Post on 17-Feb-2017
Andrew Jackson Alan Purvis
Effectively Communicating Your Research
Tokyo Metropolitan University
13 November 2015
S
Be an effective communicator
Get published Get cited
Write effectively
Avoid common mistakes
Logically present your research in your manuscript
Write titles and abstracts that get attention
Prepare clear presentations
Effectively present your work to audiences
Improving readability
Subject-verb placement
Readers expect verbs to closely follow the subject
Subject Verb
Improving readability
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode for molecular sensing applications, having a high surface area and uniform porous structure, was synthesized using electrospray deposition.
Subject-verb placement
What is the subject of the sentence?
Improving readability
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode for molecular sensing applications, having a high surface area and uniform porous structure, was synthesized using electrospray deposition.
Subject-verb placement
What is the subject of the sentence?
What is the verb of the sentence?
Improving readability
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode for molecular sensing applications, having a high surface area and uniform porous structure, was synthesized using electrospray deposition.
Subject-verb placement
What is the subject of the sentence?
What is the verb of the sentence?
Improving readability
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode for molecular sensing applications, having a high surface area and uniform porous structure, was synthesized using electrospray deposition.
Subject-verb placement
Readers become confused when the subject and verb are separated by too much content
Improving readability
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode was synthesized using electrospray deposition for molecular sensing applications. The electrode had a high surface area and uniform porous structure.
Avoid confusion by placing the subject and verb close to each other
Subject-verb placement
Improving readability Active voice
Sentences written in the active voice are:
simple direct clear easy to read
The mechanisms regulating substrate rigidity were investigated.
Passive
We investigated the mechanisms regulating substrate rigidity.
Active
Improving readability
Active voice is preferred
“Use the active voice when it is less wordy and more direct than the passive”.
“Use the active voice rather than the passive voice…”.
“As a matter of style, passive voice is typically, but not always, inferior to active voice”.
“In general, authors should use the active voice…”
ACS Style Guide
APA Style
Chicago Style Guide
AMA Style
“Use active voice. The use of active rather than passive voice produces clearer, more concise writing”
SPE Style
“Wherever possible, use active verbs that demonstrate what is being done and who is doing it…”
ASCE Style
“Use active voice by default; research shows readers comprehend it more quickly than passive voice…”
IEEE
Improving readability Avoid reader confusion
Is this sentence in the active or passive voice?
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode was synthesized, using electrospray deposition for molecular sensing applications.
Improving readability Avoid reader confusion
Is this sentence in the active or passive voice?
Passive voice
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode was synthesized, using electrospray deposition for molecular sensing applications.
Improving readability
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode was synthesized, using electrospray deposition for molecular sensing applications.
Lane et al. developed electrospray methods to enhance sensitivity.3
Avoid reader confusion
Part of the Introduction
Improving readability
In this study, a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode was synthesized, using electrospray deposition for molecular sensing applications.
Lane et al. developed electrospray methods to enhance sensitivity.3
Avoid reader confusion
Part of the Introduction
Who did the work in this study?
The author ? Lane et al. ?
Improving readability
Lane et al. developed electrospray methods to enhance sensitivity.3
Avoid reader confusion
Part of the Introduction
In this study, we synthesized a titanium dioxide nanoparticle electrode, using electrospray deposition for molecular sensing applications.
Improving readability
Nature’s guide to authors:
Nature is an international journal covering all the sciences. Contributions should therefore be written clearly and simply so that they are accessible to readers in other disciplines and to readers for whom English is not their first language.
www.nature.com/nature/authors/gta/index.html#a4
“I should use complex words to make my writing more impressive.”
Improving readability
To ascertain the efficaciousness of the program, we interrogated the participants upon completion.
Complex words
Improving readability
To ascertain the efficaciousness of the program, we interrogated the participants upon completion.
To determine the success of the program, we questioned the participants upon completion.
