A good manuscript writing guide and tips.pdf

This is how to write a manuscript

1. WRITING IT RIGHT
Practical advice for an effective scientific paper
Research Office
21February 2023
Ng Heok Hee

2. 2
Elements of a Scientific Article
•Title
•Byline (authors & affiliation)
•Abstract
•Keywords
•Running Title
•Introduction
•Methods
•Results
•Discussion
•Acknowledgements
•References
•Supplementary Data
•Figures/tables/graphs Figuring Things Out
Writing it Right

3. 3
Outline
Words
Sentences
Paragraphs
Brevity
4
6
8
10

4. 4
•Writewiththereaderinmind
•Useprecisewords
•Usesimplewords(e.g.avoidnominalizations)
•Omitunnecessarywordsandphrases
•Avoidtoomanyabbreviations
•Usecorrectnomenclatureandterminology
Words

5. 5
•Usefirstperson
•Useactivevoice
•Usepasttenseforobservationsandspecificconclusions
•Usepresenttenseforgeneralrulesandestablishedknowledge
Sentences
✕No change in activity was observed.
✓We observed no change in activity.
✕The authors show here that two main causes…
✓Weshow here that two main causes…
✓Higher temperatures resulted in less bud formation.
✓The newly discovered planet is as big as Pluto.

6. 6
•Writeshortsentences.Aimforonemainideainasentence
•Donotusetoomanysubordinateclausesanddonotburyyourmainideainthem
Sentences
✕The slightly less periodic (higher COV) San Andreas fault is known to be influenced by major faults nearby (30),
and the aperiodic Dead Sea Transform is a more complicated system and slower slipping (9) than either the San
Andreas or the Alpine Fault.
✓Nearby major faults influence the less periodic (higher COV) San Andreas fault (30). The aperiodic Dead Sea
Transform is more complicated and slips more slowly (9) than either the San Andreas fault or the Alpine Fault.
✕After the conclusion of data gathering from the application of Method 1, which revealed to us that
concentrations always fall below 0.4 µl/l –when theory predicts they should remain constant–we
proceeded to apply Method 2.
✓Theory predicts that concentrations will remain constant. However, Method 1 revealed that they
always fall below 0.4 µl/l. As a result, we proceeded to apply Method 2.

7. 7
•Useactiveverbs
•Avoidstringsofnouns
•Useclearpronouns
Sentences
✕We used a sensitive protein function monitoring system.
✓We used a sensitive system to monitor protein function.
✕A 10% increase intemperature occurred.
✓Temperature increased10%.
✕Anaerobic organisms typically live in the intestines. Thus, theyare of interest to us.
✓Anaerobic organisms typically live in the intestines. Thus, intestinesare of interest to us.

8. 8
•Usecorrectparallelstructure(usingsamegrammaticalstructuretoshowthattwoor
moreideashavethesamelevelofimportance)
•Avoidfaultycomparisons
Sentences
✕Our conclusions are similar to previous studies.
✓Our conclusions are similar to those ofprevious studies
✕These similarities include an early sensitive period, an innate filtering mechanism that isolates conspecific
vocalizations, a babbling developmental phase, and theimportance of social variables in vocal learning.
✓These similarities include an early sensitive phase, a filtering phase, a babbling phase, and a social phase.

9. 9
•Makeparagraphunified
-Clearlydeclarecentralideaintopicsentence
-Developideainrestofparagraph
•Makeparagraphcoherent
-Signalintopicsentence
-Adoptionofstandardorganizationalscheme
•Makeparagraphsdistinct
-Paragraphsshouldbelogicallydistinct,eachwithitsowntopic,andeach
providingcompleteandself-containedtreatmentoftopic
Paragraphs

10. 10
•Structureofparagraph
-Issue(=topicsentence)–tellsreaderwhatparagraphisabout
-Development–expandsonissue
-Conclusion–servesascomprehensioncheck:doreadersunderstandwhatwriter
wasgettingat?
WeinitiallyhypothesizedthatTRIM5afunctionedasacofactornecessaryforcapsiduncoating.
However,subsequentfindingsarguedagainstthishypothesis.First,knockingdownhuman
TRIM5ashowednoeffectsonHIV-1replicationinhumancells.Second,rodentcells,whichdo
notexpressTRIM5a,supportedHIV-1infectionifengineeredtoexpressanappropriate
receptor.Finally,humanTRIM5adoesnotassociatewiththeHIV-1capsidinbiochemical
assays.Thus,TRIM5aappearedtohaveevolvedprimarilyasaninhibitoryfactoraimedat
thwartingviralreplication,ratherthanahostfactorco-optedbyHIV-1topromoteinfection.
Paragraphs

