Post on 30-Jun-2015
description
Scientific Writing and Communication!
Eric LICHTFOUSE! INRA, Dijon, France
Eric.Lichtfouse@dijon.inra.fr!Nov. 17-18, 2014, 1-4 pm room 219!
CV - Eric Lichtfouse
1986-1991GEOCHIMIST
PhD France! Post-doc USA Germany!
1992-2003 SCIENTIST Soil scienceC, pollutants!
2003- EDITOR
Agronomy for Sustainable Development Environmental Chemistry Letters!
Contents!
EDUCATION!
WRITING! INTERNET, SOCIAL MEDIA!
STORIES!
ISSUES!
Micro-article!
NOVELTY!
SELECTION!
VISUALS!
CULTURE!
ISSUES!
INFORMATION OVERDOSE!
Articles - Web of Science!1982 : 711 808!2012 : 2 141 759 !
Reading: 24 minutes per paper!!Bits reading!Non-linear reading!
Each part/section/figure of a document should be understandable and citable without reading the rest!
Impact factor!
Fang 2011. Retracted science and the retraction index!
Retraction index!
IMPACT FACTOR!
- Favours misconduct!- Measures citations, not novelty !- Topic dependent!- Citation date dependent!
Sand-Jensen, Oikos 2007
Boring papers!
Congratulations, you are now capable of !writing technical , impersonal and boring papers !
like myself and the other genlemen -!Welcome to Academia!
ISSUES!
The law of the impact factor!
Challenge for journal editors!How to attact authors by a poor journal?!!
Decreasing sales!Lower visibility!
Low and rare submissions!
Must publish!Low selection!
Decreasing impact factor!
ISSUES!
Scientific article!
Communication tool!
Communicative!!
Novelty versus known!
Explained novelty!
Authors usually write only for themselves!
ISSUES!
EDUCATION!
EDUCATION!
Increase readership!
Scientific paper!
Specialists!
Students in and OUT of the field!
Press, journalists!
Politics, public!
Corporations, farmers, etc.!
No education no reader no citation!Even specialists like obvious facts!
EDUCATION!
Albert Einstein advice!
If you can’t explain something simply, you don’t understand it well. !Most of the fundammental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone. !
EDUCATION!
Do not make science ‘secret’!Do not use complex words and expressions to look ‘serious’!Do not ‘invent’ abbreviations !
WRITING!
WRITING!
Scientific documents!
PhD thesis!Original article!Data paper!Review article!Methodological article!Meta-analysis!Essay, opinion paper!Meta-analysis!Press, public scienceAdvertising!Slideshare, Wiki, Blog, !Facebook, etc.!
One experiment – Ten papers!
WRITING!
Original article skeleton!
BACKGROUND!ISSUES
EXPERIMENTAL
MAJORS RESULTS!INTERPRETATION!
NOVELTY!BENEFITS!
GENERAL ISSUES!
SCIENCE ISSUES!
EXPERIMENT 1!
EXPERIMENT 2!
EXPERIMENT 3!
DESCRIPTION!
DISCUSSION!
DESCRIPTION!
DISCUSSION!
DESCRIPTION!
DISCUSSION!
MAJORS RESULTS!INTERPRETATION!
NOVELTY!BENEFITS!
ABSTRACT!
INTRODUCTION!
EXPERIMENTAL!
RESULTS !AND!
DISCUSSION!
CONCLUSION!
REFERENCES!
TITLE!
WRITING!
Text: what the eye sees !
WRITING!
Text: what the mind sees!
SPACE!
SPACE!
SPACE!
SPACE!
Write wisely titles, first and last sentences!
Story begins!
Story ends!
WRITING!
Title flaws!
Potential use of essential oil from lemon-scented eucalypt (Eucalyptus citriodora Hook.) for the IM of little seed
canary grass (Phalaris minor Retz.)!
WRITING!
Title flaws!
Potential use of essential oil from lemon-scented eucalypt (Eucalyptus citriodora Hook.) for the IM of little seed
canary grass (Phalaris minor Retz.)!
Too long!
Edited title!Alternative control of canary grass using eucalypt oil!
WRITING!
Abstracting!
Readers love contrast!Abstract: last written, first read!!
ABSTRACT!
INTRODUCTION! RESULTS AND DISCUSSION!
PROBLEM! SOLUTION!
WRITING!
Abstract !
BACKGROUND – ISSUESGeneral, global, societal, economic!
Specific, scientific!Knowledge limits, hypothesis!
EXPERIMENTAL Location, samples, methods !
Duration, parameters!
33% - 4 sentences!
RESULTS - NOVELTY1-3 Trends with data!
