Indexes / Session 2/ 1 of 36 Session 2 Module 3: Types of Indexes Module 4: Maintaining Indexes.
Course materials for Module 6 · Google Scholar indexes academic papers from sources over the...
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Course materials for Module 6 [Note: Here are some key points extracted from Module 6. The best way to experience the self-studying skills is to go through the examples, videos and self-tests on-line.] 6a. Information search skills for life science students Google Scholar Google Scholar indexes academic papers from sources over the Internet, so it is very useful especially when you are familiar with common search operators like these: " … " Quotation marks: Used to search for an exact word or phrase. Example: "3t3 l1" * Asterisk: A placeholder for one or more than one word. Used with quotation marks to search for a phrase part of which you are not sure of. Note: An asterisk not surrounded by spaces will be ignored. Example: "g protein * receptor" O R Capitalized OR: Used between words to search for pages containing one of the words or both. Without the OR, only pages that contain both words will be shown. Example: swiss albino 3t3 OR 3t6 - Dash: Used immediately before a word to exclude results that contain that word. Useful for refining a broad topic. Example: yeast -saccharomyces -baker You can search Google Scholar by simply typing your keywords into the search box, or click on the downward arrow to specify your search further. 6a.1.1 Setting up preferences on Google Scholar Open the Google Scholar homepage and click on “Settings”. In the "Search results" tab, choose RefWorks as your bibliography manager. The University Library has subscribed to RefWorks so you can use it to organize your references later on. Learn how to sign up for a RefWorks account here.
Transcript of Course materials for Module 6 · Google Scholar indexes academic papers from sources over the...
CoursematerialsforModule6[Note:HerearesomekeypointsextractedfromModule6.Thebestwaytoexperiencetheself-studyingskillsistogothroughtheexamples,videosandself-testson-line.]6a.InformationsearchskillsforlifesciencestudentsGoogleScholarGoogleScholarindexesacademicpapersfromsourcesovertheInternet,soitisveryusefulespeciallywhenyouarefamiliarwithcommonsearchoperatorslikethese:"…"
Quotationmarks:Usedtosearchforanexactwordorphrase.Example:"3t3l1"
*Asterisk:Aplaceholderforoneormorethanoneword.Usedwithquotationmarkstosearchforaphrasepartofwhichyouarenotsureof.Note:Anasterisknotsurroundedbyspaceswillbeignored.Example:"gprotein*receptor"
OR
CapitalizedOR:Usedbetweenwordstosearchforpagescontainingoneofthewordsorboth.WithouttheOR,onlypagesthatcontainbothwordswillbeshown.Example:swissalbino3t3OR3t6
- Dash:Usedimmediatelybeforeawordtoexcluderesultsthatcontainthatword.Usefulforrefiningabroadtopic.Example:yeast-saccharomyces-baker
YoucansearchGoogleScholarbysimplytypingyourkeywordsintothesearchbox,orclickonthedownwardarrowtospecifyyoursearchfurther.
6a.1.1SettinguppreferencesonGoogleScholarOpentheGoogleScholarhomepageandclickon“Settings”.
Inthe"Searchresults"tab,chooseRefWorksasyourbibliographymanager.TheUniversityLibraryhassubscribedtoRefWorkssoyoucanuseittoorganizeyourreferenceslateron.LearnhowtosignupforaRefWorksaccounthere.
Inthe"Librarylinks"tab,type"CUHK"intothesearchboxandhitthesearchicon.With"TheChineseUniversityofHongKong-Findit@CUHK"checked,clickon“Save”.
NowasyousearchGoogleScholarforarticles,a"Findit@CUHK"linkwillappearifanarticleispartoftheUniversityLibrary'ssubscribedcontent.Youcanclickonthelinktoaccessthefulltext.
6a.1.2SavingreferencesfromGoogleScholartoRefWorksNotethatthe"Cite"linkbelowasearchresultprovidescitationsformattedintheMLA,APAandChicagostyles.Ifanyofthestylesisacceptableforyourcourseassignment,youcancopyandpastethecitationintoaWordfile.