Complex words
Improving readability
Preferred Enough Clear Determine Try Size Keep Enough End Use
Avoid Adequate Apparent Ascertain Endeavor Magnitude Retain Sufficient Terminate Utilization
Complex words
Improving readability
Avoid At a concentration of 2 g/L At a temperature of 37C At a wavelength of 340 nm In order to In the first place Four in number Green color Subsequent to Prior to
Preferred At 2 g/L At 37C At 340 nm To First Four Green After Before
Unnecessary words
Improving readability
In the first place, in order to determine the critical point of the material, we incubated it at a
temperature of 95°C until it became black in color.
28 words
Unnecessary words
Improving readability
In the first place, in order to determine the critical point of the material, we incubated it at a
temperature of 95°C until it became black in color.
First, to determine the critical point of the material, we incubated it at 95°C until it became black.
28 words
18 words
Unnecessary words
Improving readability Use strong verbs
…estimation?
…decision?
…confirmation?
We made a…
Subject Verb
Still no idea what this sentence is about! …cake?
Improving readability Use strong verbs
We estimated…
We decided…
We confirmed…
We made a…
Subject Verb
Still no idea what this sentence is about! Clear and direct
Please improve the readability of the following sentences.
To ascertain whether our algorithm was correct, the simulation results were carefully analyzed with the appropriate methods.
As a matter of fact, it was apparent that the simulation results reported herein were accurate and thus the algorithm was effective.
Effective Writing
Please improve the readability of the following sentences.
To ascertain whether our algorithm was correct, the simulation results were carefully analyzed with the appropriate methods.
As a matter of fact, it was apparent that the simulation results reported herein were accurate and thus the algorithm effective.
Effective Writing
determine
passive
To determine whether our algorithm was correct, we analyzed the simulation results.
We analyzed the simulation results to determine whether our algorithm was correct.
Who determined it?
Please improve the readability of the following sentences.
To ascertain whether our algorithm was correct, the simulation results were carefully analyzed with the appropriate methods.
As a matter of fact, it was apparent that the simulation results reported herein were accurate and thus the algorithm effective.
Effective Writing
clear
It was clear that the simulation results were accurate and, thus, the algorithm was effective.
“were effective” implied
The simulation results were accurate; thus, the algorithm was effective.
Coverage and Staffing Plan Introduction Introduction
Current state of the field
Background information
Specific aim/approach/contents Aim
Problem in the field
Previous studies
Current study
General
Specific Importance/hypothesis
Worldwide relevance? Broad/specialized?
Recent, International Not too many self-cites
Why is your study needed?
Coverage and Staffing Plan Introduction
Two-dimensional layered semiconducting chalcogenides (such as MoS2) have attracted attention because they have an intrinsically high carrier mobility, mechanical flexibility, and a finite bandgap. However, improvements for MoS2 transistors have been hampered by the presence of a Schottky barrier…
However, conventional thin-film materials limit the use of such thin-film transistors in flexible backplane-circuitry because of their fragility and relatively low mobility.
Discussing other studies
Problem in the field
Modified from: Lee et al. J Korean Phys Soc 2014; 64: L945–L948.
Published work to address problem
Current problem
Coverage and Staffing Plan Introduction
In this research, we investigated the high-temperature electrical behavior of a MoS2 transistor with a high Schottky barrier… High temperature leads to a larger thermionic emission that transports electrons over the energy barrier.
Aims
...hampered by the presence of a Schottky barrier…
Propose a solution to the current problem
Lee et al. J Korean Phys Soc 2014; 64: L945–L948.
Aims to address the problem
Coverage and Staffing Plan Introduction Common mistakes
in the Introduction
Ideas are not logically organized
Introduce topics that are not discussed later (Results/Discussion)
Not introduce important topics that are discussed later (topics introduced in the Discussion)
Cited studies are not up-to-date
Cited studies are geographically biased
Why study needs to be done?
