Writing a Science Paper Martin van Bommel No

Writing a Science Paper Martin van Bommel No tale is so good that it can’t be spoiled in the telling. Proverb

Science in General • Science is a system for accumulating reliable knowledge – Observations – Hypothesis – Experimentation or proof – Describe results in a paper to add to existing scientific knowledge

Why write? • Communicate new results or opinions • Must persuade others of relevance and correctness – Describe position of idea within body of scientific knowledge – Formally state the idea, often as a theory or hypothesis – Explain what is new about the idea – Show paper’s contribution – Justify theory

Organization • Abstract - shows relevance of work – Single paragraph giving summary of • Aims • Scope • Conclusions • Introduction – Expanded version of abstract – Motivate reader to read on

Organization (con’t) • Survey or background – Describe existing knowledge and how it is extended by the new results – Points to references for reader who is not expert in the field for further reading • Definitions (before or after survey) – Provide necessary background and terminology

Organization (continued) • Results – Explain chain of reasoning – Details of proofs or experiments • Summary – Draw together topics discussed – Concise statement of results – Future work?

Selecting a Topic • Choose one that – interests you, not just your supervisor – has not been researched to death – broad enough to have enough available background material – specific enough so that you can focus on a reasonable amount of material – has interesting applications or a specific use (easier to motivate)

Preparation • Establish an objective – Identify the readers – What do you want readers to know or be able to do? – Determine the scope or coverage of your work or project

What kind of material? • Let’s assume Object-Oriented DB • Google search gives us: – OODB articles and products • Problems? – OODB Management Systems • Problems? – Object database - Wikipedia • Problems? • Where else should we search?

Organization • Outlining – Breakdown into manageable parts – Add illustrations • Methods of development – Chronological or sequential – Order of importance – General to specific – Cause and effect

Writing • Always write from your own notes • Never read from a reference work while writing unless quoting • Plan the section before writing it • Write section in one sitting – makes it flow better • Do not stop writing to check something – check later

Visual (WYSIWYG) vs Compiler • Visual (e. g. Microsoft Word) – Great for immediate use documents – Poor for revisions and mathematics – Focus on style • Compiler (e. g. LATEX) – Better for revisions and mathematics – Produce professional-looking documents – Make style changes easily – Focus on content

Summary • Determine – What you want to say – Who is going to be reading it – How it is best organized – Do you find the result interesting • Any Questions?