[Note:MoreaboutcitationstylesinSection6a.3.]IfyouhavechosenRefWorksasyourbibliographymanagerin“Settings”>“SearchResults”,an"ImportintoRefWorks"linkwillappearbeloweachsearchresultinplaceof"Cite".
ThelinkwilltakeyoutoyourRefWorksaccountandyouwillfindthereferenceinthe“LastImported”folder.Ifyouarenotloggedin,thelinkwilltakeyoutotheloginpage.LoginandclickontheimportlinkinGoogleScholaragaintocopythereferencetoRefWorks.
PubMedPubMedbyNationalCenterforBiotechnologyInformation(NCBI),theUSNationalLibraryofMedicine(NLM)isafree-to-usedatabaseofcitationsandabstractsinbiomedicalfields.PubMedcovers5,600+journalsfromNLM’sMEDLINEdatabase,plusin-processandahead-of-printcitations,etc.TosearchPubMed,simplyenteryourkeywordsinthesearchboxorusetheAdvancedfeaturetospecifythefieldstosearch(e.g.Author,JournalandTitle)andaddAND/OR/NOToperators.6a.1.3UsingMeSHtocreateatargetedPubMedsearchMeSH(MedicalSubjectHeadings)isacollectionoftagsforindexingjournalarticlesonPubMed.SearchingwithMeSHtermsgivesmorerelevantresults.WatchthisvideobyNCBItolearnhowtofindoutandusetheMeSHtermsforyourtopicofinterest.6a.1.4SavingreferencesfromPubMedtoRefWorksPerformasearchandchecktheresult(s)thatyouwanttosave.(1)Clickon“SendTo”atthetopoftheresultslist,(2)choose“Citationmanager”andthen(3)clickon“CreateFile”.Savethe.nbibfileontoyourcomputer.
InyourRefWorksaccount,mouseover"References"inthetoolbarandclickon"Import".Set"NLMPubMed"as"ImportFilter/DataSource",and"PubMed"as"Database".Uploadthe.nbibfileyouhavejustsavedandclickon“Import”.Theimportedreference(s)shouldappearinthe“LastImported”folder.
6a.2Lifesciencesdatabases&resourcesInadditiontoPubMedandGoogleScholar,thereisalsoalonglistofsubscription-baseddatabasesandresourcesavailablethroughtheUniversityLibrary.
BIOSISCitationIndex1926–presentTutorial
CombinestheBIOSISdatabasecontentwiththecitationindexingoftheWebofKnowledgeplatform.Sourcesfrom5,000+journalsandcoversvariousareasinthelifesciencese.g.molecularandcellbiology,pharmacology,endocrinology,genetics,neurosciencesandinfectiousdiseases.SupportsexporttoRefWorks.
ProQuestScienceJournals1986–presentTutorial
Covers1,200+journaltitlesinappliedscienceandtechnologysubjects.SupportsexporttoRefWorks.
Scopus1823–presentTutorial
Includestheabstractsandreferencesof10,000+peer-reviewedjournalsinthelifeandhealthsciences.IncludesalltitlescoveredinMEDLINE.SupportsexporttoRefWorks.
NCBIdatabasesandresourcesTheNCBIhasontopofPubMedawiderangeoffreeresourcesforstudentsandresearchers.Youmayfindtheseresourcesusefulasyoustudyforyourcoursesortryyourhandataresearchproject.6a.4ReferencemanagementwithRefWorksRefWorksisweb-based,meaningyoucanaccessyouraccountfromanywhereyoucanaccessawebbrowser.ThisProQuesttoolforcitationmanagementenablesyouto:• SaveyoursearchresultsfromGoogleScholar(Section6a.1.2),PubMed(Section6a.1.4),andmanyother
bibliographicdatabases.• Buildandorganizeyourreferences.• Createreferencelistsofdesiredstyles(e.g.CSEandVancouver)andfiletypes(.doc,.htm,.odt,and.rtf).• Insertin-textcitations,footnotes,andreferencelistsintoWordfiles.• Customiseacitationstyle–foradvancedusers.BeforeyoucantryouttheabovefeaturesyouhavetosignupforanindividualaccountthroughtheUniversityLibrary’swebpage.ThissectionintendstogiveyouaquickguidetousingRefWorksfortheabovepurposes.TolearnwhatmoreyoucandowithRefWorks,youareencouragedtocheckouttheusefulandcomprehensivevideosProQuesthasonYouTube.
