英语科技论文写作方法与教程(南开大学)课件.ppt

Scientific writing and presentationProf.Mark BartlamCollege of Life Sciences,Nankai UniversityE-mail:Tel:23502351“A naturalists life would be a happy one if he had only to observe and never to write”Charles Darwin“Clear thinking is the key to clear writing”“清晰的思路是写作的关键”Course aimsHelp you to communicate work more effectively through:publicationspresentationsHelp you to think about and plan research more clearly.Course detailsLanguage:EnglishDuration:18 lectures/9 weeksTeaching assistant:Yingying Wang(王莹莹)About meMark Bartlam博士，男，教授，博导，1995年伦敦帝国理工学院获理学学士学位，1999年，英国牛津大学获博士学位，2000年到清华大学结构生物学实验室进行博士后研究，2003年为清华大学副教授，2007年起为南开大学生命科学学院特聘教授。申请人同时还是外专局认证的海外专家，中科院生物物理所大分子国家重点实验室 客座副教授。About me申请人长期从事与重要病毒及与肿瘤相关蛋白质的结构和功能研究及新药创制等研究工作，参加及主持国家973、863、重大专项和自然科学基金等多项基金项目。在蛋白质表达、晶体生长、结构解析，结构与功能关系研究和以结构为基础的药物分子设计方面积累了丰富的研究经验，得到了大量的科研成果，迄今已在CellNatureEMBO JournalPNASPLoS BiologyNucleic Acids ResearchJournal of Virology等国际著名学术刊物上发表SCI论文90余篇。Course outlineLectures 1+2:Introduction to scientific presentation and writing.Outline and objectives of the course;Introduction to different types of scientific communication(reports,thesis/dissertation,papers,talks,posters,grant applications);Principles of scientific writing and presentation(what information to include.);Ethics,plagiarism and fraud.Course outlineLectures 3-6:Effective writing(I and II).“Clear thinking is the key to clear writing”;Rules of scientific writing;Managing your time effectively;Literature search,review and citation;Refining and proofreading;Common errors to avoid.Course outlineLecture 7+8:How to write a scientific paper.How to plan and layout your paper;Writing a good abstract and introduction;Methods;Results,discussion and conclusions;Authorships and acknowledgments;Getting feedback from others.Course outlineLecture 9+10:How to publish a paper:Choosing the right journal for your paper;Impact factors,immediacy factors and citations;How a scientific journal works;The roles of the editor and referees;Submitting your paper;Peer review:how to respond to referees.Course outlineLecture 11+12:How to present a poster.What is a poster and how do people read them?How to organize your poster;How to write the text for your poster;How to present your data in a poster;Examples of good and bad posters.Course outlineLecture 13+14:How to prepare a scientific talk.How to plan and organize your presentation;How does a scientific talk differ from a paper?How to present your data;How to make your talk exciting;Examples of good and bad presentations.Course outlineLecture 15+16:How to give an effective talk.What makes a good presentation?What to say and how to say it;Defining your audience;Coping with nerves;How to respond to questions.Course outlineLecture 17+18:Course summary.Review of what we have learned;How the course applies to your dissertation and defense;Writing your Masters dissertation;Preparing your Masters defense.Course evaluationAfter lecture 10:write a short review paper on a subject of your interest(MS Word format).After lecture 16:prepare a short Powerpoint presentation on a subject of your interest.Why is scientific writing important?Brings research to completion;Ethical obligation to funding sources;Establish professional reputation;Writing reaches the widest audience;Professional rewards.Why is scientific writing important?“Publish or Perish”“Publish and Flourish”Scientific community uses publications to judge the quality of a scientistWhy is scientific writing important?“Publish or perish”:pressure to publish work constantly to sustain a career in academia;competition for tenure-track faculty increases pressure to publish new work frequently;some pressure necessary to motivate scientists?Popular journalsSpecialized journalsWhat is scientific writing?Reporting of original research in journals;A means for scientists to share research information with one another(review articles,posters,presentations.);A means for scientists to apply for research funding(grant applications,defences.);A means for scientists to share research with the general public(newspapers,magazines,TV,radio.)What is scientific writing?Dilemma:Writing is one of the most important tasks for a scientist(time-consuming,painstaking.)However.Most scientists are poorly trained as writers.Types of scientific writingScientific publications;Scientific reports;Thesis/dissertation;Grant applications;Scientific talks and presentations;Writing in popular media(newspapers,magazines,blogs.).Communication needsReports,Articles,Proposals,Web Pages.Conferences,Lectures,Meetings,Posters.specific technical audiencegeneral technical audiencenon-technicalaudienceThe message determines the mediumA writer should ask 4 questions:What message do I want to convey?What format is most appropriate for my message?Who will be interested in my message?Where should this paper be published?What message do I want to convey?What is my research question?What is(or probably will be)my answer?What format is most