11. 11
•Why?
•Twoways
-Reducecontent
-Reducetextusedtoconveycontent
Brevity

12. 12
“Carbonaceous chondrites, as opposed to the more common ordinary chondrites, often
contain complex organic molecules such as amino acids.”
“These results suggestthat our method may possiblyidentify putativeenhancer elements.”
•Removetext-bulgers:
-Passivevoice
-Nominalizations
-Longwords
-Roundaboutphrases
-Tautologousmodifiers
-Emptymodifiers
-Padding
-Hedging
-Metadiscourse
-Parentheticals
Brevity
“achieveareductioninlength”vs.“reducelength”
“utilize”vs.“use”
“themajorityof”vs.“most”
“blueincolor”vs.“blue”
“quitestrong”vs.“strong”
“Inthisstudy,we”vs.“We”
“Theobjectiveofmystudywasto…”

13. 13
Outline
Title
Running title
Abstract
Graphical Abstract
Highlights
13
25
27
34
36
37Keywords
Introduction 38

14. 14
Title

15. 15
•Declarative(results-describing)
VisibleLightReducesC.elegansLongevity
•Descriptive(methods-describing)
CorrelationFunctionsoftheIntegrableHigher-spinXXXandXXZSpinChainsThroughthe
FusionMethod
•Interrogative(question)
DoesGutFunctionLimitHummingbirdFoodIntake?
Title: Types

16. 16
•Beconcise
•Beclear
•Beinformative
•Usekeywordswisely
•Knowtherules&targetaudience
•Avoidabbreviations
Title: Rules

17. 17
•Avoidwastedwords
–“Astudyof”
–“Investigationof”
–“Developmentof”
–“Observationson”
•However,donotusestringofnounstoachieveconciseness
CulturalHeritageAudiovisualMaterialMultilingualSearchGatheringRequirements
GatheringRequirementsforMultilingualSearchesforAudiovisualMaterialsintheCultural
Heritage
Title: Be Concise

18. 18
•Consider the following
H1N1 Virus Testing on Mice Using Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing of Mice for the H1N1 Virus
Title: Be Clear

19. 19
•Syntax(wordorder)intitleisimportant
•Onlyonemeaninginyourtitle
•Showtitletocolleagues(whoarenotcoauthors)andaskthemwhat
messagetheyreceive
Title: Be Clear

20. 20
•Beingconcisevs.beinginformative:strikebalance
•Considerfollowing
StatinsandCholesterol
EffectofStatinsonSerumCholesterol
ReductionofSerumCholesterolwithStatinTherapy
StatinTherapyReducesSerumCholesterolinPatientswithCardiovascularDisease
Title: Be Informative

21. 21
•Choosekeywordscarefully
•Readersfirstseeyourpaperbyscanningtableofcontents
•Usesamekeywordsintitleasarticle
•Placekeywordsasearlyaspossibleintitle
Title: Use Keywords Wisely

22. 22
•Knowlimitationsontitlesetbyjournal
–Wordcount
–Phrases,nosentences
•Understandyourtargetaudience
–Determinessyntax
ProficiencyTestingofDriedBloodSpotTrypsinforNewbornScreeningofCysticFibrosis
NewbornScreeningforCysticFibrosis:ProficiencyTestingofDriedBloodSpotTrypsinop
Title: Know the Rules & Target Audience

23. 23
•Avoidabbreviationsbecause
–Confuseandlosereadersiftheyarenotsubject-matterexperts
–Causeyourarticletonotbeindexedproperly
•Inraresituations,someabbreviationsmorewidelyusedthanfull
names,e.g.DNA
–Usingthemmaybeclearertoreader
Title: Avoid Abbreviations

24. 24
How would you condense the following titles?
The application of pulse radiolysis to the study of Ni (I) intermediates in Ni-catalyzed cross-
coupling reactions
Investigations on the impact of the introduction of the Aloe vera into the hydrogel matrix on
cytotoxic and hydrophilic properties of these systems considered as potential wound dressings
Title: Exercise I
―――――― ———— ――
Using
―–
The cytotoxic and hydrophilic properties of hydrogel matrices with Aloe veraand their
potential as wound dressings

25. 25
Ensure that the title for an article on the antioxidant effects of blueberries is specific, complete, concise and
unambiguous. The title should convey the following facts:
•Blueberries have an antioxidant effect
•Eating blueberries increases plasma antioxidant capacity
•If milk/milk protein is digested together with blueberries, no increase in plasma antioxidant capacity is
observed
Choose the best title from the list:
1.Antioxidant effect of blueberries reduced with milk
2.Increase of plasma antioxidant capacity of blueberries prevented with milk protein
3.Consumption of blueberries with milk influences plasma antioxidant capacity
4.Milk consumption prevents antioxidant effect of blueberries
5.Milk consumption affects plasma antioxidant capacity
6.Influence of milk protein on antioxidant effect of blueberries
Title: Exercise II

26. 26
•Short version of complete title
•Placed on top as header or on bottom as footer on every page (or
alternating with authors’ names on every other page) to identify article
•Generally about 50–60 characters long (including spaces)
•Should be recognizable as short version of title
Running Title

27. 27
•Clarity and accuracy priorities
•Omit articles (e.g. a, an, the)
•Use abbreviations
Title: Applying Bayesian optimization with Gaussian process regression to computational fluid
dynamics problems
Running title: BO with GPR in CFD problems
Running Title

