Title and Abstract Description of paper Summarize the paper

Abstract Do not confuse abstract with introduction Abstract is summary of whole manuscript Introduction develops problem and states purpose Do not state, “ the significance of the information is discussed in the article. ”

Introduction Intro serves two purposes: Stimulates reader ’ s interest Outline reason for the study Begin with a statement or two to develop problem, tell why study needs to be done, and state the purpose of the study Not a place for great detail Highlight most prominent works of others Put detailed review of literature in discussion

Introduction Introduction not a place for great detail Highlight most prominent works of others Put detailed review of literature in discussion Identify and develop the magnitude and significance of the controversy with brief specific statements (referenced, of course)

Introduction the hardest section to write, call attention to the specific subject, define the problem provide background and present the results of other studies (literature review) list the structure of your research project and what you plan to present in your paper

Methods “ Begin with paragraph describing experimental design, then describe subjects, instruments, procedures, and statistical analysis Methods should contain enough detail so others can reproduce the experiment enough information must be given so that the experiments could be reproduced ask a colleague if he/she can follow the methodology

Results display of data with logical development showing how your findings satisfy your objectives where possible give illustrative examples and compare those with known results from literature use tables and figures Emphasize the meaning of the results, not the statistical test used …

Statistics Statistics don ’ t indicate or prove anything; they simply provide you with support for making a decision Statistical tests don ’ t find differences; they provide evidence that a difference between groups is probably real

Statistics Terminology Take courses

Discussion Put your results in perspective with your expectations and compare your results with the rest of the world. Don ’ t repeat or rehash results; discuss them The emphasis should not be on other authors but rather on what they reported and how it relates to your work

Discussion You discuss, you do not recapitulate the Results show the relationship among observed facts state your conclusion as clearly as possible summarize your evidence for each conclusion end with a short summary/conclusion regarding the significance of your work

Figures and Tables Stand alone Read abstract, than examine the tables and figures

Tables Tables should look like this: Table 1. Title of the table (units of measurement)* Header 2Header 3 Header 1Sub2aSub2bSub2cSub3aSub3bSub3c Row identifierInfo Row identifierInfo Row identifierInfo TotalInfo *Put any notes here.

Tables Identify units of measurement in the most general way possible. Include in column header or row identifier if possible. When a table contains data that have been averaged, report the mean ± SD (or SE)

Summary Separate summary not needed; abstract does this. List of conclusions at end of discussion is appropriate. TIP: write a summary, compare to abstract, add left out info, then throw away summary.

HINTS TO READ

An Analog User-Centered Design: don ’ t blame the user, blame the designer Reader-Centered Writing: don ’ t blame the reader, blame the author

Reading Criteria significance  the paper's contribution validity  how confidently can researchers and practitioners take up the results? originality:  have new ideas or approaches been employed where needed?

Reading Process Read the paper once to get a general overview of what it contains Read it again carefully, taking notes while you read Write a separate, stand-alone review Remember that positives are as important as negatives – but only when they are detailed and the authors can believe in them

Find Examples and Illustrations Scientific writing  theoretical, abstract, difficult to understand Use MANY examples and illustrations If you don ’ t have enough space, don ’ t sacrifice the examples Two possibilities:  Examples first, followed by generalizations  General principle first, followed by an example  The more difficult or complex the concept is, the more it is recommended to use the first option

Sentence structure Clear Not too much in a sentence Simplify

Understand linking sentences Sentence to sentence Paragraph to paragraph Consequence, like therefore, thus, accordingly. Summarizing, after all, finally,