Ez Writing

7/28/2019 Ez Writing

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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.)

Ez Writing

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