6b.Elementsofascientificpaper6b.1Whydowereadscientificpapers?Readingscientificpapersinadditiontoyourtextbooksenablesyouto:• keepuptodatewithdevelopmentsinparticularareasofscience,and• learnmoreaboutresearchconventionsinthesciencediscipline.Forresearchstudents,goodpapers(especiallyresearcharticles)provideessentialinformationabout:• experimentsorproceduresthattheymaywanttocarryoutintheirownlab,• thecurrentfindingsavailablefordiscussionandverification,and• thetypesofdatatoexpectforcertainexperimentalconditions.Apaperalsocontainstheresearchers’explanationandconclusionoftheirstudy,whichcouldbesomefoodforthoughtforacriticalreader.6b.2TypesofscientificpapersBroadlyspeakingtherearethreecategoriesofscientificpapersofvariouslengthsandformatsandservingdifferentpurposes.• Reviews/Perspectives
o Usuallyinvitedbythejournaleditor,basedonapredefinedtopico Peer-reviewedandedited
• Letters/Shortcommunicationso Shortreportsoforiginalresearchwithsignificantcontributiontothefieldo Peer-reviewedandeditedo Publishedmorerapidlythanoriginalresearcharticles
• Articles/Originalarticles/Researcharticleso Relativelycomplete,comprehensivereportsoforiginalresearchthatgiveadvancedunderstanding
ofanimportantproblemandhaveimmediateimplicationso Presentinganextensivestudyandshowingtherawexperimentaldatao Peer-reviewedandedited
6b.3OrganizationofascientificpaperDespitetheirvarietiesdescribedintheprevioussection,scientificpapersingeneraldohaveauniquestructurethatsetsthemapartfromothertypesofpublications.Thepicturebelowshowswhatthefirstpageofapapertypicallylookslike.Someoftheelementswillbedescribedinthissection,alongwiththemajorfeaturesofascientificpaper.Titleofarticle• givereadersaninstantideawhatthepaperisabout.• Thetitleofareviewoftentakestheformofanounphrase,toindicatethetopicbeingdiscussed.Onthe
otherhand,thetitleofaresearcharticleisoftenacompletesentence(withoutthefullstop)thatproclaimsthemostimportantfindingofthestudy.
• Compare“Barrierstothefreediffusionofproteinsandlipidsintheplasmamembrane”[JCellBiol(2015)208:259-271]asthetitleofareviewand“ProteinkinaseGin4negativelyregulatesflippasefunctionandcontrolsplasmamembraneasymmetry”[JCellBiol(2015)208:299-311]asthetitleofaresearcharticle.
Author(s)andaffiliation(s)• Theperson(s)whoperformedthestudy,andtheinstitute(s)atwhichtheworkwascarriedout.• Multipleauthors:Thefirstauthorwasusuallythemainparticipantinthestudy,andthelastisusually
theonethatledtheproject.
Abstract/Summary• Itgivesabriefbackgroundofthestudyanddescribesconciselythemajorfindingsofthepaper.• Itisanopportunityforyouasastudenttoreviewwhatyouknowaboutthetopic.
Introduction• Thebackgroundknowledgenecessaryforyoutounderstandwhythefindingspresentedinthepaperare
anadvanceinknowledgeinthefield.• Youcanskipthispartinyourfirstreadingifyouareveryfamiliarwiththetopic.