28. 28
•Condensed version of paper
•Original document, not collection of quotations taken from text it
summarizes, i.e. it must be able to stand alone
•Abstracts where key word searches matched
•Editors of some journals also use abstracts to screen submissions
–E.g. BMJ editors make initial decision on estimated 15–25% of submissions based
on abstract alone (Groves & Abbasi, 2004)
Abstract

29. 29
•Descriptive/Indicative
–Summarizes in general terms
–Does not provide details about experimental design or data
–Shorter (75–150 words)
–Usually for papers not containing original research data (e.g. reviews)
•Informative
–Includes details of study
–Enough information to serve as surrogate for full paper
Abstract: Types

30. 30
•Structured
-Text divided under individual headings
-Mini version of paper
Abstract: Types

31. 31
•Simple/unstructured
-Single narrative paragraph
Abstract: Types

32. 32
•Write abstract after completing rest of manuscript
•Start with structured abstract, even if not necessary
•Do not cite references, tables or figures
•Avoid empty narrative expressions (e.g. “X is described”; “Y is
discussed”; “Z is reviewed”)
•Stay within word limit
•Make sure abstract aligns with text
Abstract: Writing

33. 33
Point out the weaknesses in the following abstract:
Sincetheonsetoftheindustrialrevolution,atmosphericcarbondioxidelevelshaveincreased
from280ppmtoapproximately390ppm,duetoanthropogenicactivitiessuchasburning
fossilfuels.Weusedafullyfactorialexperimenttotesttheindependentandinteractiveeffects
oftemperatureandpCO
2onfoodconsumptionandactivitylevelofjuvenileanemonefish
Amphiprionmelanopus(Bleeker1852).Experimentallevelswereconsistentwithcurrent-day
oceanconditionsandpredictionsformid-centuryandlate-centurybasedonatmosphericCO
2
projections.Behavioralobservationsonsiblingfishwereconducted.Foodconsumptionand
foragingactivitychangedwithtemperatureandCO
2levels.Theseresultssuggestthatchanges
inforagingbehaviorscausedbytheinteractiveeffectsofincreasedSSTandCO
2couldhave
significanteffectsonthegrowthandsurvivalofjuvenilereeffishesbylatecentury.Further
studiesareneededtoconfirmthisobservation.
Abstract: Exercise

34. 34
Abstract: Exercise
Sincetheonsetoftheindustrialrevolution,atmosphericcarbondioxidelevelshaveincreasedfrom280
ppmtoapproximately390ppm,duetoanthropogenicactivitiessuchasburningfossilfuels.Weuseda
fullyfactorialexperimenttotesttheindependentandinteractiveeffectsoftemperatureandpCO
2on
foodconsumptionandactivitylevelofjuvenileanemonefishAmphiprionmelanopus(Bleeker1852).
Experimentallevelswereconsistentwithcurrent-dayoceanconditionsandpredictionsformid-century
andlate-centurybasedonatmosphericCO
2projections.Behavioralobservationsonsiblingfishwere
conducted.FoodconsumptionandforagingactivitychangedwithtemperatureandCO
2levels.These
resultssuggestthatchangesinforagingbehaviorscausedbytheinteractiveeffectsofincreasedSSTand
CO
2couldhavesignificanteffectsonthegrowthandsurvivalofjuvenilereeffishesbylatecentury.
Furtherstudiesareneededtoconfirmthisobservation.
Too general, fails to establish relevancy to study
No definition of abbreviation
Too vague, lacks details
Unnecessary statement

35. 35
•Single, concise, pictorial and visual summary of main findings of article
•Either figure from article or one specifically designed for purpose
•Displayed in online search results, online content lists and online
article, but not in pdf article or print
Graphical Abstract

36. 36
•A clear start and end, “reading” from top‐to‐bottom or left‐to‐right
•Distinct from any model figures or diagrams included in paper
•Emphasize new findings without including excess details from previous
literature
•Exclude data items of any type
•Use simple labels and use text sparingly
•Highlight one process or making one point clear
•Free of distracting and cluttering elements
Graphical Abstract

37. 37
•3–5 short, bullet-point style statements that convey core findingsof
article
•Be concise
•Use present tense/active voice
•Use simplest, clearest words possible
Highlights

38. 38
•Provide opportunity to include descriptive words/phrases in addition
to title & abstract = more “points of entry”
•General advice in choosing keywords:
-Include methodology
-Avoid single-word keywords and words already in title
-Follow journal guidelines
-Consider variants/alternatives for technical terms most frequently used in
manuscript
-Type chosen keywords into Google Scholar (or similar search engine). Do results
match your topic?
Keywords

39. 39
Purpose:
•Interestaudiencetoreadpaper
•Providesufficientcontext/backgroundinformationforreadersto
understandstudyindependentlyofpreviouspublicationsontopic
Introduction

40. 40
Introduction
•Informationshouldflowfrombroadtonarrow
Background, known information
Knowledge gap, unknown information
Hypothesis, question, purpose statement
Approach, plan of attack, proposed solution

