1. General tips for paper writing
Prof Shou-de Lin
Technical Writing
NTU CSIE/GINM
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

2. Understanding the Organization of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Background (related work)
Methodology
Experiment results or evaluation
Conclusion
References
Appendices
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

3. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Composition
Writing down the most important points in this paper first.
Prepare the skeleton (logical sequence of sections). Writing down section and subsection titles first.
Write the introduction draft first, and goes back to revise it after finishing the whole paper.
Writing the abstract in the very end.
For novice writher, a good strategy is imitation: choose a well-written paper that is of similar flavor, analyze its organization, and sketch an organization for your results based on the same pattern.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

4. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Economy
It is admirable to say much in a small space
Taut writing is a consequence of careful, frequent revision aiming to
delete superfluous words
simplify sentence structure
establish a logical flow to convey information without unnecessary dressing
Revise with a critical frame of mind.
Never worry about the paper size in the beginning of writing
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

5. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Tone
objective
precise (specific, not vague)
one idea per sentence and one topic per section
simple, logical organization
use short words and sentences
keep paragraphs short
omit unnecessary material
Never exaggerate or dress up ideas as if they were on sale.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

6. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Examples and Analogy
Example vs. Analogy
Use examples whenever they add clarification.
Use analogy only when it significantly reduce the work of understanding the concept.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

7. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Paragraphing
Reference preferred in between paragraphs (using “the XYZ algorithm” instead of “this algorithm”)
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

8. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Sentence Structure (1)
Avoid long-distance reference
In the first stage, the backtracking tokenizer with a two-element buffer ,errors, including illegal adjacencies as well as unrecognized tokens, are stored on an error stack for collation into a complete report.
The first stage is the backtracking tokenizer with a two-element buffer. In this stage possible errors include illegal adjacencies as well as unrecognized tokens; when detected, errors are stored on a stack for collation into a complete report.
Reorder to prevent ambiguity
The compiler did not accept the program because it contained errors.
The program did not compile because it contained errors.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

9. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Sentence Structure (2)
Use “we propose…” instead of “this paper proposes…”
Ensure the pronouns have a clear referent
In addition to skiplists we have also tried trees. They are superior.
Be aware of emphasis:
Additional memory can lead to faster response, but user surveys have indicated that it is not required.
In addition to skiplists we have also tried trees. Skiplists are superior.
Faster response is possible with additional memory, but user surveys have indicated that it is not required
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

10. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Emphases
Emphasize by using italic.
It can be helpful to explain an important definition twice in different ways, using “that is, xxx” or “in other words…”
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

11. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Word Usage (1)
Use precise words instead of less specific ones
The database executes on a remote machine to provide better security for the system and insulation from network difficulties
The database executes on a remote machine to provide better security for the database and insulation from network difficulties
Never make excessive claims such as “our method is an ideal solution to …” or “our results are startling…”
Qualifiers such as “might, may, perhaps, possibly likely, could, likelihood” shouldn’t be used more than once in a sentence. E.g. it might be true that this algorithm could fail on unusual input.
Replace long phrases by shorter words: “a number of “ several, “a large number of “ many, unless they are used to avoid repetition.
Use “that” in preference to “which”; use “which” when it cannot be replaced by “that”.
Avoid repetition of a word, if causes no further ambiguity
Edi was used here because the OS is implemented in Edi.
Edi was used here because it is the language used for implementation of the OS.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

12. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Word Usage (2)
Use jargons carefully:
The transaction log is a record of changes to the database.
Tense
Present sense is used for eternal truths and statements about the text itself (e.g. related issues are discussed below).
Past tense is used for describing work and outcomes (e.g. the ideas were tested by experiment).
Abbreviations
For i.e. (that is), w.r.t. (with respect to), e.g. (for example), the punctuation should be as if the expanded form were used.
Never write etc…
Acronyms
Plurals of acronyms don’t require an apostrophe; write CPUs rather than CPU’s.
Sexist language
Avoid sexist usage
A user may be disconnected when he makes a mistake.
A user who makes a mistake may be disconnected.
Don’t use s/he.
If it is impossible to avoid a generic reference, use “she” instead of “he”.
The transaction log is a history of changes to the database.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

13. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Punctuation
Colons are used to join related statements and to introduce lists
The additional structures allow a large saving: costs are reduced from O(n) to O(logn).
There are three variables: a, b, and c.
Semi-colons separate parallel statements
There are three phases: accumulation of distinct symbols in a hash table; construction of the tree; and the compression itself.
Exclamation: try to avoid.
Hyphens for disambiguating, e,g, randomized data-structure
A sentence containing a statement in parentheses should be punctuated exactly as if the statement was removed. For instance: Most quantities are small (but there are exceptions). Also, the use of “(s)” to denote the possibility of a plural should be avoided.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

14. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Mathematics (1)
Definitions, theorems, lemmas, and propositions should be numbered.
Explain the structure of long proofs before getting to the details, and explain how each part of the proof relates to the structure.
Try to avoid details to make your proof comprehensible to a reader.
Provide the type of variables frequently, but watch out for misplaced types or variables.
The values are represented as a list of numbers L.
Formulas embedded in text should not run together
For each xi, 1<i<n , xi is positive,..
For each xi, where 1<i<n , xi%2=1.
Mathematics should not take the place of text (the rule-of-thumb is: to make it clear to the reader)
The values are represented as a list L of numbers.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

15. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Mathematics (2)
Sets and set notation can be sued to simplify presentation. For example is preferable than
Avoid letting a number, symbol, or abbreviation appear at the start of the line.
Fractions are only rarely used for values, and should never be used as abbreviations.
About 1/3 of the data was noise
About one-third of the data was noise
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

16. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Mathematics (3)
Numbers should not be adjacent:
There were Kb sets
There were fourteen 512Kb sets
Avoid “order of magnitude” since it is not clear what is the unit of magnitude?
Clarify “the capacity decreased by 30%” (30% of the old or new figure?)
Don’t use probabilities to describe small sets of observations. Success in two of five cases does not mean it “works 40% of the time”.
Put a white space between values and units, e.g Kbytes not 11.2Kbytes.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

17. Algorithm (asymptotic complexity)
O(n): upper bound, Ω(n) lower bound, Θ(n) tight bound.
When describe an algorithm as quadratic or linear, be careful whether you mean O(n) or Θ(n)
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

18. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Editing (1)
Pretend to be a reader (consciously adopting the pose of external critic).
Edit for brevity and balance: cutting will improve the quality.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

19. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Editing (2)
Checking for consistency:
Are the titles and heading consistent with the content?
Have all terms been defined?
Is the style of definition consistent?
Are defined objects always described in the same way
Are abbreviations and acronyms stated in full when first used?
Are any abbreviation used less than, say four times?
Is tense used correctly?
Have units been used logically?
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

20. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Editing (3)
Are tables in the same format?
Are all the values of the same type presented with the same precision?
In references, has each field been formatted consistently?
Have the same style been used for all algorithms? Is there a consistent schema for naming variables? Is the use of indentation consistent?
Is each entry in the bibliography formatted consistently? Are author names given in a consistent format?
Is formatting consistent? Has the same indentation been used in the same situations?
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

21. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Avoid grandiloquence
Grandiloquence:
The use of extravagant language.
The use of long pompous words.
Creating a text that is difficult to read.
Example:
It may seem reasonable to suggest that the necrotic effect may possibly due to toxins
Necrosis may be caused by toxins.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

22. Lang: Limit the usage of ‘etc’ type expressions
Example:
The device is suitable for LCD, Plasma, and so forth  The device is suitable for LCD, Plasma, and other monitoring devices.
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

23. It is not polite to address the readers by “you”
You can find the proof in section 3  The proof can be found in section 3  The prove is in section 3
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

24. Avoid using direct questions
How about trying method X?  We then try method X
So what is the potential risk? We have to consider the possible risk that…
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

25. TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin
Using Synonyms
Using synonyms to avoid repeating words
Ex:
The experiment results show that…the results also show that XYZ The experiment results show that…the outputs also demonstrate that XYZ
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin

26. Be Humble but Confident
Avoiding arrogant/exaggerate statements such as:
We are the first team to …  To our knowledge, our idea of …is novel
Be sure about your idea/proposal/results
It seems to me that …  In my opinion …
2018/12/30
TW_tipsforpaper 07, Shou-de Lin