MaterialsandMethods• Informationaboutthematerialsusedintheexperimentsandtheproceduresunderwhichthe
experimentswerecarriedout.Adetaileddescriptionenablesotherresearcherstoreplicatetheworkintheirownlab.
• Youcanskipthispartinyourfirstreadingandreferbackwhenclarificationisneeded.
Results• Thereasonswhytheexperimentsweredoneandtheexperimentalresults.
Discussion• InterpretationofthedatapresentedintheResultssection.Asyoureadthispart,checkforanalysisof
resultswithcontrolstakenintoconsideration.Notehowyoumayinterprettheresultsdifferentlyfromthewaytheauthor(s)do.Beawareofoverstatedimportanceofthefindings.
Acknowledgments• Anexpressionofgratitudeforthecontributiontoorsupportforthestudy,e.g.financialsupportfroma
researchgrantsprovider,collaborativeeffortsfromotherresearchteamsandsourcesoftechnicalsupport.
• References• Bibliographicinformationaboutthepreviousstudiescitedinthetextofthepaper.[Notethatquotingwithoutreferencingcanconstituteplagiarism]
6c.Readingandunderstandingascientificpaper6c.1HowtoreadandunderstandascientificpaperfastandeffectivelyThereareactuallywaysforyoutoreadfastwhileunderstandingthekeycontents.Takeareadofthesequenceandtryitoutnexttimewhenyouhaveanarticletoread.Youwilldevelopyourownstyleasyouhavemoreexperiencereadingarticles.
6c.2HowtoreadascientificpapercriticallyWhenreadingapaperyoufinduseful,alwaystrytoidentifythestrongpointsandwherepossible,theconfusingaspectsofthestudyaswell.Hereareafewquestionstoaskyourselfasyoureaddifferentpartsofthepaper.
Abstract
Canyouunderstandquicklytheobjectivesofthestudy,themajorfindingsandtheconclusionmadebeforereadingthefullpaper?Havingfinishedreadingthepaper,doestheabstractgiveatruereflectionofthefindingsandconclusions?Aretheyrelevant?
Introduction
Didtheauthors• includeclearbackgroundinformationandvalidreasonsforperformingthestudy?Wasthestudydonetoextendorchallengecurrentknowledge,ortostartanewknowledgearea?(Youcouldmarktherelevantreferencesforlaterreadings,tounderstandthebackgroundingreaterdetail)
• statetheirhypothesisclearly?Howwasthehypothesisbasedoncurrentknowledgeandposedtofindoutnewinformation?(Noveltyiskeyinoriginalresearch)
• mentiontheirinvestigationstrategy?(Sometimesthestrategyisdescribedelsewhereinthepaper,e.g.intheResultssection)
• citeandexplaintherepresentativeworksfromresearchersinthefieldholdingoppositeviews?
Materials&Methods
• Arethemethodsappropriatetoaddressthequestionsinthestudy,ortoachievetheaimsofthestudy?
• Arethemethodsclearlydescribedinsuchawaythatallowsotherresearcherstoreplicatetheexperiments?
Results
Thinkaboutthecoherencebetweendescriptionanddata,thereliabilityandvalidityofthedata,andtheapproachusedforthestudybyasking:• Havetheauthorsincludedsufficientdatatosupporttheirideasandconclusions?
• Didtheauthorsinterprettheresultscorrectly?Aretheresultsconvincing?• Whatisthesamplesize?Whatisthenumberofobservationsforeachvariable?Anycontrolexperimentsdone?
• Anystatisticalteststoanalyzethedata?• Didtheauthorsrecognizethelimitationsoftheirmethodology?
Discussion
• Whatwerethesignificantpointsofthefindings?• Didtheauthorsmaketherightconclusionsbasedontheirinterpretationoftheirdata?Doyouagree?
• Didthedataanswerthequestions/hypothesisraisedbytheauthors?• Howdotheirfindingshelptoexpandtheexistingknowledge?• Lastly,distinguishbetweenconclusionsprovenbyexperimentaldataandspeculations.
