Introduction to Scientific Communication · Structure your sentences Sentence logic Cause–Effect,...
Transcript of Introduction to Scientific Communication · Structure your sentences Sentence logic Cause–Effect,...
Tokyo Metropolitan University
10 November 2016
Andrew Jackson Ayli Chong
Author Success Workshop:
Introduction to Scientific Communication
Skills needed on the path to publication success
Preparation
Journal Selection
Writing
Submission
Peer Review
Publication Success
• Training in reading papers, ethics, writing, presenting
• Expert Scientific Review
• Expert Scientific Review
• Journal Selection & submission strategy
• Training in ethics, writing, presenting
• Revising • Editing • Reformatting
• Training in ethics, writing
• Editing • Abstract
Development • Cover Letter
Development • Reviewer
Recommendation
• Training in navigating peer review
• Review Editing • Point-by-point
checking • Response
Letter Development
• Reformatting
• Press release, news writing
• Media & presentation training
• Training for early career researchers
• Training in writing grant proposals
• Grant proposal editing
S
Be an effective communicator
Your goal is not only to be published, but also to be widely read and highly cited
Write your sentences and paragraphs logically
Organize your manuscript by paragraph functions
Section 1
Writing logically
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Coherence within and between sentences • Cause and effect • Comparison and contrast • Elaboration, e.g., Classification/Definition, Exemplification • Description (giving characteristics) • Narrative sequence of events (reporting a linear sequence) • Procedures • Problem and solution • Past, present, future • Arguing for and against (evaluation) • Whole to parts, or parts to whole • General to specific, or specific to general
Based on: Grabe and Stoller, 2002; Teaching and researching reading. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Linear relationships, sequence of events, procedures
A B C
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Cycle of events
A
B
C D
E
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Categories, hierarchies, definition/classification
A
C D E
B
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Characteristics, attributes, alternative pathways
A B
D
E
C F
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Interaction effects, cause–effect
A
B
• D
• E
C
• F
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Sets & subsets; whole & parts; definition/classification
D
C
B
A
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Central theme & ideas; examples
A
B
C
D
E
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Situation/Problem – Solution – Evaluation/Comment; logical sequence; flow chart
A
B
C
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Pros/Cons, For/Against, Advantages/Disadvantages, Benefits/Harms
A
B
Structure your sentences Drawing relationships
Informational structures
• Comparison and contrast
A B
Structure your sentences Sentence logic
Cause–Effect, Means–Result, Reason–Result
A
X Y
Conjunctions, prepositions
Verbs of cause/doing
Adverbs X and Y happened. Consequently/For this
reason/Accordingly, A happened. We did B, thereby achieving C.
X and Y led to/resulted in/caused A. A was caused by/resulted from X and Y.
We achieved C by performing B.
A happened because/after X and Y happened. A happened because of/owing to/after/by means of/following X and Y. We did C with/by/through B.
Be X and Y were the cause of A. A was the result of X
and Y. A was due to X and Y.
B C
Structure your sentences Sentence logic
Means–Purpose
A B
Infinitive to
So that
Prepositional clause + verb-ing
We used/did B with a view to/for the purpose of/with the goal of achieving A.
We used/did B so that we could achieve A.
To do A, we did/used B. We did/used B to do A. We aimed to do/did X to avoid Y/doing Y.
For B was done for the measurement of A.
Structure your sentences Sentence logic
Condition–Result
A B
True in present or probably true in
future
True in past
Theoretical in past
If A (had) happened, B would have happened. / B would have happened if A (had) happened.
B happened if A happened / were to happen. If A happened/were to happen, B happened.
B happens if A happens. / If A happens, B happens. B will happen if A happens / If A happens, B will
happen.
Theoretical in present/future
If A happened, B would be happening / would happen.
Structure your sentences Sentence logic
Comparison/contrast
Similarities
Differences
Adverbs In/By contrast,…; In/By comparison,…; Whereas…;
However,…
A is unlike B. A is different from B. Unlike B, A… A differs from B. A and B show differences.
…higher/lower/greater/less than…
A is similar to B. A is like B. A does X, as does B. Like B, A… Similar to B, A… As with B, A…
Concession Although both A and B…, …; A resembles B, but…;
A and B share some characteristics; however,…
A B
Structure your sentences Sentence logic
Elaboration: Definition, naming
Verb + class noun + characteristic
Verb + process + use
Parenthetical C, which is an A/is a type of A, is/does/has…
A, also known as/also called Y,…
A is defined as/is the process by which X is converted to Y.