41. 41
CT-3 has shown marked antiallodynic and analgesic effects in animals.
1
However, it has not
been determined whether CT-3 also possesses the ability to treat neuropathic pain in humans.
To examine the analgesic efficiency and safety of CT-3 for chronic neuropathic pain in humans,
we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study on 21 patients
for 5 weeks using two daily doses of 10 mg CT-3 or placebo.
Introduction: Example
Background
Knowledge gap/unknown
Hypothesis/question
Approach

42. 42
•Shouldnotbeonelongparagraphorseriesoflongparagraphs(aimfornotmore
than⅙
th
oftotalmanuscript)
•Between75–175words(trynottoregularlyexceed150words)perparagraph
•Newparagraphsshouldsignal
–changeintopic(oralookatdifferentaspectofsametopic)
–movingfromonestep/phase/periodtoanother
–mentionofdifferentauthor(whohasdifferentview/perspectiveonwhatyouarediscussingsofar)
–discussionofconsequencesofwhatyouhavebeendescribing
–talkingaboutaimofstudy/paper
–talkingaboutstructureofpaper
Introduction: Paragraphs

43. 43
Outline
Methods
Results
Discussion
Acknowledgments
References
43
52
59
68
69
Supplementary Data 81
Writing Strategies 83

44. 44
Purpose:
•Understandhowandwhyexperiments/studywereperformed
•Betterunderstandhowresultsandconclusionsderivedfrom
experiments/study
•Beabletoreproducestudywithexpectationofsuccess
•Acknowledgevalidityofresultsandconclusionsbasedonstrengthof
methodsandstudydesign
Methods

45. 45
•Describematerials/subjectsusedinstudy
–Materials:drugs,culturemedia,buffers,gases,apparatusused
–Subjects:patients,experimentalmaterials,animals,microorganisms,plants
•Explainhowmaterialswereprepared/subjectsrecruited
•Describeresearchprotocol
–Experimental design (independent + dependent variables; experimental + control
groups)
–Procedure(what,howandwhyyoudidsomething)
•Explainmeasurementsmade,calculationsperformed,andstate
statisticaltestsusedtoanalyzedata
Methods

46. 46
Provideenoughdetailsandreferencestoenabletrainedscientistto
evaluateorrepeatyourwork,butdonotincludeunnecessarydetail
LongerDNAfragmentsweredetectedbyacrylamidegelelectrophoresisusingkbladderas
standard. INSUFFICIENT
DNAfragmentslongerthan50kbweredetectedbyacrylamidegelelectrophoresisusingkb
ladderasstandard. SUFFICIENT
TheanalyseswereperformedonanAgilentseries1100HPLCinstrument(Agilent,Waldbronn,
Germany)equippedwithaquaternarypump,adiode-arraydetector(DAD),andautosampler,
andacolumncompartment. UNNECESSARYDETAILS
TheanalyseswereperformedonanAgilentseries1100HPLCinstrument(Agilent,Waldbronn,
Germany). WITHOUTUNNECESSARYDETAILS
Methods

47. 47
•If methods have been previously described, provide only literature
citation
Plasmids were isolated according to Braun.
19
•If previously published method was modified, provide reference and
detailed description of modifications
Plasmids were isolated according to Braun,
19
with minor modifications. Instead of dissolving
DNA pellets in sterile water, pellets were dissolved in buffer A
Methods

48. 48
•Placedetaileddescriptionofproceduresorotherlengthydetailsin
appendix(ifnecessary)
•Arrangeexperimentaldetailsasprotocolsgroupedinorderorby
subsections(withsubheadings),ifnecessary
Methods

49. 49
Explain purpose for any procedure whose function is not clear
Methods
Topurifyprolyl-4-hydroxylasefromhuman
placenta,full-termhumanplacentaewerecollected
30minafterdelivery.

50. 50
•Howmanyactions/stepsinsinglesentence?
–Frequentproblem:readslikemanual,i.e.oneaction=onesentence
–Perfectlyacceptabletohavetwoactionsinonesentence
Afirstpostalinvitationtoparticipateinthesurveywassentto26practicesinSouthYorkshire.A
totaloffivepracticesindicatedtheirwillingnesstoparticipate.Multidisciplinaryfocusgroupsin
fourdiversepracticeswerepurposivelyidentified.Theidentificationentailedusingamaximum
variationapproach.Thisapproachwasbasedonsocio-economicpopulationcharacteristicsand
ethnicdiversity.Thesecharacteristicsweretakenwithreferencetocensusdata.
Followingafirstpostalinvitationtoparticipatesentto26practicesinSouthYorkshire,five
respondedpositively.Multidisciplinaryfocusgroupsinfourdiversepracticeswerepurposively
identifiedusingamaximumvariationapproach,basedonsocio-economicpopulation
characteristicsandethnicdiversity(byreferencetocensusdata).
Methods