Interpretation!Novelty!Benefits!
33% - 4 sentences!
33% - 4 sentences!
WRITING!
Abstract flaws!
Organic residues and fresh materials are potentially important sources of!nitrogen (N) in crop production. A study was conducted to investigate the impact of!temperature on the release rate and profile of amino acids from fresh shoot material!from chicory (Cichorium intybus), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and red clover (Trifolium!
pratense) under anaerobic conditions. Both amino acids and other organic N pools!constituted significant proportions of the soluble N that was released over a period of!240 hours. At incubation temperatures of 15ºC, up to 30% of the total added N was!
present in the watery phase already after 50 h without further increases in the!proportion. Increasing the incubation temperatures to 35ºC, caused the alfalfa material!
to release up to 100% of the total added N following a first order kinetic model. Release!rates of amino acids from red clover and chicory material in contrast did respond!
(P>0.05) to higher incubation temperatures. The three herbage sources released a!mixture of 16 amino acids but each source released different profiles of amino acids, in!total reaching around 20 mg N l-1. Shoot material from chicory only released four amino!
acids, in total reaching not more than 3 mg N l-1. Shoot material from alfalfa and red!clover and seed material from soybean in particular released ARG, GLU, ALA and HIS.!
In the watery solution from soaked soybean seed material, the early incubation period!were dominated by ARG, GLU and ALA whereas TYR, TRP and VAL were specific!
later in the incubation period. Three groups could be identified as behaving similar: (i)!ASP and SER, (ii) ARG, GLU, HIS, and CY2, and (iii) ILE, PHE and LEU. Knowledge!
of the amino acid release profiles should be included in future studies investigating the!rapid N releases from plant materials.!
WRITING!
Abstract flaws!
ISSUES - BACKGROUND!Organic residues and fresh materials are potentially important sources of!nitrogen (N) in crop production. !
WRITING!
Abstract flaws!
EXPERIMENTAL!A study was conducted to investigate the impact of temperature on the release rate !and profile of amino acids from fresh shoot material from chicory (Cichorium intybus), !alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and red clover (Trifolium pratense) under anaerobic conditions. !
WRITING!
Abstract flaws!
! ! RESULTS - NOVELTY!Both amino acids and other organic N pools constituted significant !proportions of the soluble N that was released over a period of 240 hours. !
At incubation temperatures of 15ºC, up to 30% of the total added N was present !in the watery phase already after 50 h without further increases in the proportion. !
Increasing the incubation temperatures to 35ºC, caused the alfalfa material!to release up to 100% of the total added N following a first order kinetic model. !
Release rates of amino acids from red clover and chicory material in contrast !did respond (P>0.05) to higher incubation temperatures. !
The three herbage sources released a mixture of 16 amino acids but each source released !different profiles of amino acids, in total reaching around 20 mg N l-1. !
Shoot material from chicory only released four amino!acids, in total reaching not more than 3 mg N l-1. !
Shoot material from alfalfa and red clover and seed material !from soybean in particular released ARG, GLU, ALA and HIS.!
In the watery solution from soaked soybean seed material, the early incubation period!were dominated by ARG, GLU and ALA whereas TYR, TRP and VAL were specific!later in the incubation period. !
Three groups could be identified as behaving similar: (i)!ASP and SER, (ii) ARG, GLU, HIS, and CY2, and (iii) ILE, PHE and LEU. !
Knowledge of the amino acid release profiles should be included in future studies !investigating the rapid N releases from plant materials.!
WRITING!
DIVING INTO THE INTRODUCTION!
GENERAL, GLOBAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC Background, issues!
Readable by the public! ... ..
. .
SPECIFIC, LOCAL, CONCEPTUAL!Knowledge limits, scientific issues
Hypothesis!Readable by ALL scientists!
Universe !
Galaxy !
Planet !
WRITING!
Introduction flaws!
Introduction!
Bt is a facultative anaerobic, gram-positive bacterium that forms characteristic protein inclusions adjacent to the endospore. Bt subspecies can synthesize more than one parasporal inclusion, which are toxic for certain invertebrates, especially species of insect larvae belonging to the insect orders Coleoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera...!
WRITING!
Results and discussion!
DESCRIPTION!
DISCUSSION!
DESCRIPTION!
DISCUSSION!
DESCRIPTION!
DISCUSSION!
WRITING!
Strategy of argumentation!
1. Major result first!First result ‘shows that’!Second result ‘strengthens’!Third result ‘definitively confims’ !
2. Major result last!First result ‘suggests’!Second result ‘strengthens’!Third result ‘confirms’!
Literature argument may replace a minor result, but wisely:!No ‘our results confirm the finding of Smith (2012)’!