appropriate?Scientists receive professional credit for discovering something new.To receive credit,he/she must be first to publish the information“validly”.What is a“valid”publication?First publication of research resultsIn a form where peers can assess observations,evaluate intellectual processes,repeat experiments,test conclusionsAppear in a primary journalJournal is readily available to scientific communityContains specific kinds of information in a certain format.Types of“valid”research papersResearch articlespublication of original research Reviewscollected summary of a particular area or topic(usually other scientists discoveries)Research notes,brief communications,methods papers.Who will be interested in my message?Many scientists believe their work will appeal to far more readers that it will attract.This leads to poor choice of journal.This poor choice can lead to delays,requests for major revision,or outright rejection.Who will be interested in my message?Question 1:So what?What effect will my message have on concepts or practices?Why should readers pay attention to it?Will it lead to widespread changes in the way we view the world?Who will be interested in my message?Question 2:Who cares?Who will be most interested in this information?Will it be specialists in a small field?Most practitioners?The scientific world in general?Who will be interested in my message?Be realistic.Dont get caught up in believing that an audience“needs”to know your information.The more accurately you can target a journal,the better the chances for publication.Where should the paper be published?Refer to indexes(e.g.PubMed)for potential journals.Look at recent issues,check table of contents,find the journals scope and read the Instructions to Authors.Find journals that publish regular papers on topics similar to yours.Preparing to writeChoosing an appropriate journal10,000s of refereed scientific journalsdiffer in many ways:topic coverageformatimpact factorspeed of publication.Preparing to write1What type of journal is it?2Is the topic of my proposed paper within the journals scope?3Is the topic represented in the journal frequently or only rarely?4What is the size and type of the journals audience?5What is the journals rejection rate?6What formats are acceptable to the journal?7How long does the journal take to publish papers?8What is the quality of the photos and graphics?Preparing to writeWhat is an impact factor?A measure of the average citations to articles published in a journal.Why is it important?Many scientists are evaluated on the impact factors of their publications.Comparing journal impact factors can give a quantitative clue of their intellectual influence.Preparing to writeMany scientists would like to aim for prestigious large-circulation journals(Nature,Science.)Critical issue is to match topic,journal and audience.High profile journals have high rejection rates-as much as 90%!Avoid slicing research into smaller papersSome studies justify more than one report.However,cutting research into smaller papers can dilute or weaken the message.When all findings give a single message that can be presented in a normal length paper for the intended journal,they belong together.Other ways to publishConsider presenting a poster at a conference.Consider giving an oral presentation at a conference or lab meeting.Less prestigious,not peer-reviewed.However.Can give useful feedback from scientific colleagues if presented partway through your study.What information to include?What is the problem?Describe the problem investigated.Summarize relevant research to provide context,key terms and concepts.What information to include?Why is it important?Review relevant research to provide rationale.What conflict(s)or unanswered question(s)does your experiments address?What information to include?What solution do you propose?Briefly describe your experiment:hypothesis,research questions;general experimental design or method;justification of method if alternatives exist.Additional tipsMove from general to specific:problem in real world/research literature=your experiment.Preparing to writeSearch and Research:Identify what question(s)to start withConduct a comprehensive literature reviewCompile key background informationChoose a journal so that you have a goal and formatPreparing to writeLiterature reviewNeed to handle a lot of information(notes,photocopies,journal reprints,electronic publications.)Important to keep everything organized,find information easilyChoose the most effective system for YOU.Preparing to write“Mind your Ps and Qs”Ps:print materialDont use print material(photocopies,etc.)as a substitute for taking notesQs:quoted materialAlways write notes in your own wordsIndicate the source of materialPreparing to writeUse different search strategiesMake it easy to find relevant materialWrite the full journal source on any notes/printouts,use bookmarks.Use e-mail to save timeE-mails can be printed,revised,sent back or copied into another computer