Keep focused
Write last
<5 years
International
Coverage and Staffing Plan
Methods
How it was done
General methods Specific techniques (discuss controls)
Quantification methods Models/equations
Statistics
What was studied
Samples Materials
Equipment
How it was analyzed
Study design
Methods
Coverage and Staffing Plan
Methods
Established techniques
• Cite previously published studies • Briefly state modifications • Use flow chart/table if needed
• Explain purposes; justify choices • Give enough detail for reproducibility • Use Supplementary Information
Organization • Arrange in (titled) subsections • Keep parallel to the display items • Use topic sentences
New techniques
Methods/Experimental
Results and Discussion
1. Initial observation/synthesis 2. Characterization/development 3. Application
Each subsection corresponds to one figure/method
What you found, not what it means
Data accessibility
Logical presentation
Subsections
Factual description
What did you find?
Results
Results and Discussion Discussion
Summary of findings
Relevance
Conclusion
Similarities/differences Unexpected/negative results Limitations (validity, reliability)
Implications
Previous studies
Current study
Future studies
Specific
General
How do you advance your field?
Results and Discussion
Combined Results and Discussion
Results Interpretation
Figure 1
Results Interpretation
Figure 2
Results Interpretation
Figure 3
Results Interpretation
Figure 4
Initial observation
Logical presentation
Characterization
Application
Results and Discussion Linking your ideas
Improvements for MoS2 transistors have been hampered by the presence of a Schottky barrier.
We investigated the high-temperature behavior of the Schottky barrier of MoS2 transistors.
High-performance 2D multilayer MoS2 transistors with a slightly negative Schottky barrier can be
realized.
Problem
Objectives
Conclusion
Discussion
Introduction
Modified from: Lee et al. J Korean Phys Soc 2014; 64: L945–L948
Titles and abstracts Abstracts
First impression of your paper
Importance of your results
Validity of your conclusions
Relevance of your aims
Judge your writing style
Probably only part that will be read
Titles and abstracts Sections of an abstract
Aims
Background
Methods
Results
Conclusion
Why the study was done
Your hypothesis
Techniques
Most important findings
Conclusion & implications
Concise summary of your research
Titles and abstracts Unstructured abstract
Conclusion Simulations are conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed controller under various road conditions and parameter uncertainties.
Results
The hybrid controller is based on the well-known feedback linearization, combined with two feedforward neural networks that are proposed so as to learn the nonlinearities of the antilock braking system associated with the feedback linearization controller. The adaptation law is derived based on the structure of the controller, using the steepest descent gradient approach and the backpropagation algorithm to adjust the network weights. The weight adaptation is online and the stability of the proposed controller in the sense of Lyapunov is studied.
Methods This paper presents an adaptive neural-network-based hybrid controller for antilock braking systems.
Background Antilock braking systems are designed to control the wheel slip, such that the braking force is maximized and steerability is maintained during braking. However, the control of antilock braking systems is a challenging problem due to nonlinear braking dynamics and the uncertain and time-varying nature of the parameters.
Modified from: Poursamad A. Mechatronics 2009; 19: 767–773.
Titles and abstracts Titles
Important points
Only main idea/s Accurate, simple Population/model Include keywords Fewer than 20 words Include method/
study type
Avoid
Unneeded words (“A study of”) Sensationalism, journalistic style Complex word order Abbreviations, jargon “New” or “novel”
Avoid mistakes
Clarify pronouns (e.g., this, that, these, those, they, it)
Avoid mistakes 1
“Titania (TiO2) has been extensively investigated because of its practical prosperities for a diverse range of applications including pigments, photocatalysts, solar cells... It has three primary polymorphs in nature…”
“Titania (TiO2) has been extensively investigated because of its practical prosperities for a diverse range of applications including pigments, photocatalysts, solar cells... TiO2 has three primary polymorphs in nature…”
?
Avoid mistakes
Respectively is used for corresponding list items
The two values were 143 and 21, respectively.
The values for groups A and B were 143 and 21, respectively.
The two values were 143 and 21.
Avoid mistakes 2
Avoid mistakes
Compared with is for saying how things are different
The accuracy of the new program was reduced
compared to the previous program.