References• Doesthearticleincludeadequatelyrelevantreferencestothestudy?Arethosesourcesreliableandaccurate?
• Arethereferencesup-to-date?
6d.Elementsofscientificwriting6d.1SectionsofascientificpaperBuildingupyourlanguageskillsthroughreadingwellwrittenpapershelpsyouwriteyourownpapersinthefuture.Thissectionaimstohelpyourecognizegoodpracticesinresearchwriting.Preparation• Getclearideaoftheresearchquestion:
Reviewarticlesinthetopicareatogetanoverviewofthefield Readwidelyandcritically
• Keeprecordofallthearticlesreviewed,withbibliographicaldataforcitingatalaterstage.• Keepdatasafeandorganizedfromthestartofthestudy.• Befocusdriven,notdatadriven.Makeaclearplanonhowtousethedatacollected.WritingthepaperIntroductionWhattoincludeinagoodintroduction:• Relevantbackgroundinformation• Keytermsdefinitionifnecessary• Identificationofcontentiousissue(s)orproblem(s)tobediscussed• Overallpurposeofthestudy• Clearandspecificstatementofhypothesis• RationaleofthewaytheresearchquestionwasstudiedandansweredMethodology• Describeeachstepclearlyandcomprehensively.• Ensurethatthemethodologyisvalid.Result• Pointoutthemajorfindings.• Placegraphicalortabulardatainanappropriateplaceinthetextandclearlytoconveytheresults.• Presentsufficientdataforthereadertojudgehowtheexperimentturnedout.• Emphasizethepatternsortrendsinthedata.• Pointoutthesignificanceoftheresults.Discussion• Drawconvincingconclusionsfromthedata.• Mentionfactorsthatcouldhaveinfluencedoraccountedfortheresults.• Describefurtherplanningorexperimentstocontinuetheresearch.• Stateyourcontributiontothefield.• Relateyourresearchtopotentialapplications.
6d.2LanguageskillsWewilllookathowtheauthorsstructureaparagraphtodevelopanargumentandhowtheyhighlighttheirkeyfindingswhileaddressingthelimitationsoftheirstudy.Foracomprehensivetextbookonpaperwritingskills,youareencouragedtocheckoutWallwork’s(2011)Englishforwritingresearchpapersthroughthislink.Developingargumentsinalogicalsequence• Asentencetypicallycontainsonespecificidea.Itissometimesheadedbyatransitionwordthatrelates
theideatotheprevioussentence,e.g.“however”inExcerpt1a.Asentencecanalsobeheadedbyanadverbthatalertsthereadertowhatliesahead,e.g.“specifically”and“notably”inExcerptB.
• Asentencewithmorethanoneideaisoftenlonger(morethan30words)sonotalwaysdesirable.However,whenyouhavetoputtwoideasinonesentence,youcanusealinkingword,e.g.“yet”and“which”inS2andS6,respectively,inExcerptA.
Usingtherighttone:HighlightingandhedgingRatherthansimplypresentingfactsinplainlanguage,authorsofscientificpapersoftenfeeltheneedtomakeanemphasisatsomepointandtotonedownamessageatanother.Keyfindingsmaybeworthhighlightingbymeansoflanguage,paragraphingorifthejournalpermits,subheadings,bulletpoints,etc.Hedging,ortheuseofsoftlanguage,isoftennecessarywhenmakingabigstatementaboutone’sownfindingsandcritiquingtheworkofothers.Hedgesmaketheauthorseemmorehumble.
ThefirsttwosentencesraisetheissueoffocusingonPPARϒfortherapeuticeffects.TherestoftheparagraphelaboratesontheproblemswithPPARϒactivation.Evidencefromdifferentperspectivesiscited.Notethatrepetitionofthekeywords“activatingPPARϒ/activationofPPARϒ”keepstheissueintofocusthroughouttheparagraph.
