To Improve Your Scientific Communication Skills

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To Improve Your Scientific Communication Skills

• Best Practices In Scientific Writing
• Dr. Philip Lee

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Why we need this seminar?

• This is a hot topic, I been asked to offer a
  seminar in scientific writing every university I
  visited
• Being an effective scientific writer, is a lot
  more than writing a journal paper
• We all hate to write, and we keep looking for
  short cuts
• Hopefully, this seminar can answer some of the
  questions, and provide some advises to go forward

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The True is There is no short cut (legal/ethical
one)

• Key to ones academic or industrial careers
  success
• We can be effective writer if follow some well
  defined techniques
• Students Willing to spend the time to practice
• Professors Recognize writing is a critical part
  of the teaching/education of the students

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Elements of an effective scientific paper
Scientific quality
Good writing mechanic
Innovation Good experimental design Careful
execution Correct interpretation Timing
Presentation strategy Information
connectivity Easy to read Standardization Minimal
errors
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What are scientific communications?

• Scientific communication is how a scientist to
  share with the world his ideas, his opinions, his
  problems, his finding and his accomplishments
• Laboratory notebooks
• Thesis and dissertation
• Letters and e-mails
• Resumes
• Study proposals, protocols
• Status and study reports
• Posters, lectures, seminars
• Scientific papers
• Book chapters
• Patents

Major universities and industry offer writing
classes to new students and employee on
laboratory notebook writing (good writing
habits) Defense your work, protect your discovery
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What is the outline for todays presentation?

• What are the different components within a
  scientific communication?
• How to approach a writing project?
• Some of the writing mechanics to help you to
  improve writing skill
• How to generate maximum efficiency and impact?
• What we will not do today step-by-step on how
  to write a paper
• NEW CLASS?
• Share an idea modular approach in writing
• Break down a large writing project into smaller,
  easier manageable task
• Start to write as soon as an experiment/research
  project is started

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What are the different components within a
scientific communication?

• An effective scientific communication must
  consider
• Who you want to communicate with?
• Professor?
• Reader of journal? Meeting attendee?
• Reader of book?
• What do you want to communicate?
• Why you need to communicate?
• How you are to communicate?
• When you want to communicate?
• Scientific and ethical considerations

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Scientific and ethical considerations

• Scientific aspects
• Truly and complete recording/documentation of
  experimental designs, procedures, observations
  and results
• Inspected, proof reading, signed and dated
• Ethical and legal aspects
• Key to scientific discovery claims
• Subject to external examination
  (publication/journal office). A reviewer can
  request additional information.
• Authorship (to include or not include?)
• Dont plagiarize, falsify data. Responsibility
  and liability of the student, professor and
  university

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On-line Writing ResourcesPlaces to can find
materials to help you about scientific writing
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LINK
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LINK
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LINK
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LINK
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LINK
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What is effective writing?

• Writing with a purpose
• Simple and direct
• Use no more words than necessary, if you dont
  understand, dont use the word. USE KEY WORDS
• Never use a complicated word if a simpler one
  will do just as well
• Be specific (reduce use of adjectives) Reaction
  proceeds very rapidly
• Follow international standards in scientific
  units and terms
• Adopt a style that is simple and reflect your
  personal style (dont copy but to adopt)
• Have a clear idea on how to proceed before
  getting started (start with an outlinefrom
  experimental designs to final acceptance)
• Pass the 2-minute test

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Components of a scientific paper

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials and methods
• Results
• Discussion
• References
• Figures and tables
• Starting with a good outline
• A paper should be a work in progress while the
  study is on-going, dont write at the end

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Try to use an outline to prepare your paper-
Description of an outline -

• An outline
• Presents your material in a logical matter
• An organizational pattern, helps organize your
  ideas
• Provides a snapshot of how each section of the
  paper will flow, what data is missing
• Shows the relationships among ideas in your
  writing
• Defines boundaries and scope
• An outline is part of your research plan

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Values of the Outline

• Aids in the process of writing
• Helps you organize your ideas A modular
  approach
• How each section of the paper will flow
• Presents your material in a logical matter
• Shows the relationships among ideas in your
  writing
• Constructs an ordered overview of your writing
• Defines boundaries and scope

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Example of an outline

• Define the title
• Elements of the abstract (5-8 sentences) 150
  words
• Elements of the Introduction (300 words)
• Problem definition
• What information are critical in describing your
  research
• The objective of this research
• Your approaches and study plan
• Materials and methods
• Experiment 1, 2, 3
• Results
• Experiment 1, 2, 3
• Discussion
• What the data tell us or not telling us
• New observations and understanding
• Where to go next

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Title

• Selecting the correct Title is critical to a
  technical paper
• Should be the fewest possible words that
  accurately describe the content of the paper.
  Omit all waste words such as "A study of ...
• Indexing and abstracting services depend on the
  accuracy of the title, extracting from it
  keywords useful in cross referencing and computer
  searching (a must to increase citation impact).
• An improperly titled paper may never reach the
  audience for which it was intended, it is most
  important, so be specific.