filePreparing to writeUse the internet wisely:Use bookmarks to keep track of important informationRemember:not all information on the internet is reliable or credibleAvoid temptation to copy directly from other websitesPreparing to writeInformal and formal communication channels“The invisible college”Informal communication between scientists working on similar problems(mailing lists,BBS.)Formal communicationconference presentations,personal journal libraries,electronic journals.Preparing to writeWriters block:Sitting down to write and nothing useful happenA writers worst fear.Preparing to writeAvoiding writers block:Imagine talking to a friend or colleague about your paper-write it down or record it.Remember:a first draft is just a first draft.Preparing to writeUse the“Process Approach”:Break your writing into discrete(separate)stages;Tackle each stage in a systematic and efficient way;Should make the writing process more efficient and more effective.Preparing to writeThe“Process Approach”:Planning,research,organizing information,first draft.Planning,research,organizing information,first draft.PlanningPlanningResearchResearchOrganizing Organizing informationinformationWriting the first Writing the first draftdraftRevise draftRevise draftRewrite draft for Rewrite draft for clarityclarityCondense Condense draftdraftOrganizing a scientific paperCore componentsIntroduction Background/problem Literature review Hypothesis&objectivesMaterials&Methods Experimental design Data collection Statistical analysisResults&Discussion Significant findings Interpretation Relevance&implicationsOrganizing a scientific paperIntroduction:What is the problem being addressed?Why is it important?What have others done to address the problem?What have you done to address the problem and how is it novel?Organizing a scientific paperMaterials&Methods:Which objective is being addressed by each experiment?Are the treatments and experimental design defined clearly?Can the procedures be repeated accurately?How was significance determined,and how are findings presented?Organizing a scientific paperResults&Discussion:What are the findings relevant to each objective?Have all objectives been met?How do the findings support or contradict other work,and why?What are the practical implications and what further work is needed?Ethical issuesEthics refers to choices we make that affect others,for good or bad.Two ethical breaches in science are considered unforgivable:Distorting your own data(fraud);Copying the work of others(plagiarism).Avoid plagiarismIt is unacceptable to:use anothers“intellectual property”without documentation or permission;use too much information from a single source;copy material directly from the internet;use significant material from your earlier paper without a reference.Avoid plagiarismPlagiarism or cheating is taken very seriously by journals.Plagiarism can seriously damage your career and your reputation.Avoid scientific fraudAvoid scientific fraude.g.case of Woo Suk Hwang,2005Avoid scientific fraudMore than 3,000 scientists funded by NIH:1.4%admitted plagiarism;0.3%admitted falsifying data;15%admitted manipulating data to appeal to funding agencies.Source:NIHAvoid scientific fraudAlso known as scientific misconduct.Definition:“Intention(al)distortion of the research process by fabrication of data,text,hypothesis,or methods from another researchers manuscript form or publication;or distortion of the research process in other ways”.The Lancet(1999)354:“Definition of dishonesty”Avoid scientific fraudWhy do scientists commit fraud?Career pressure;Pride;Ability to get away with it;Money;Ideology.Avoid scientific fraudConsequences for science:Misdirection of resources spent studying incorrect findings;Public health implications.Avoid scientific fraudConsequences for researchers:Loss of reputation;Loss of career;Damage to colleagues and university/research institute.Conflict of interestWhen funding source(governmental,company)causes bias in the design,conduct or reporting of research.e.g.,drug company with specific interest in area of research.Conflicts of interest should be declared when publishing research.Ethical issuesRespect your data-and your readersWrite only what you know to be true;Practice humility;Avoid double meanings;Credit others fully and accurately;Avoid self-plagiarism;Ethical issuesIs my document honest and truthful?Is its message acceptable and respectful?Will I take responsibility for what the document says?Does the document violate anyones rights?Have I been careful with confidentiality?Have I considered possible conflicts of interest?Additional tipsKeep an organized lab notebook.Keep a detailed record of all experiments and results as they are collected.include any negative or unexpected results=many discoveries are made by accident.Additional tipsLab notebook serves as a record of all discoveries/theories;Helps to organize laboratory work in one location;Builds skills in scientific record keeping;Makes writing