The accuracy of the new program was reduced compared with that of the previous program.
The accuracy of the new program was lower than that of the previous program.
Avoid mistakes 3
Avoid mistakes
Due to means “caused by” or “attributable to”
Due to the overly difficult test, most participants failed.
Owing to the overly difficult test,… Because the test was too difficult,…
The high failure rate was due to the test’s difficulty.
Avoid mistakes 4
Customer Service Importance of presenting
Why are presentations important?
Share your published and unpublished findings
• Identify trends in the field • Get advice on future directions
• Form research collaborations • Network; meet editors
Improve paper from feedback; establish credibility as expert & gain readers/citers
Customer Service Importance of presenting
Comparing articles and presentations
Articles Presentation
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Solution
Situation/Problem
Evaluation/Comment
Results
Q & A
Customer Service Importance of presenting
Time
Flow of information
Not limited Readers can take
their time
Limited Limited attention
No control Readers can skip
sections
Control Audience has to
listen to everything
Articles Presentation
Comparing articles and presentations
Presentation skills and tips
Keep your audience in mind
What do they want to know?
What do you want to tell them?
What will be interesting for them?
What will keep their attention?
Keep it simple!
Presentation skills and tips Telling a story
Beginning Why your study
needs to be done
Middle What you did and
found
End How your study
advances the field
Logical flow
Presentation skills and tips
Beginning of your presentation
Brief introduction
Background information
Objective and methodology
What is known
What is unknown
What is the problem
What are your aims
How will you address the aims
Describe general methodology
Presentation skills and tips Example
• Lumenal structures (bile canaliculi, BC) between hepatocytes are difficult to maintain in vitro
• Sandwich culture configurations promote BC maturation
• Biophysical mechanisms unclear
AIM: Determine if intracellular tension promotes or maintains BC maturation in vitro
Actomyosin Activity
Actomyosin Activity
Presentation skills and tips
Middle of your presentation
Methods
Flow chart or schematic
Figures
Important results
Presentation skills and tips Selecting important data
Kim et al. Micro and Nano System Letters. 2014;2:2.
Comparison between original and proposed switches
Side view of proposed folded hinge to help relieve stress, especially under higher temperatures
Presentation skills and tips Selecting important data
Kim et al. Micro and Nano System Letters. 2014;2:2.
Comparison between original and proposed switches
Side view of proposed folded hinge to help relieve stress, especially under higher temperatures
Original switch Proposed switch
Presentation skills and tips
Data aligned and formatted
Table formatting
Muñoz et al. New Engl J Med. 2003;348:518−527.
Clear and concise table caption
Abbreviations defined
Presentation skills and tips Is this a good table?
Alignment and formatting problems
Alignment of text
Alignment of parentheses
Alignment of decimals
Data similarity
Lines
Tumor size (mm3) before treatment Mean (±SD)
Tumor size (mm3) after treatment
Mean (±SD)
% decrease
Treatment time
Group 1 423.2 (6.23) 232.8 (3.18) 44.99 4 months
Group 2 286.43 (4.8) 157.32 (2.29) 45.08 14 weeks
Group 3 342.7 (6.88) 218.4 (5.2) 36.27 3.5 months
Group 4 404 (3) 302 (4.21) 25.247 90 days
Presentation skills and tips Making a good table
Tumor size (mm3) before
treatment Mean (±SD)
Tumor size (mm3) after treatment
Mean (±SD)
% decrease
Treatment time
(weeks)
Group 1 423.20 (6.23) 232.80 (3.18) 44.99 16
Group 2 286.43 (4.80) 157.32 (2.29) 45.08 14
Group 3 342.70 (6.88) 218.40 (5.20) 36.27 14
Group 4 404.00 (3.00) 302.00 (4.21) 25.25 12
Tumor size (mm3) before treatment Mean (±SD)
Tumor size (mm3) after treatment
Mean (±SD)
% decrease
Treatment time
Group 1 423.2 (6.23) 232.8 (3.18) 44.99 4 months
Group 2 286.43 (4.8) 157.32 (2.29) 45.08 14 weeks
Group 3 342.7 (6.88) 218.4 (5.2) 36.27 3.5 months
Group 4 404 (3) 302 (4.21) 25.247 90 days
Presentation skills and tips Tables vs. graphs
Type A Type B Type C
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Aluminum
Gold
Figure 1. Efficiency of various solar cell types using aluminum and gold electrodes
Effi
cien
cy (
%)
Which electrode gives a more efficient solar cell?