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Title example

• The title should contain three elements
• The name of the organism studied
• The particular aspect or system studied
• The variable(s) manipulated
• Do not be afraid to be grammatically creative.
  Here are some variations on a theme, all suitable
  as titles. Example
• The effect of temperature on germination of corn
• Does temperature affect germination of corn?
• Temperature and corn germination implications
  for agriculture
• High temperatures reduce germination of corn
• An attractive title helps get more hits! (use of
  key words)

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Abstract Most important in the electronic
publication age

• To identify the content of the manuscript quickly
  and accurately
• Make it short, about 150 words maximum
• Abstract serves only 1 purpose To attract
  reader's interests (so other authors will read
  your paper and cite your reference)
• State the principal objectives and scope of the
  investigation, the results and principal
  conclusions.
• Should not include details of the methods used
  unless the study is primarily concerned with
  methods.
• Do not repeat information contained in the title
• Omit all obscure abbreviations and acronyms even
  though they may be defined in main body of the
  paper.

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Abstract

• Must be self-contained as it is often published
  separately from the paper in abstracting services
• The abstract is a one or two paragraph
  condensation (150-200 words) of the entire work
  described completely in the article
• The abstract should be a self-contained unit
  capable of being understood without the benefit
  of the text. It should contain these four
  elements
• The purpose of the study (the central question)
• A brief statement of what was done (Methods)
• A brief statement of what was found (Results)
• A brief statement of what was concluded
  (Discussion, in part)

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Writing the IntroductionThinking about to write
this last

• An Introduction is to establish the significance
  of the current work Why was there a need to
  conduct the study?
• An introduction is to present the question being
  asked and place it in the context of what is
  already known about the topic.
• Background information that suggests why the
  topic is of interest and related findings by
  other scientists are usually mentioned here. This
  section should contain
• A description of the nature of the problem and
  current state of knowledge or understanding at
  the beginning of the investigation (background)
  (start with the latest!!!)
• A statement of the purpose, scope, and general
  method of investigation in your study
• Hypothesis/hypotheses and predictions.
• NOT a literature review!

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Additional tips for the Introduction

• Move from general to specific problem in real
  world/research literature ? your experiment.
• Engage your reader answer the questions, "What
  did you do?" "Why should I care?"
• Make clear the links between problem and
  solution, question asked and research design,
  prior research and your experiment.
• Be selective, not exhaustive, in choosing studies
  to cite and amount of detail to include.
• (In general, the more relevant an article is to
  your study, the more space it deserves and the
  later in the Introduction it appears.)

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Methods

• Method section is to describe all experimental
  procedures, including controls. The usual order
  of presentation of methods is chronological,
  however related methods may need to be described
  together and strict chronological order cannot
  always be followed.
• The description should be complete enough to
  enable someone else to repeat your work.
• If there is more than one part of the experiment,
  it is a good idea to describe your methods and
  present your results in the same order in each
  section.
• This may not be the same order in which the
  experiments were performed - it is up to you to
  decide what order of presentation will make the
  most sense to your reader. For example
• Materials
• Procedures
• Analytical methods

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Methods (continue)

• Explain why each procedure was done, i.e., what
  variable were you measuring and why?
• Experimental procedures and results are narrated
  in the past tense (what you did, what you found,
  etc.) whereas conclusions from your results are
  given in the present tense.
• Mathematical equations and statistical tests are
  considered mathematical methods and should be
  described in this section along with the actual
  experimental work.
• Use active rather than passive voice when
  possible. Always use the singular "I" rather than
  the plural "we" when you are the only author of
  the paper.
• If any of your methods is fully described in a
  previous publication (yours or someone elses),
  you can cite that instead of describing the
  procedure again.

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Additional Tips

• Quantify when possible concentrations,
  measurements, amounts (all metric) times
  (24-hour clock) temperatures (centigrade),
  follows international standard
• Examples in units (international standards)
• What to avoid
• Don't include details of common statistical
  procedures
• Don't mix results with procedures.
• Advise
• Write the Material and Method section as part of
  your notebook
• Show your materials and methods section to a
  colleague. Ask if they would have difficulty in
  repeating your study.

