problem:sometimes the ideas
are all tangled up and its hard to find the start
and end of the story you want to discuss
make a list of the points you want to make, inany order. Then try to put them in sequence.
Then fill in with more detail. Then make anoutline, & keep adding detail
If youre still having problems, sayyourdiscussion instead of writing it. Do it again andagain until it stabilizes. Typically, the first timeitll take you 20 minutes to explain yourfindings, the second time it will take 10
minutes, then 5. Then write it down.
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When youre too tired to think but still want to
make progress
Type up the bibliography, title page, etc.(Its got to be done sometime).
Congratulations, you now have 8 of your 100
pages finished. Just 92 left to go
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Common Errors (thought police)
Results occurring in introduction
Results in methods section
Methods in results section
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EZ Publishing
Pick a journal before you start writing, and type
manuscript (especially references) in the rightstyle from the start
NOTE: its i.e., e.g., (get it right the first time)
Generally, no more than 35 pages per
manuscript
Figures & tables must be able to stand alone
S b it l ibl f
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Submit papers as early as possible for
publication. Dont wait until youre about to
defend.
If a paper is a done deal (i.e., in press) your
committee probably wont give you a hard time
about the paper (e.g., making you work on
organization, style, etc. After all, why bother if
its already in press.)
Its nice to get the ms back from the journalwhile youre still at VIMS because it will be
easier to revise at home than in your new
surroundings after you leave VIMS.
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Suggest reviewers when you submit ms
When ms is returned by the journal
- respond to all reviewers comments
- make all changes you can live with
- always take the high road
If your ms is rejected
- rebut reviewers errors
- take your lumps if its a matter of opinion
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Baseball Rule: strike 3 and youre out!
If your paper is rejected, try another journal. If
its rejected again, try again. If its rejected a
3rd
time, throw it in the garbage. But dontgive up until youve tried 3 times.
(Rejections by Science and Nature dont
count. Those are badges of honor.)