Literature should be used to show clearly the advance of Your work !
Results and discussion!
3.1 SUBSECTION TITLE!
Reminder of aim and experiments 2 sentences!
Detailed description of one trend – no reference 2 sentences!
Discussion 5-6 sentences - Interpretation - Novelty versus known – using references… if necessary- Benefits for science!- Benefits for society- Conclude on the major finding – 1 sentence
WRITING!
Figure flaws!
WRITING!
Figures!
Wisely designed to show one messageAlmost readable without reading the text!
WRITING!
Figure flaws!
y = 12,1x + 1,7
R2 = 0,98
y = 9,3x + 3,5
R2 = 0,9619
y = -7,5x + 68,1
R2 = 0,9026
y = -9,9x + 69,7
R2 = 0,9743
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Cd
Morta
lité
Rats
Souris
ESCARG
Limaces
Linéaire (Souris)
Linéaire (Rats)
Linéaire (Limaces)
Linéaire (ESCARG)
0
20
40
60
80
0 2 4 6
Concentration en cadmium (mg/g terre)
Mortalité (%)
Rats!
Limaces!
WRITING!
Captions!
Figures are separate objects published alone on the internet. !Understandable and citable without reading the article text. !
CAPTION Figure 1. Impact of copper on animal deaths. Note the unexpected decrease of snail deaths from 60 to 20. This finding evidences positive effects of copper on snails. Linar interpolation y = - 2,5x + 10, r2 0.96. EAB: explain abbrevations here. !
0
20
40
60
80
0 2 4 6
Concentration en cadmium (mg/g terre)
Mortalité (%)
WRITING!
NOVELTY!
NOVELTY!
Many forms of novelty!
My data/results!
New mechanim? New concept? !New interpretation? New species? New method? Improved method? !
First observation? First exploration? Contradictory finding? !Practical invention?...
Good news!!You – humans – are always inovating, !
you just don’t explain it clearly!
NOVELTY!
x!x!
x!x!
x!x!
x!
Types of novelty!
Try to find the novelty category of those paper titles !
Technical/method?!Object/species?!Conceptual?!Trend?!
How is novelty explained in the text?!
PROBLEM General issues - society!Specific issues - scienceFrontier of knowledge
Hypothesis!
SOLUTION!One major result
Interpretation NoveltyBenefits!
Démonstration!
NOVELTY!
Creating contrast!
NOVELTY!
Say the major point 3 times!
Explain the novelty in: TITLE (if possible)ABSTRACT RESULTATS ET DISCUSSION CONCLUSION!
Do not consider novelty obvious for the reader!Important facts must be repeated for readers memory!
NOVELTY!
Hiding novelty!
Too much information kills information!Readers remember only one point, or less…!
10 results shown! 1 result shown!
NOVELTY!
Communicabilité : 1. Focalisation : moyens !
NOVELTY!
Communicabilité!
NOVELTY!
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!
YIELD!
FERTILIZER!
YIELD!
FERTILIZER!
x!
x!
x!
x!x!
HYPOTHESIS! FIELD TRIAL! RESULTS!
REFORMULATION!OF THE!
HYPOTHESIS!
YIELD!
SOIL CARBON!
x!x!
x! x!
x!
NEVER start writing your initial objective!ALWAYS find first ONE main message from your data!Then INVENT the best contrasting hypothesis!
NOVELTY!
Unpredictable science!
The greatest scientific advances couldn't be, and weren't, predicted. !Sir Harold W. Kroto, Nobel price winner!
The path of discovery is not straight. !Ahmed Zewail, Nobel price winner!
Often an experiment wants to tell you more than what you first expected. !Jean-Marie Lehn, Nobel price winner !
NOVELTY!
SELECTION!
SELECTION!
Processus éditorial1. Evaluation scientifique!
Linear process!10-15 ‘invisible’ people involved!
50% volunteers !!
SELECTION!
Review reports!
1. Overall decision!Accept with minor changes/Accept with major changes/Reject!
2. Rating and assessment of specific sections!Novelty/originality versus current knowledge/methods: X (0-10)!Article clearly focussed on major point(s): ! X (0-10)!Sufficient experimentation:!! ! X (0-10)!Experimental quality: ! ! ! X (0-10)!Statistical analysis: ! ! ! X (0-10)!English: ! ! ! ! X (0-10)!
Title: (appropriate?)!Abstract: (concise summary of work?)!Introduction: (background and problem clearly stated?)!Materials and Methods: (too short/adequate/too long? acceptable methods?)!Results and Discussion: (too short/adequate/too long? logical order? focussed? correct interpretation?)!Conclusions: (justified by results and correct interpretation?)!References: (appropriate? right number?)!Tables and Figures: (high quality? appropriate? right number? duplication? suitable legends?)!