51. 51
•Passivevoiceoftenpreferred
–Emphasizesmaterialsormethodsastopicofsentence
•However,writingentirelyinpassivevoiceisdull(andusuallyusesmore
words)
•Combinationofbothactiveandpassivevoiceprovidesvariationand
breaksupmonotony
Methods

52. 52
•Donotswitchvoicefornoapparentreason
Studysubjectswerepresentedwithalistofpotentiallytraumaticevents,andweaskedthem
tousethreeresponsecategories(yes,no,unsure)toindicateiftheyhadeverexperienced
them.
Studysubjectswerepresentedwithalistofpotentiallytraumaticeventsandwereaskedto
usethreeresponsecategories(yes,no,unsure)toindicateiftheyhadeverexperiencedthem.
•Should be written in past tense
–Except when presenting summarized data, statements of general validity, or
introducing tables/figures
Methods

53. 53
•Reportyourmainfindingsaswellasotherimportantfindings
•Pointreadertodatainfiguresandtables
•Includecontrolresults
Results

54. 54
Interpret your data for reader
Heart rate was 100 beats per minute after digitalis was added (Fig. 3).
Heart rate increased to 100 beats per minute after digitalis was added (Fig. 3).
Heart rate increased from 60 to 100 beats per minute after digitalis was added (Fig. 3).
Results: Data vs Results

55. 55
•Placeresultsthatanswerquestionofpaperatbeginningofsection
•Organizesectionchronologicallyorfrommosttoleastimportant
•Organizeyourresultsintodifferentsegments
–Ineachsegment,state:
oPurposeorbackgroundofexperiment
oExperimentalapproach
oResults
oInterpretationofresults
Results

56. 56
ConsiderableevidencesuggeststhatATPisneededinthebindingofmRNAtothe40S
ribosomalsubunits.
13
TounderstandtheinteractionbetweenATPandmRNPparticlesbetter,
weincubatedthemRNPparticleswith
14
CATPatoptimalconcentrationsforinvitroyeast
translation.Resultsindicatethat
14
CATPboundtomRNPparticles,butthebindingdecreased
about4-foldwhenthetemperatureincreasedfrom4to17°C(Fig.1).Theseresultssuggest
thatthebindingbetweenATPandmRNPparticlesmaybegovernedbyinteractionssuchas
hydrogenbondsorvanderWaalsthatweakenwhentemperaturerises.
Results
Background
Purpose
Experimental approach
Result
Interpretation

57. 57
•Writeinpasttense
–Resultsarereportedinpasttensebecausetheyareeventsandobservationsthat
occurredinpast
Imidazole inhibitedthe increase in arterial pressure.
–Exceptionsareresultsofdescriptivestudies.Theseresultsarereportedin
presenttensebecausedescriptionisstilltrue
The fgkgene hasseveral different introns.
–Otherexceptionsarestatementsofgeneralvalidity.
Theirfindingsshowthatassociatingnectarwithflowertypeislargelyduetoolfactorylearning
(Riffell,2008).
Results

58. 58
•Startsentences/paragraphswithtopicsentence
•Referencestofiguresandtablesillustratepoints,ratherthanmadeas
subjectsofyourtext
Figure3AandBshowsthedifferentratingsprovidedbythefacultytowardstheapplicationsofthemaleanda
femalegraduatesciencestudent.Thefacultyviewedthefemalestudentaslesscompetentthanthemale
student,despiteidenticalqualifications,similartoratingsreportedpreviously.
28
Inaddition,themeanstarting
salaryofferedtothefemalestudentwassignificantlylowerthanthatofferedtothemalestudent.Thegender
biasappearspervasiveamongfaculty.
Similartoratingsreportedpreviously,
28
thefacultyviewedthefemalestudentaslesscompetentthanthemale
studentinourstudy(Fig.3A),despiteidenticalqualifications.Inaddition,themeanstartingsalaryofferedto
thefemalestudentwassignificantlylowerthanthatofferedtothemalestudent(Fig.3B).Thegenderbias
appearspervasiveamongfaculty.
Results
Topicsentencedoesnotemphasizeresults
Topicsentenceemphasizesresults

59. 59
Point out which information is data, and which is a result in the following
paragraph:
Wereporttheresultsofananalysisof1,618shortcallsand1,120longcalls(n=2,738total
calls)from14568hoursofautonomousrecordingsinDanumValleyConservationArea,Sabah,
Malaysia(Table2).Thefrequencyrangeofgreatarguscallswasbetween600–1,600Hz(Fig2).
Longcallswere82sindurationonaverage(range=5–360s)andtheshortcallswere2sin
durationonaverage(range=1–380s).Wefoundthatarguscalledthroughoutthe24-hour
periodbutweremorelikelytocallinthemorningbetween06:00–12:00LT(Fig3)andthat
therewassubstantialspatialvariationincallingeventsatacrossthearray(Table2).
Results: Exercise
Data
Result