A is the ability to do X.
C is defined as/is a (type of) A that measures X / that is used for…
X is the fastest growing Y.
Verb + parent group + characteristic
A is the name/term given to all C that do/are/have X.
A
C D E
B
A
B
B
D
Structure your sentences Sentence logic
Elaboration: Exemplification
Initial phrase
Be
Verb C exemplifies A.
A is illustrated by (the case of) C.
C is an example of A. One example/case is…
For example/instance,… To illustrate,…
Parenthetical Types of A, such as B, C, and D,…
C, for example, can be…
A
B
C
D
E
Structure your sentences
Coherence in science communication
Logical connectors at starts of sentences/clauses
Sequence, process
Cause–Effect
Contrast/ concession
Although, Even though, Whereas, However, In contrast, Despite (+noun or verb -ing),…
Because (of), To (+verb), Owing to, So that, Therefore, Thus, Hence, Consequently,…
Until, After, Before, While, Since, When, Then, Next, First/Second/Third, Finally,…
Conditional If, Even if, Unless, Whether (or not), Except, Provided that, Until, Without, Otherwise,…
S
1. Complete the following (name the relationship and use appropriate linking words).
A. Silk fibers degrade _______________________ various environmental factors ____________ heat, humidity, and ultraviolet light.
B. Both nylon and Gore-Tex (_____________________) are waterproof _______________________ does not trap sweat.
C. The incorporation of silver nanoparticles into the clothing __________________ special properties ________________ microbial killing and odor-resistance.
Sentence Logic
Section 2
Overview of Manuscript Structure
Manuscript Structure
Logically organize your ideas;
adhere to journal guidelines
Communicate well in English
Factors to consider when writing a manuscript
Importance of planning
Draft outline & title/abstract according to logic of results;
Draft & revise manuscript [Presubmission peer review]
Edit manuscript & finalize abstract/title
[Professional editing]
Select your journal early!
Manuscript Structure The ‘write’ order
Manuscript sections
• Title • Abstract • Introduction • Methods • Results • Discussion
Writing order Draft title/abstract
Manuscript Structure
Aim
Introduction
Current state of the field
Background information
Specific aim/approach & limits
Problem in the field
Previous studies
Current study
General
Specific Importance
Worldwide relevance? Broad/specialized?
Check: Preview results? Preview contents of paper? Critical literature review afterwards?
Why is your study needed?
What is unknown/ incomplete/wrong?
Why readers should care? Potential benefits?
What is known so far? Any definitions needed?
Justifying, explaining, defining, informing
Sequences, Means–Purpose, Means–Result,
Condition–Result, Comparison
Manuscript Structure
Justifying, explaining, defining
Introduction (key topic sentences)
The emergence of industrialisation and urbanisation aggravates the situation of increasing demand for water…. [Reason–Result] Many different strategies are employed for wastewater treatment such as use of high-energy gamma radiation to degrade the combined textile wastewater for its reuse in wet processing (REF)…. [Means–Purpose, Elaboration, Means–Purpose x2, Reason–Conclusion] Although attempts have been made to recycle and reuse the wastewater, they involved partial or complete treatment beforehand…. [Concession] The focus of this research is on recycling and reusing water and chemicals in the textile pre-treatment process without prior treatment….To confirm the quality of the processed fabric, dyeing was done using reactive dyes. [Elaboration, Means–Purpose, Means–Result]
Context = overall problem
Work done = solution so far
Specific problem
Modified from: Harane and Adivarekar. Textiles and Clothing Sustainability. 2016;2:2.
Objective = your solution
Manuscript Structure
What was done
• Variables, processes, measurements • General to specific or chronological • Enough detail to allow replication
• Data handling • Appropriate statistical tests (& P level) • Consult a statistician
Who/what was studied
• Tests, controls • Number of samples/sets of tests • Materials/equipment (+ maker);
Data analysis
What did you do?