Thisparagraphstartswithatopicsentence(S1)withageneralideatobeexplainedinspecificdetaillateron.ThesubjectsofS1toS3areallrelatedtoexperimentalmethodology.S3alsorelatestothemaintopicofthepaper(oncolysis,orkillingofcancercells).S4addressesthesecondarykeywordinS1(‘pathways’)whilebuildingontheoncolysisnotion.Therestoftheparagraphexpandsontheuseofoncolysis:itsapplications,requirements,andlimitations.Theparagraphcloseswithastatementaboutthesignificanceofthestudy.Againtherepetitionofkeywordsmakestheparagraphmorecoherentandeasiertofollow.
Thisparagraphstartswithatopicsentence(S1)withageneralideatobeexplainedinspecificdetaillateron.ThesubjectsofS1toS3areallrelatedtoexperimentalmethodology.S3alsorelatestothemaintopicofthepaper(oncolysis,orkillingofcancercells).S4addressesthesecondarykeywordinS1(‘pathways’)whilebuildingontheoncolysisnotion.Therestoftheparagraphexpandsontheuseofoncolysis:itsapplications,requirements,andlimitations.Theparagraphcloseswithastatementaboutthesignificanceofthestudy.Againtherepetitionofkeywordsmakestheparagraphmorecoherentandeasiertofollow.
Theauthorsuseanumberingsystemtohighlighttheirkeyfindings.NumbersareusefulespeciallywhenyouhavetoreferbacktotheitemslateroninyourdiscussionSourcesofexcerptsPrasad,V.,Suomalainen,M.,Pennauer,M.,Yakimovich,A.,Andriasyan,V.,Hemmi,S.,&Greber,U.F.(2014).Journalofvirology,88,13086-13098.http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jvi.02156-14Tundo,G.R.,Sbardella,D.,Ciaccio,C.,Bianculli,A.,Orlandi,A.,Desimio,M.G.,Arcuri,G.,Coletta,M.,&Marini,S.(2013).JournalofBiologicalChemistry,288,2281-2289.http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m112.393108Chen,Z.,Vigueira,P.A.,Chambers,K.T.,Hall,A.M.,Mitra,M.S.,Qi,N.,McDonald,W.G.,Colca,J.R.,Kletzien,R.F.,&Finck,B.N.(2012).JournalofBiologicalChemistry,287,23537-23548.http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m112.363960
[MoreexamplescanbefoundinModule6]
6eElementsofeffectivepresentation6e.1Example:ThecriticaldistinctionsThis16-minuteTEDtalkbycancerresearcherDr.MinaBissellshowswhataneffectivescientificpresentationcanlooklike.Inherpresentation,Bisselltellsastoryofherdecadesofquestioning,hypothesizingandexperimentationwhichhaveculminatedinherimportantdiscoveriesintheroleofextracellularmatrixincancerdevelopment.Asyouwatchthepresentation,noticehowthespeakerusesher36slidesascuesratherthansimplypresentsfromthem.ThenrefertotheexercisesinModule6e.http://www.ted.com/talks/mina_bissell_experiments_that_point_to_a_new_understanding_of_cancer6e.2PreparingyourcontentThissectionandthenextwillshowyousomewaystoprepareanddeliverascientificpresentation.Thesuggestionsmaybehelpfulforastart;youareencouragedtoadoptthemwithmodificationstosuityourpresentationpersonality.ManyoftheideasareadaptedfromWallwork’s(2010)EnglishforPresentationsatInternationalConferences,whichyoucanreadonlineinitsentiretythroughthislink.
SectionsofaresearchstudyAscientificpresentationoftenfollowsthesamestructureasaresearcharticle,withvaryingdegreesofadherencedependingontheparticularpresentationsituation.SoinsteadofshowinganopeningslidewiththebulletpointsIntroduction/Methods/Results/Discussion/Conclusionsandreadingthemoutloud,youcouldgostraighttoyourkeypointstoletyouraudienceknowwhattheycanexpecttohearinyourtalklateron. Contenttoconsiderincluding Whattodowiththecontent
Introduction• Thebackgroundleadingtoyourresearchquestion• Researchgap(s)• Researchobjective(s)/Hypothesis(-ses)
Gettheaudienceinterested
Methods
• Essentialdetailsfortheaudiencetounderstandwhatyoudidandyourresultslateron.