60. 60
Discussion
•Stateandinterpretkeyfindings
–Provideanswertoresearchquestion
•Organizediscussioninpyramidalstructure
Interpretation/answer based on key findings supporting evidenceFIRST PARAGRAPH
Comparisons/contrasts to previous studies
Limitations of your study
Unexpected findings
Hypotheses/models
MIDDLE PARAGRAPH(S)
Summary
Significance/implicationsLAST PARAGRAPH

61. 61
•Passiveoractivevoice?
–Constantcomparisonwithyourworkandothers
–Readerneedstoknowwhoseworkyouarereferringto
•Passivesentencesdonotrevealauthorofaction
–Readerwillnotunderstandifyouarereferringtoyourfindingsorthoseof
anotherperson
•Useactivevoicewheneverpossibletoavoidambiguity
Discussion: Voice

62. 62
Example Comments
In2018,weconfirmedthatcomplexsentencesreduce
readability[25].
Weclearlyindicatesthatyouarereferringtoyourownwork
In2018,Cartersuggestedthatcomplexsentencescouldalso
leadtohighlevelsofstressforthereader[36].
Carter,whoisanotherauthor,isthesubjectoftheverb.Thusit
iscleartothereaderthatthisisnotyourownwork.
In2018,itwassuggestedthatcomplexsentencescouldalso
leadtohighlevelsofstressforthereader[Carter,36].
Thepassiveformmeansthatthereaderisnotsureuntilthe
endofthesentenceifitwasyouoranotherauthor.
In2018,itwassuggestedthatcomplexsentencescouldalso
leadtohighlevelsofstressforthereader[25].
Readerscannotknowwhomadethesuggestionunlesstheygo
toRef.25andseeifitwasyouorsomeoneelse.
In2018,itwassuggestedthatcomplexsentencescouldalso
leadtohighlevelsofstressforthereader.
Thereisnoreference.Readerscannotbesureifyoumadethe
suggestionsorsomeoneelse.
Discussion: Voice

63. 63
•Beginwithinterpretationofkeyfindings
–AnswersthequestionposedinIntroduction
•Supportanswerbystatingrelevantresults,providingexplanations
and/ordata
•DonotstartDiscussionby:
–Providingmorebackgroundinformation
–Summarizingfindings
–Reportingonlimitationsandminorresults
Discussion: First Paragraph

64. 64
•Organizetopicsaccordingtoscienceorfrommosttoleastimportant
–Treatsecondaryresultsasyoudidmainfindings
–Summarizeandgeneralizetheminsteadofsimplyrepeatingwhatyoufound
•Compareandcontrastfindingswiththoseofotherpublishedresults
–Explainhowyourfindingsfitinwithcurrentknowledge
–Explainasbestasyoucanresultsthatdonotsupportyouranswerandconclusions
–Ifyoucannotexplain,sayso
Discussion: Middle Paragraphs

65. 65
•Explainanydiscrepancies,unexpectedfindings,limitations
•Providegeneralizationswherepossible
–Formulatehypothesis/proposepossiblemodel
–Explainhowyouarrivedathypothesis/model
Discussion: Middle Paragraphs

66. 66
Wehaveshownthatannualcaninevaccinationcampaignsachieving67%
coverageinNgorongoroand42%coverageinSerengetishouldbesufficientto
controlrabiesoutbreakswith95%confidence.Thesecoveragelevelsarelower
thantheWHO-recommendedannualtargetof70%.
26
Wefocusedonannual
coveragetargets,sincerabiesvaccinationinTanzaniaisconductedthrough
annualcampaignsandsincetheWHOtargetisspecifiedassuch.However,wealso
calculatedthat39%and25%coverageconsistentlymaintainedinNgorongoroand
Serengeti,respectively,willcontrolrabiesoutbreakswith95%confidence.These
estimatesofrequiredcoveragearemuchlowerthanpreviousrecommendationsof
70%coverageonaconsistentbasis.
11
Thedifferenceispossiblyduetofactthatthe
parametersofthepreviousstudyweredrawnfromAsiaandtheAmericas,
whereasourmodelconsidersrabiesdynamicsinsub-SaharanAfrica.
19
Discussion: Middle Paragraphs
Finding of paper
Comparison to other
study
Contrasting finding
Explanation of conflict
Comparison to other
study

67. 67
•Provideconcludingsummary
–Analysisofmostimportantresults
–Significance
•Restateyouranswer
–Donotbringinnewevidenceforsummary
•Providesignificancebyincludingfar-reachinginterpretationsand
conclusions
–Generalizespecificfindingstootherbroadersituations
–Pitchsignificanceaccordingtolevelofcertainty
Discussion: Last Paragraph

68. 68
Discussion: Last paragraph
Level of certainty Example
Practical Application Our findings can/willserveto…
…canbe used…
Advice
We recommendthat X is…
Y shouldbe used for…
…is probably…
Suggestion Y indicatesthat X might…
These findings implythat X may…
PropositionTheoretical
Here we proposethat…
…we hypothesizethat…