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Writing the Results and Discussion

• In the Results section you present your findings.
  Present the data, digested and condensed, with
  important trends extracted and described.
• If there are separate Results and Discussion
  Section, the Result section summarizes general
  trends in the data without comment, bias, or
  interpretation. Statistical tests applied to your
  data are reported in this section although
  conclusions about your original hypotheses are
  saved for the Discussion section.
• The Results should be short and sweet, without
  excessive verbiage.

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Results

• Data may be presented in figures and tables. Do
  not repeat the data in the table and figures in
  the text. The text should be understandable by
  someone who has not seen your figures and tables.
  Example
• Incorrect The results are given in Figure 1.
• Correct Temperature was directly proportional to
  metabolic rate (Fig. 1).
• All results should be presented, including those
  that do not support the hypothesis
• The results of statistical tests can be presented
  in parentheses following a verbal description.
• Example Fruit size was significantly greater in
  trees growing alone (t 3.65, df 2, p lt 0.05).
• Results should be written as part of the
  laboratory Notebook

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Discussion section

• This section analyses the data and relate them to
  other studies. To evaluate the meaning of the
  results in terms of the original question or
  hypothesis and point out their significance
• The Discussion should contain at least
• What biological principles have been established
  or reinforced?
• What generalizations can be drawn?
• How do your findings compare to the findings of
  theirs or to expectations based on previous work?
  
• Are there any theoretical/practical implications
  of your work?
• When you address these questions, it is crucial
  that your discussion rests firmly on the evidence

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Discussion section

• Speculation has its place, but should not form
  the bulk of the Discussion section.
• Be sure to address the objectives of the study in
  the Discussion section and to discuss the
  significance of the results.
• Don't leave the reader thinking "So what?".
• End the Discussion section with a short summary
  or conclusion regarding the significance of the
  work.

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Discussion (continue)

• Avoid redundancy between the Results and the
  Discussion section. Do not repeat detailed
  descriptions of the data and results in the
  Discussion.
• End the Discussion with a summary of the
  principal points you want the reader to remember.
  This is also the appropriate place to propose
  specific further study if that will serve some
  purpose, but do not end with the tired cliche
  that "this problem needs more study."
• Do not close on what you wish you had done,
  rather finish stating your conclusions and
  contributions.

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Additional tips

• Move from specific to general your finding(s)
  --gt literature, theory, practice.
• Don't ignore or bury the major issue. Did the
  study achieve the goal (resolve the problem,
  answer the question, support the hypothesis)
  presented in the Introduction?
• Make explanations complete.
• Give evidence for each conclusion.
• Discuss possible reasons for expected and
  unexpected findings.
• What to avoid
• Don't over generalize.
• Don't ignore deviations in your data.
• Avoid speculation that cannot be tested in the
  foreseeable future.

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Tables and Figures

• Tables and figures should be used when they are a
  more efficient way to convey information than
  verbal description.
• They must be independent units, accompanied by
  explanatory captions that allow them to be
  understood by someone who has not read the text.
• Do not repeat in the text the information in
  tables and figures, but do cite them, with a
  summary statement when that is appropriate.

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Tables and Figures (continue)

• Whenever possible, use a figure instead of a
  table. Relationships between numbers are more
  readily grasped when they are presented
  graphically rather than as columns in a table.
• Tables
• Do not repeat information in a table that you are
  depicting in a graph or histogram include a
  table only if it presents new information.
• It is easier to compare numbers by reading down a
  column rather than across a row. Therefore, list
  sets of data you want your reader to compare in
  vertical form.
• Provide each table with a number (Table 1, Table
  2, etc.) and a title.

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Preparing the Reference Section

• There are a variety of styles used by journals
  for referencing information. Citations in the
  text may be referred to by number or by author
  name. In the reference section the citations are
  then arranged numerically or alphabetically.
• The easiest system is to add a new reference to
  the text it is provided with a number.

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Styles

• Please read the Instruction to Author for the
  journal you wish to submit.
• How to present and cite References
• Figures and Tables

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Key advises

• Effective writing requires practices, patient,
  and follows good practices
• Always write with a purposes, and follow an
  outlines
• Keep good laboratory notebook
• Use a modular approach to put a paper together
• Follow standard format (reduce simple
  errors/mistakes)
• Dont wait/delay for completion
• Have a foreign English teacher to edit the
  English writing component
• Proof read, proof read and proof read.
• Have a mentor to do scientific evaluation before
  submission
• Think about a template approach