Methods/Experimental/Protocol/Procedure
Describing processes and properties
Sequences, Means–Purpose, Means–Result, Condition–Result, Comparison
Manuscript Structure
Describing processes and properties
Methods (key topic sentences)
Untreated fabric, also known as grey fabric, was desized, scoured and bleached in separate baths as per the procedure given in the literature (REFS)…. [Elaboration, Sequence, Means–Result] Scouring followed by bleaching of desized fabric was carried out using the conventional recipes…. [Sequence, Means–Result] The iodine drop test (Tegewa test) was employed to check the desizing efficiency…. [Elaboration, Means–Purpose] AATCC Test Method 102-2002 was used to determine hydrogen peroxide in the bleach bath…. [Means–Purpose]
Procedures (how)
Modified from: Harane and Adivarekar. Textiles and Clothing Sustainability. 2016;2:2.
Procedures (why)
Manuscript Structure Results
• Synthesis, characteristics • Group, subgroups • Algorithm, trial, improvement
• Each subsection relates to one figure and method
• What you found, not what it means
• Use Supplementary Information • Make raw data available
Logical presentation
Subsections
Factual description
What did you find? Describing processes and
properties Sequences, Means–Purpose, Means–Result, Condition–Result, Comparison
Except for combined Results and Discussion
Manuscript Structure
Describing processes and properties
Results
With the aim of reutilising alkali, scouring process water was recycled three times and the properties of the fabric are shown in Table 1…. [Means–Purpose] When the process water of scouring was recycled, the Tegewa rating and absorbency of the fabrics were in line with the one scoured with fresh water. …It can be seen from Table 3 that the Tegewa rating and absorbency of recycled fabrics were similar to those of the conventional bleached fabrics…. [Condition–Result, Comparison, Reason–Conclusion, Comparison] When the amount of scouring process water is greater, good absorbency is obtained, whereas if the quantity of bleaching process water is greater, the fabric has a good whiteness index…. [Condition–Result, Comparison, Condition–Result] Recap of method; pointing to illustrations;
data highlight and analysis
Modified from: Harane and Adivarekar. Textiles and Clothing Sustainability. 2016;2:2.
Manuscript Structure 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? Reason–Result, Comparison,
Reason–Conclusion Evaluating, comparing and contrasting,
recommending
Manuscript Structure
Evaluating, comparing and contrasting
Discussion/Conclusion In the proposed process scheme, there was a saving of 83% water and 82% energy consumption. The reason for such extreme reduction is because in the proposed method, energy water and chemicals are recycled three times. [Elaboration, Reason–Result] The proposed sustainable pre-treatment process was highly efficient in conserving water, energy and process chemicals…. [Key findings] … [Elaboration, Reason–Conclusion] When the scouring and bleaching process baths were recycled, 36% excess utilisation of alkali in the scouring process was observed when compared with the conventional process. [Condition–Result, Comparison] By properly understanding the potential of waste stream, we can generate new resources of water and chemicals. This will reduce the intake of fresh water and minimise the load on the effluent treatment plant. [Means–Result, Means–Result]
Main conclusion
Importance (advantage)
Implication (future use)
Modified from: Harane and Adivarekar. Textiles and Clothing Sustainability. 2016;2:2.
Findings + interpretation
Manuscript Structure
The materials selected for the knitted T-shirt for both foreign and
local products were entered into the Higg Index tool. The values
obtained by various products are shown in Table 2. The men’s T-
shirt A and foreign brands B, C, and D obtained higher scores. This
was due to the eco-friendly raw materials used, i.e., brand A and B
T-shirt included 100% organic cotton fiber….But in the case of local
branded E and F T-shirts, the Higg Index score was lower owing to
environmentally hazardous conventional raw materials, processing,
poor quality dyes used, no third party verification and such types,
and many other issues. For better environmental sustainability,
these issues must be addressed for local branded apparel.
products.
Overview of method
Interpretation
Conclusion/ implications
Modified from: Kahn and Islam. Textiles and Clothing Sustainability. 2015;1:8.
Display item and finding
Factually describe and interpret your findings
Combined Results–Discussion
Elaboration x2, Comparison, Reason–Result, Elaboration x2, Comparison x2, Reason–Result, Means–Purpose
Name one method/result
Compare your data
Give reasons
Say how your study is useful
Manuscript Structure Discussion – End
Why is your study important?
May be a “Future work” section
In conclusion, this paper has reported an easy and timesaving means of fabrication of heterogeneous nanotubular arrays of CdS-TiO2 on transparent conductive substrate (FTO)….An enhanced photocurrent density was obtained in an Na2S/Na2SO3 electrolyte by front-side illumination from the FTO substrate….The reduced charge recombination on the interface between TiO2 nanotubes and CdS nanoparticles under front-side illumination contributed to the improved photocurrent density. We believe that TiO2 nanotubular arrays on transparent conductive substrate might find other applications in the fields of dye-sensitized solar cells, photochromism and photocatalysis.
