How to Write a Scientific Paper Writing for Understanding...Zeiger M. Essentials of Writing...
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How to Write a Scientific Paper
Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
Kurt H. Albertine, Ph.D. Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine (Adjunct), and
Neurobiology & Anatomy (Adjunct) Associate Dean of Faculty Administration,
School of Medicine Editor-in-Chief, The Anatomical Record
- Writing for Understanding -
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Hook the Reader
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● Excite the reviewers
The Bottom Lines
● So that they want your manuscript published!
● Why?
● Excite readers
● Why?
● So that they want to read your publication!
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● Excitement, such as
● New discovery!● More thorough insight!
● Scientific controversy!
● Innovation!
● Substantive, clear (understandable) results !● New methods, reagents, transgenic mouse!
● Novelty
ARCOVER2008
What Do Editors Look For?
● NOT scientist controversy!!Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
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● Reviewers and readers
Expectations About Manuscripts - 1
● Revolves around the hypothesis or question
● Conclusion that answers the hypothesis or question
● An interesting story that
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Starts here This
way?
Not! A Good Story…
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Outline
● Writing for understanding
● Reviewers’ hell
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Please, do not write
reviewers’ “Hell”!
“Hell”, El Bosch, Garden of Delights, Prado Museum, Madrid Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
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Critical Self-Assessment
● Does the reviewer have to work to understand your manuscript?
● No
● Yes
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● “…science is not data. Data are the raw material of science. It is what you do with the data that is science – the interpretation you make, the story you tell.”
Why Strive to Write Clearly?
Zeiger M. Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers. pg 1, 2000 Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
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Worth Pondering
● The reviewer has a life, too!
● S/he is reviewing at midnight, after being on service for 36 hours, her/his children are sick, and her/his spouse/mate is out of town
● Reviewer’s “hope” ● At least some of “their” manuscripts will
receive favorable enthusiasm that places the manuscript in the “accept” category
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● Goals
● Clear, simple, informative figures and tables
● Unambiguous writing
● Place your study and results in context
● Logical story ● Creates the least confusion
● Brings focus on significance and impact
● Creates a storyline
● Makes the results obvious
Writing for Understanding (Clarity)
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● To write for understanding…
Guides for Writing Clearly
● Determine how much to tell the reviewers
● Target the audience
● Be a credible writer
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● You want a second date
Analogy: The First Date
● Title and Abstract ● Captivate the imagination of the reviewers
● Gives reviewers something to look forward to
● Make the first impression a good impression!
● Clear writing ● Significance ● (Innovation) ● Impact
; not dread! Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
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● To attain clear understanding, clear writing is required
Be a Credible Writer
● The study of writing is NOT a waste of time!
● Proper grammar, punctuation, and sentence and paragraph structure are essential ● Tools to attain understanding
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Appropriate Use of Punctuation
● “Standards of punctuation in general…are approaching the point of illiteracy; self-justified philistines.”
Truss L. Eats, Shoots & Leaves. 2004 Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
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● Use accurate and specific words
Say What You Mean, Simply - 1
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● Most important words
Keywords
● Why?
Clear Keywords Vague Keywords Rats Animals
Preterm infants Children
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● Example: “Change”
Unclear Word Choice
● What does “change” mean? ● Increased/decreased? ● Longer/shorter? ● Heavier/lighter?
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Say What You Mean, Simply - 2
● Use active, rather than passive, voice ● Avoid bias in your writing
Goodland, Kansas Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
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● Avoid
Say What You Mean, Simply - 3
● Jargon (“out there”) ● Euphemisms (“to pass away”; die)
● Modifying words (adjectives, adverbs)
● ‘Very’ (very big)
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● "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request…”
Pretentious Writing
* Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl, 2003
… improvement
● “No" ● Captain Barbossa
to Elizabeth Swann
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Definition of Clear Writing
* Zeiger. Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers. 2000
● “Clear writing is writing that is incapable of being misunderstood” *
● Quintilian, a Roman rhetoritician, who lived in the first century A.D.
OK to start-out fuzzy
Crisp finish Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
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● “Old-style” writing theory (also political theory) *
Guwen
● Han Yu (768-824; Late Tang Dynasty)
● Among a group of rising scholar-officials
● Advocated simple, clear writing, in the style common during the early Han Dynasty
* Hammond. From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History. 2004 Asia2011 Writing Workshop; Albertine ©2011
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Good Sentence Structure
● Noun verb completer
● Keep sentences about 20 words or less
● Avoid starting sentences with names of authors, lab groups, or years ● Keep the science the subject!
● Jack and Jill ran up the hill
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● Avoid
Say What You Mean, Simply - 4
● Complicated descriptions (e.g., a scientist’s directions to any where)
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● Questions to ask yourself
Good Paragraph Structure
● Does the topic sentence clearly state the main idea of the paragraph?
● Do the supporting sentences contain specific details and ideas that develop the main idea?
● Is the final sentence a conclusion; or a transition to the next paragraph?
● Do the sentences flow smoothly and logically?
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Follow the Yellow Brick Road…
● Why use schemas, cartoons, pathway roadmaps, etc.?
● “A picture is worth a thousand words” ● However, …
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● … the picture and words must agree!
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Elk
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● … the writing should not be contradictory!
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Schemas, Cartoons, Pathways, etc
● Why use them?
● “A picture is worth a thousand words” ● Synthesize concepts
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How Does Your Study Advance the Field
● Ask yourself questions about your study that reviewers are likely to ask ● What answers do you want or need? ● Write down the answers ● The list provides an organizational
framework (outline)
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● Content
Writing Checklist
● Are sufficient details presented to support the hypothesis, overall impact, and significance?
● Are the major ideas developed appropriately?
● Are irrelevant ideas removed?
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“Relativity”, MC Escher, Back in Holland, 1941-54
All of the elements are present, but where is the storyline?
If you write this way…
…expect “rejected”
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Thank you!
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1. American Medical Association. Manual of Style. 9th edition, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1998. (ISBN 0-683-40206-4).
2. Briscoe MH. Preparing Scientific Illustrations. 2nd edition, Springer, NY, 1996. (ISBN 0-387-94581-4).
3. Sova DB. Writing Clearly. A Self-Teaching Guide. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2004. (ISBN 0-471-17952-33).
4. Strunk W Jr and White EB. The Elements of Style. 3rd edition, MacMillan Publishing Co., NY, 2000. (ISBN 0-02-418200-1).
5. Zeiger M. Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers. 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, Inc., NY, 2000. (ISBN 0-07-072833-X).
6. Zinsser W. On Writing Well. Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1988. (ISBN 0-06-091479-3).
Bibliography
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