Presentation skills and tips Tables vs. graphs
Figure 1. Efficiency of various solar cell types using aluminum and gold electrodes
Type A Type B Type C
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Aluminum
Gold
What is the highest efficiency achieved?
?
Effi
cien
cy (
%)
Presentation skills and tips Tables vs. graphs
What is the highest efficiency achieved?
Table 1. Efficiency of solar cells using aluminum and gold electrodes
Presentation skills and tips
End of your presentation
Conclusions
Summary and implications
Future directions
How is this being further developed?
Presentation skills and tips Slide layout
Font
• Sans serif (Arial, Calibri, etc.) • 40 pt for titles • 30+ pt for major points • 24+ pt for minor points
Layout • Limit 8 lines of text per slide • Use bullet points, not sentences • High contrast colors
Presentation skills and tips
You should never write complete sentences like this on your slides. Therefore, try to use bullet points
instead to communicate your ideas to your audience. Bullet points are also a great way to list the main
points for your audience on the slide. However, it can also be boring for them as well. If this happens, you
can quickly lose the attention of your audience. As we discussed earlier, once you lose the attention of
your audience, your presentation is essentially over and you have not communicated the significance or
relevance of your work to them. Another problem with bullet points is that it might suggest hierarchy in
the list that you are sharing with your audience, which can be misleading for your audience. They may
assume that the first point is more important that the last point, when this may not necessarily be the case.
Lastly, having one large block of text to read takes more time for your audience and can be more difficult,
especially for non-native English attendees.
Serif font style (Times New Roman)
Font is too small (14 point)
Full sentences (unnecessary text)
Bullet points
Written as paragraph
Presentation skills and tips
Don’t let the audience read ahead
Focus the attention of your audience
Keep it simple: appear, fade, wipe
Don’t distract from your information!
Animation
Presentation skills and tips
Contrasting colors, easy to read
Simple and organized
For information, not decoration
For pictures, use compressed images
Distracting
Lack of contrast = difficult to read
Graphics
Lack of contrast = difficult to read
Presentation skills and tips Before you present…
Most important thing you can do…
Practice
Practice
Practice Learn your presentation,
don’t read it Don’t memorize,
these are your ideas
Practice alone and with others, record yourself
Practice builds confidence!
Presentation skills and tips
Presentation tips – Speaking style
Verbal
Avoid filler words (“eeto”)
Pause for emphasis
Speak slowly
Show enthusiasm
Vary tone and pitch
Don’t talk to the screen
Presentation skills and tips Answering questions
1. Understand the question
2. Clarify the question (if necessary)
3. Thank the audience member
4. Answer the question (be concise!)
5. Ensure you have answered the question
6. Thank the audience member again
Presentation skills and tips
Handling questions – Understand the question
Could you hear it clearly?
Do you understand the question?
Is the question appropriate for the audience?
Could the audience hear it clearly?
What do they want to know?
What is the most relevant question?
Presentation skills and tips
Unsure of the answer
You don’t know the answer
Unrelated questions
You are the expert, answer with confidence
Be honest, but give your expert opinion
Politely address the question
Handling questions – Understand the question
Presentation skills and tips
Additional tips – time management
Stay within your time limit
Use a clock, watch, or mobile phone
Rushing and skipping slides make you look unorganized
Practice often and keep track of each section
S
Be an effective communicator
Get published Get cited
Write effectively
Avoid common mistakes
Logically present your research in your manuscript
Write titles and abstracts that get attention
Prepare clear presentations
Effectively present your work to audiences