69. 69
•Acknowledge
–Organizations/individualswhoprovidedgrants,materials,orfinancial/freetechnical
assistance
–Individualswhocontributedideas,information,criticalwritingorediting,andadvice
toyourwork
•Donotneedtoacknowledge
–Anyonewhoreceivedpayment,washiredtoperformtask,ordidtheirday-to-day
regularwork
•Startbylistingintellectualcontributions,thentechnicalsupport,provisionof
materials,helpfuldiscussions,andrevisionsandpreparationsofmanuscript.
Lastlistfinancialsupport
Acknowledgments

70. 70
Types of references
•Primarysource
–Original,peer-reviewedpublicationofscientificresearch
•Secondarysource
–Cites,buildson,discussesorgeneralizesprimarysource
–Reviewarticles
•Tertiarysource
–Generalizesandanalyzesprimarysources;providesbroadoverviewoftopic
–Textbooks
References

71. 71
•Oddcitations
–Personalcommunication(pers.comm.)
–Personalobservation(pers.obs.)
–Unpublishedmanuscript(unpubl.MS)
–Unpublisheddata(unpubl.data)
•Provideonlyweaksupportforclaim,andshouldneverbeusedto
supportimportantclaim
References

72. 72
•Name and year system (Harvard style)
–Reference list arranged alphabetically by author
–If more than one reference by same author(s), list in ascending chronological
order
–If more than one reference by same author(s) published in same year, use letters
to further denote (e.g. Smith, 2011a; Smith, 2011b)
•Citation order system (Vancouver style)
–Reference list arranged by number given to citation according to order
mentioned in text
References

73. 73
References
Example of Harvard style
Example of Vancouver style
“Nevertheless,therewasmoresymptomaticreliefinthePCIgroup,andfurtheranalysessuggestedthatthere
mightbesubgroupsofpatientswhowouldhaveimprovedoutcomesafterPCI(Shawetal.,2008).Becauseof
datasuchasthis,therationaleforPCIinpatientswithstableCADhasalwaysbeensomewhatcontentious(Fihn
etal.,2014;Montalescotetal.,2013).”
“Nevertheless,therewasmoresymptomaticreliefinthePCIgroup,andfurtheranalysessuggestedthatthere
mightbesubgroupsofpatientswhowouldhaveimprovedoutcomesafterPCI
11
.Becauseofdatasuchasthis,
therationaleforPCIinpatientswithstableCADhasalwaysbeensomewhatcontentious
12,13
.”
(Shaw et al., 2008)
(Fihn
et al., 2014; Montalescotet al., 2013)
11
12,13

74. 74
•Payattentiontodetailsofjournal’sreferencestyle
–Howarenameslisted?
E.g.,SmithKDvs.KDSmith
–Howmanynamesshouldbelisted?
–Abbreviatejournaltitles?
–Issuenumber/DOInecessary?
References: Style

75. 75
•Whendoyouneedcitation?
•Youdonotneedcitationforcommonknowledge
–Commonknowledge:informationthatcanbefoundinnumerousplacesandislikely
tobeknownbyalotofpeople
Asphosphorusisakeyelementforplantgrowthandisessentialformanycellfunctions,thecyclingofphosphorusin
thesoilhasbeenstudiedwidely.
•Statementsthatcontaininformationandinterpretationsresultingfromwork
ofothersneedtobecited
Although low concentrations of phosphorus are often a limiting factor in plant growth, excess phosphorus in the soil is
correlated with decreased plant health.
19
References: Need

76. 76
•Knowwhereinarticlereferencesareneeded
•Abstract
–AvoidcitationsinAbstract
•Introduction
–Citemostrelevantreferencesonly
–Donotreviewliterature
–Limittomostrecent,mostimportantororiginal,andmostelegantreferences
–Considercitingreviewarticleswhenpossible
References: Need

77. 77
•Methods
–Citeoriginalreferences(primarysources)
–Includereferencesofmethodsinsteadofrepeatingdetailsofmethods
•Results
–Citationsnotusuallyneeded
–IfshortcomparisonwithpreviousstudiesdoesnotfitsmoothlyinDiscussion,it
maybeincludedinResultssection,andthenneedstobereferenced
•Discussion
–Includereferencestocompare/contrastfindings,studiesthatprovide
explanations,orthosethatgiveyourfindingssomeimportance
References: Need

78. 78
Donotplacereferencesinmiddleofideaoraftergeneralinformationof
study
Inapreviousstudy,
16
baldeagleshavebeenfoundtoincreaseinsizethefurtherawayfrom
theequatorandthetropics.
Inapreviousstudy,baldeagleshavebeenfoundtoincreaseinsizethefurtherawayfromthe
equatorandthetropics.
16
References: Placement

79. 79
Referencesfordifferentpointsinonesentencehavetobecitedafter
appropriatepointratherthangroupingallreferencesatendofsentence
Threedifferenttypesofpostagestampadhesivesexist;oneisgumarabic,thecalciumsaltof
Arabicacid,awater-solubleexudateoftheacaciatree;anotherisdextrins,modifiedstarches
thataremorewatersolublethanthestarchesfromwhichtheywerederived;andthethirdis
polyvinylalcohols,hydrolyzedPVAresinsthatarewatersoluble.
3,4,8
Threedifferenttypesofpostagestampadhesivesexist;oneisgumarabic,thecalciumsaltof
Arabicacid,awater-solubleexudateoftheacaciatree;
3
anotherisdextrins,modifiedstarches
thataremorewatersolublethanthestarchesfromwhichtheywerederived;
4
andthethirdis
polyvinylalcohols,hydrolyzedPVAresinsthatarewatersoluble.
8
References: Placement