• Thissectionshouldbebriefunlessyourstudyisallaboutmethodologyoryouhavenomajorresultstotalkaboutatthisstage.
Tellastorytosoundinteresting(i.e.notlikealabmanual)
Results• Theexperimentalfindings,positiveandnegative,presentedingraphs,tables,etc.
• WhatisexpectedandwhatisnotExplainveryclearly
Discussion• Meaningofyourresults• Limitationsinthestudy,ifany• Reasonswhythestudyisimportant
Convincetheaudiencethatyourstudyhassignificanceforyourfield
Conclusions• Keymessage(s)revisited• Futurework• Howthestudyrelatestotheaudience
Soundenthusiastic
Questions&Answers
Extraslidestoshowdetailsofthestudyandtheliteraturethatareleftoutinthemainpresentationandthatyouthinkmayhelpyouanswerquestionsfromtheaudience.
Answertheaudience’squestionswithcourtesyandconfidence.
PlanningfromscratchPlanningfromscratchhelpsyouclearyourheadafterallyourintenseeffortsinthelab.Describedbelowisa“keymessage”approachthatstartswithyourcentralidea.• First,describeyourstudyinnomorethan25words.• Designa2-minutetalk.NoPPTorvisualatthisstage.JustthinkandwriteinEnglishasmuchasyoucan!• Dothe2-minutetalkandrecordyourself.Listenbacktoyourtalkandthinkhowyoucoulddobetter.
Expandthetwominutes.OpenanewPPTfileandgiveyourpresentationameaningfultitle.Thinkofyourcontentpointsaspartofastory;startwithoneslideforeachpointandpullinsupportinggraphicse.g.datatables,graphs,andpictures.Keeptoonlyoneortwographicsperslide,ifpossible.Whentouseaslide?Effectivepresentersuseslidesasatoolratherthanasasubstitutefortalking.Theyoftenhitthestagehavingmemorizedtheorderoftheirslides;theydothetalking,lookingattheaudienceallthetimeexceptthebriefmomentswhentheyhavetorefertotheirslides.Soaslideisneededonlywhenit:• helpsyoumakeyourpointsmoreeffectively,• helpsyouraudiencevisualizeorremembersomethingmoreeasily,• makesabstractideasseemmoreconcrete,or• attractsattentionorentertainstheaudience(whilestayingrelevanttothetopic).6e.3GettingreadytopresentPreparingyourselfTheactualpresentationisalotmorethanjustaslideshow;youwillbetheoneinchargeofmakingyouraudiencefollowyoueverysecondyouhaveyourslidesup.Youraudiencewilllistentoyou,clingingontoyournarrationandcommentarywhiletryingtomakesenseofwhatyouareshowingthemonthescreen.Soyourpreparationisnotcompleteuntilyouhavepreparedyourself.Youcouldmakefilecardnotesofyourcontentpoints(justkeywords/phrases)intheorderyouwillbringthemupinyourpresentation.Writingouttheimportantpartsofyourtalkalsohelpsyouidentifythekeywordsyoumaynotknowhowtopronounce.Somelanguageissuesarediscussedbelow.Languageissues-youcanworkonusinglanguagewithgreatereffectiveness:• Beconcise(tosavetime!)Awordyanduninformativeintrosuchas“TodayI’mgoingtogivea
presentationonthisstudyentitled…”isnotgoingtobeascaptivatingasasimple“Goodmorning.Mystudyisabout...”.
• TalkaboutwhatyouraudiencemaynotknowfromreadingyourslideRepeatingthefigurelegendthatthegreenbarscorrespondtotheaveragelevelofmetaboliteAinthetreatmentgroupandtheredbarsinthecontrolgroupisnotveryhelpful.Rather,allowamoment’spauseandcomment:“ThetreatmentraisedthelevelofmetaboliteAtosixtimesthenormallevel”.