3. Specific comments for authors!(Comments on the whole article)!
SELECTION!
VISUALS!
IMAGES!
Basic communication!
Simple figure!
Numbers!
Short title!
ONLY 1 message!
Spaces, blanks! to ‘breathe’!
1992-2003 SCIENTIST Soil carbon!
Readers are humans (!)!
IMAGES!
FIGURES!
Author? !
IMAGES!
FIGURES!
Albert Einstein!Abstract thinking !needs images!
IMAGES!
FIGURES!
Author? !
IMAGES!
FIGURES!
Charles Darwin!Evolution tree!
Image = imagination!
IMAGES!
Back to the future!
ACS mobile!
IMAGES!
Visuals = article entrance!
CULTURE!
CULTURE!
Symbolic meaning?!
CULTURE!
Symbolic meaning?!
Singing Fish, MiroSpain!
Brandenburg GateBerlin!
Diversity of thought implies diversity of communication!10 scientists equals 10 different opinions on scientific writing!
Reviewers may have very different opinions!
CULTURE!
Culture influences writing!
Southern authors! Northern authors!Long sentences! Short sentences!
Orphan sentences! Well-structured paragraphs!
Repeating not allowed! Repeating allowed!
Romance, flowery prose, unfocussed text! Straight to the point!
Too many results - quantity! 1-3 relevant results - quality!
Unexplained results! All results discussed!
CULTURE!
Major writing flaws!
Non conform to instructions Apply instructions to the letter Slack presentation equals slack science
Outside journal topics Read topics, aims and scope
Low quality figures Make simple, pretty, one-message figures
Abbreviation overdose Avoid abbreviations
CULTURE!
Major writing flaws!
Unexplained novelty Explain 3 times
No education Explain general, global, societal issues
Too many results Focus on one discovery
Inadequate reference use Distinguish Your results from literature results
CULTURE!
INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA!
Literature search!
PAST! NOW
Selection by titles then abstracts!Interdisciplinary science!
‘plant climate change’!2 000 000 papers !
Few papers!
Downloads!
realtime.springer.com!
INTERNET!
The article of the future!
Laptop screen adapted!http://beta.cell.com!
Graphical abstract!
Menus!
Interview!Video!
Main points!
Immediacy!INTERNET!
Social networks!
Springer - Online tools and social media!
INTERNET!
Social networks!
Sharing and ‘liking’ will probably be new forms of peer-review and selection !
INTERNET!
Social networks!
Microblogging!
INTERNET!
Social networks!
Get invited to meetings!
INTERNET!
Social networks!
Get useful information!
INTERNET!
Social networks!
Questions/Answers!
INTERNET!
Social networks!
Your list of publications in the Web of Science!
INTERNET!http://www.researcherid.com/rid/F-4759-2011!
Social networks!
Your list of publications on the web!
INTERNET!
Social networks!
Sharing presentations!Statistics: reader interest:!allow you to see what can be improved!
INTERNET!
STORIES!
STORIES!
Don’t click too fast!
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 08:57:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Paper submitted to Agronomie To: agronomie@avignon.inra.fr
Dear Éric Lichtfouse, Kindly find attached file (MS Word) of my paper entitled... for publication in Plant Science. I hope the paper meets the laid down criteria of publication.
Kindly acknowledge receipt. Best regards.
STORIES!
Double shot!
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006From: "Robert E. L. Naylor" <reln@abdn.ac.uk>To: author Cc: agronomy@avignon.inra.fr
Dear Author, We are in the process of reviewing the above manuscript submitted to the Journal of Agricultural Science (JAS) on 19 July 2006. It has come to our notice that the same paper has been submitted to the journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development...
Professor Robert E. L. Naylor, Senior Editor, Journal of Agricultural Science!
Submitted July 19 to JASSubmitted July 21 to AgronomyReceived by the same reviewer! !
STORIES!
Micro-article!
Distillation of results!
Micro-article!
MICRO-ARTICLE!
Title!
Title!
Title!
Title!
Title!
Title!
Title!
Micro-article!
MICRO-ARTICLE!
Increasing pesticide levels in groundwaters !
Climate change!Economic loss !Food security!
Conclusion!
Improving writing is possible… BEFORE SUBMISSION!Article format and content is changing!More information: Slideshare, ResearchID, LinkedIn (Lichtfouse)!Eric.Lichtfouse@dijon.inra.fr!
Acknowledgements
Department of Tropical and Soil Sciences!University of Hawai’i at Manoa !