80. 80
References: Plagiarism
•Ensure you are not plagiarizing
•Knowhowtoparaphrase
–Changingwordortwoinsomeoneelse’ssentenceorchangingsentencestructure
whileusingoriginalwordsisnotparaphrasingbutplagiarizing
–Paraphrasebyusingyourownwordsto:
oChangesentencestructure
oChangevoice
oVarysentencelength

81. 81
References: Plagiarism
ORIGINAL
Ithasbeencurrentlyrecognizedthatboththetypeandcharacteristicsoftherustlayersformedon
thesteelsurfacesareveryimportantbecausetheycandeterminetheirprotectiveproperties.
AccordingtoarecenttheoreticalmodeldevelopedbyHoerléetal.,
2
thelong-termcorrosionbehavior
ofironexposedtowet–drycyclesislargelycontrolledbythecharacteristicsoftherustlayers.
PARAPHRASEDINCORRECTLY(PLAGIARIZED)
Boththetypeandcharacteristicsoftherustlayersformedonthesteelsurfacesareveryimportant
becausetheydeterminetheirprotectiveproperties.Recently,Hoerléetal.developedatheoretical
model
2
thatthelong-termcorrosionbehaviorofironexposedtowet–drycyclesislargelycontrolled
bythecharacteristicsoftherustlayers.
PARAPHRASEDCORRECTLY
Rustconstituentscandeterminetheperformanceofsteelsandinfluencetheirlifeexpectancy.The
characteristicsoftherustlayerscontrolthelongtermcorrosionbehaviorofironexposedtowet–dry
cycles.
2
Boththetypeandcharacteristicsoftherustlayersformedonthesteelsurfacesareveryimportant
becausetheydeterminetheirprotectiveproperties.
thelong-termcorrosionbehaviorofironexposedtowet–drycyclesislargelycontrolled
bythecharacteristicsoftherustlayers.
typeandcharacteristicsoftherust layersformedonthesteelsurfacesarevery important
determine theirprotective properties

82. 82
•Journals more willing to publish supplementary data with increasing
prevalence of digital publishing
•Main body or supplement?
–Readers need information to understand your story: main body
–Readers don’t need information to understand your story, but some may find
useful for other reasons: supplement
–Readers not likely to find information useful: exclude
Supplementary Data

83. 83
•Common types of supplementary data
–Mathematical derivations/proofs (unless proof itself is main story)
–Methodological details (e.g., procedures, computations, field site locations)
–Extra figures/analyses (if they support point made in paper but not central to
main story)
–Data not reproducible in print (e.g., sound or video recordings)
–Detailed datasets
–Software written for analyses
Supplementary Data

84. 84
Writing Strategies
1.Constructfiguresandtablestoprepareforformulationofsummary
statements
2.Write1–3summarystatements
3.Identifyscientificaudienceandjournalstowhichmanuscriptcanbe
submitted
4.Writematerialsandmethodssectiontosupplementandexplainfigure
legends
5.Eliminatedata,tablesandfiguresthatdonotaddresssummary
statements
After O’Connor & Holmquist(2009)

85. 85
Writing Strategies
6.Writeresultssection
7.Writediscussionsection
8.Listreferences
9.Gobackandwriteintroduction
10.Writeabstract
11.Generatetitlefromsummarystatements
After O’Connor & Holmquist(2009)

86. 86
Writing Strategies
•Preparation
–Clearyourmind
–Ensureyouhaveablockoffreetime(about1–4hours)
–Prepareyourselfmentally
•Drafting
–Useanoutline
–Fleshoutoutline:rabbitsvsturtles
–Maintainmomentum
–Setrealisticgoals
–Endeachsessionbywritingintonextsession

87. 87
Writing Strategies
•Revising
–Beforeyoubegin,stepawayfromdraft
–Changelookofdocumentwhenrevising
–Workthroughlargechunksineachsitting
–Getgoodnight’ssleepbetweeneachrevision
–Solicitcriticismofyourwriting
•Finishing
–Focusoncorrecting,notimproving

88. It’s time for a quiz!
Please go to https://kahoot.itand enter Game PIN as shown

89. 89
Questions?

90. 90
Contact
Need help with your journal manuscripts?
Contact Heok Hee & Enru at [email protected]
Research Office Writing & Editing Team
https://connect.a-star.edu.sg/groups/Nq8dEdQH1BCiJgcvM8SWV0/overview_page/EpzxqK4HRjB0WUML90Wi5A
Let us know if you found
the workshop helpful

91. THANK YOU
www.a-star.edu.sg