Conclusion = Approach/
Solution + News
Key finding
Benefit/mechanism
Importance & Implications
Modified from: Liu et al. Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology. 2015; DOI: 10.5772/61970.
Reason–Conclusion, Means–Purpose, Means–Result x2, Reason–Conclusion & Means–Purpose
What does your new method allow
people to do?
What did you achieve?
How did your method work?
How can your method be applied in the real world?
Manuscript Structure
Story line and consistency
General background
Aims
Methodology
Results and illustrations
Summary of findings
Implications for the field
Relevance of findings
Problem in the field
Current state of the field Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Solution
Situation/Problem
Evaluation/Comment
Title & Abstract
End matter References, Acknowledgments, Funding, Conflicts of interest, Previous publication/presentation, Ethics/Data sharing
Manuscript Structure
IMRaD paragraph functions
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Describing processes and
properties
Justifying, explaining, defining, informing
Evaluating, comparing and
contrasting, recommending
Title & Abstract
End matter
General background
Aims
Methodology
Results and illustrations
Summary of findings
Implications for the field
Relevance of findings
Problem in the field
Current state of the field
References, Acknowledgments, Funding, Conflicts of interest, Previous publication/presentation, Ethics/Data sharing
Manuscript Structure
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Sequences, Means–Purpose, Means–Result,
Condition–Result, Comparison
Means–Purpose, Reason–Result,
Elaboration
Reason–Result, Comparison,
Reason–Conclusion
Title & Abstract
End matter
General background
Aims
Methodology
Results and illustrations
Summary of findings
Implications for the field
Relevance of findings
Problem in the field
Current state of the field
References, Acknowledgments, Funding, Conflicts of interest, Previous publication/presentation, Ethics/Data sharing
Example IMRaD sentence logic
Manuscript Structure
Story line and consistency
Graphene and carbon nanotubes have been proposed as transparent electrodes for wearable electronics.
However, the use of chemical vapor deposition at high temperatures is unsuitable for textile substrates.
In summary, we have demonstrated that transparent monolayer graphene can coat textile fibers by wet transfer, forming a highly conductive and flexible thread with negligible aspect change.
Background
Conclusion
Discussion
Introduction
Modified from: Neves et al. Scientific Reports. 2015; doi:10.1038/srep09866
We demonstrate that conductive textile fibers can be obtained by wet transfer of monolayer graphene to a polypropylene and a polylactic acid biobased fiber.
Aim/Approach
Transparent conductive graphene textile fibers
Problem
Manuscript Structure Recognizing IMRaD
Signal phrases
Results: showed, found, observed,
identified, demonstrated, revealed, indicated, (not) significantly different
Discussion: our/these findings,
when compared with, confirm, agree with, disagree with, differ from, are similar to, consistent, mechanism, explanation, possible, plausible
Conclusions: In conclusion, In
summary, Taken together, Overall, Therefore, Hence, Thus, suggest, have implications, further/future work
Context: has been studied, such as, is important, recently, X found that
Problem: unfortunately, however, but, nevertheless, although, despite, still unclear, lacking, unknown
Objectives: (in) this study, (in) the present study, purpose of this study, aims/aimed, examine, investigate, study, evaluate, assess, determine
Methods: measured, evaluated, by means of, used, calculated, performed
Manuscript Structure Activity
Place these sentences (from an Introduction and a Discussion) in the correct order and suggest improvements.
Modified from: Domènech et al. Nanoscale Research Letters. 2013;8:238.
D. Nanoparticles are increasingly used in catalysis because their reactivity reduces the quantity of catalyst needed.
C. However, the prevention of uncontrollable escape of catalysts is becoming a crucial issue.
A. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles in textile fibers was successfully achieved: small nonaggregate nanoparticles were obtained in all matrices and located on the surface.
B. Our aim was to develop advanced nanocomposite materials by the incorporation of gold nanoparticles in fibers.
S
Be an effective communicator
Your goal is not only to be published, but also to be widely read and highly cited
Write your sentences and paragraphs logically
Organize your manuscript by paragraph functions
http://www.picserver.org/s/success.html CC BY-SA 3.0
Thank you!
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Andrew Jackson: [email protected] Ayli Chong: [email protected]