• Useaudience-friendlylanguage Activevoice(vs.thepassive) Personalpronounse.g.I,we,andyou Verbs(vs.nouns,especiallylongnominalizations) Shortsentences• Usinglanguagewithgreateraccuracyrequiresmorecarefulattention.Forastart,AdobeReaderhasa
“ReadOutLoud”functiontocheckthepronunciationofunfamiliarwords.
TimemanagementWhenyouarepracticingyourpresentation,theruleofthumbistoaimforadurationthatisslightlyshorterthanthelimit.Forexample,ifyouareallowed20minutesyoumaywanttoplanfor15minutes,sinceyouractualpresentation(infrontofarealaudience)isverylikelytobelongerthanyourtrials.Youcanalsocheckyourpresentationlanguageforconciseness.Non-verbalcommunicationEyecontactandbodylanguagePracticingyourpresentationandknowingyourslidesshouldgiveyoutheconfidencetodoso.Foranextraboostatthestartofyourtalk:putupyourtitleslide,takeadeepbreathandscanyouraudienceastheyreadthescreen;whenyouthinktheyarefinished,smile,greetthem,andbeginyourpresentation.PausesPausesareusefulforpacingatalkandcatchingone’sbreath.Apauseoftwosecondsorsogivestimefortheaudiencetoreadanewslideortothinkaboutaquestionyouhavejustraised.TeamworkIntroductionandhandovers• Thefirstspeakershouldintroducethetopicandthestructureofpresentationintermsofwhoisgoing
totalkaboutwhat.Thisstructurecouldbereiteratedateachtransitionwiththecurrentspeakersaying,“Sowe’velookat...I’llhandoverto[nextspeaker’sname]who’lltellyou...”.
Throughoutthepresentation• Theteam’sattentiontothepresentingmemberofferssupportandhelpstheaudienceconcentrate.The
subsequentspeakerscanmakementalnotestoadjusttheirownpartwherepossibleandappropriate.Questionandanswersession• Itshouldbedecidedinadvancewhoisgoingtotakewhichtypeofquestions.However,whena
questionfallsoutsidethecategoriesthegroupcoordinatorwillhavetodecideonthespotwhoshouldanswer.Wheneveryouhaveansweredaquestion,itisusefultocheckiftherestoftheteamhasanythingtoadd.Likewise,waitforyourturnifyourteammateisansweringaquestionandyouhavesomethinghelpfultooffer.
TakingquestionsfromtheaudienceTogetyourselfsomeextratimetorespondtoaquestionthatyouknowtheanswerto,youcouldcheckwiththequestionerthatyouhaveunderstoodhis/hercorrectlybysaying,“Soyou’reaskingmeif...”Youmaytakethisopportunitytoparaphrasethequestionintotheterminologyyouaremorefamiliarwith,andgoontogiveyouranswerconcisely.Torespondtoaquestionthatyoucannotfullyanswer,forexampleaquestionaboutsomeobscureaspectofthebackgroundofyourstudy,youcould:• describearelatedaspectthatyouaremorefamiliarwithandwhathasbeenknowninthefieldaboutit,
or• saythatasfarasyouknow,theaspectinquestionhasnotyetbeenfullyunderstood.Inanycase,itisbesttothankthequestionerforhis/herquestionfirstandmakeitclearthatyouregrettablycannotgiveadefinitiveanswer.Keepyourresponseconciseandpolitewithoutlosingconfidence.Ifyouarecompletelycluelessaboutaquestion,thankthequestionerandadmittonothavingconsideredthequestionbefore.Youcouldmakeanoteofitinmindoronpaperandgetbacktothequestionerinthefuture.Justkeepyourresponsepoliteandbrieffornow,andmoveontothenextquestion.[NOTE:PleasealsogotothethreesamplepresentationsfromformerBCHE3090studentsinModule6e4]
