Scientific writing
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientific writing
- How to communicate science to the academic community
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientists need to communicate in many different situations
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientists need to communicate in many different situations
Written• Reports• Applications• Statements• Newspaper
articles• Scientific
literature
Oral• Meetings• Lectures• Conferences• Interviews• Debates
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientists need to communicate in many different situations
Written• Reports• Applications• Statements• Newspaper
articles• Scientific
literature
Oral• Meetings• Lectures• Conferences• Interviews• Debates
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientists need to communicate in many different situations
Written• Reports• Applications• Statements• Newspaper
articles• Scientific
literature
Oral• Meetings• Lectures• Conferences• Interviews• Debates
Who is the audience?- Peers, teachers, your family, the public,
experts in the field or those with no prior knowledge?
What is the purpose?- Inform, Explain, Persuade
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientists need to communicate in many different situations
Written• Reports• Applications• Statements• Newspaper
articles
• Scientific literature
Oral• Meetings• Lectures• Conferences• Interviews• Debates
Who is the audience?- Peers, teachers, your family, the public,
experts in the field or those with no prior knowledge?
What is the purpose?- Inform, Explain, Persuade
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Different kinds of scientific literature
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Different kinds of scientific literature
• Textbooks
• Scientific papers• Review papers
• Conference proceedings– Abstracts– Invited papers
• Anyone can publish a textbook!!!
• Peer review process• Summarises published
literature, can be biased, not always peer reviewed
• Submitted abstracts often undergo a ”peer revier light” while invited papers often are not reviewed
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Different kinds of scientific literature
• Textbooks
• Scientific papers• Review papers
• Conference proceedings– Abstracts– Invited papers
• Who decides the content of a textbook?
• Peer review process• Summarises published
literature, can be biased, not always peer reviewed
• Submitted abstracts often undergo a ”peer revier light” while invited papers often are not reviewed
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Different kinds of scientific literature
• Textbooks
• Scientific papers• Review papers
• Conference proceedings– Abstracts– Invited papers
• Anyone can publish a textbook!!!
• Peer review process• Summarises published
literature, can be biased, not always peer reviewed
• Submitted abstracts often undergo a ”peer revier light” while invited papers often are not reviewed
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Different kinds of scientific literature
• Textbooks
• Scientific papers• Review papers
• Conference proceedings– Abstracts– Invited papers
• Anyone can publish a textbook!!!
• Peer review process• Summarises published
literature, can be biased, not always peer reviewed
• Submitted abstracts often undergo a ”peer revier light” while invited papers often are not reviewed
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Putting together a scientific paper
1. Propose the research and find funding
2. Carry out the research and analyse the data
3. Consider possible target journals
4. Obtain the journal’s instructions to authors
5. Draft the paper6. Revise, get feedback and revise again7. Submit to the journal8. Initial screening of scope and
relevance – rejected?10. Peer reveiw process – rejected?11. Revision12. Editing by the journal13. Preparing proofs14. Publication15. CELEBRATION!!!Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Putting together a scientific paper
1. Propose the research and find funding
2. Carry out the research and analyse the data
3. Consider possible target journals
4. Obtain the journal’s instructions to authors
5. Draft the paper6. Revise, get feedback and revise again7. Submit to the journal8. Initial screening of scope and
relevance – rejected?10. Peer reveiw process – rejected?11. Revision12. Editing by the journal13. Preparing proofs14. Publication15. CELEBRATION!!!Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Putting together a scientific paper
1. Propose the research and find funding
2. Carry out the research and analyse the data
3. Consider possible target journals
4. Obtain the journal’s instructions to authors
5. Draft the paper6. Revise, get feedback and revise again7. Submit to the journal8. Initial screening of scope and
relevance – rejected?10. Peer reveiw process – rejected?11. Revision12. Editing by the journal13. Preparing proofs14. Publication15. CELEBRATION!!!Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Putting together a scientific paper
1. Propose the research and find funding
2. Carry out the research and analyse the data
3. Consider possible target journals
4. Obtain the journal’s instructions to authors
5. Draft the paper6. Revise, get feedback and revise again7. Submit to the journal8. Initial screening of scope and
relevance – rejected?10. Peer reveiw process – rejected?11. Revision12. Editing by the journal13. Preparing proofs14. Publication15. CELEBRATION!!!Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Putting together a scientific paper
1. Propose the research and find funding
2. Carry out the research and analyse the data
3. Consider possible target journals
4. Obtain the journal’s instructions to authors
5. Draft the paper6. Revise, get feedback and revise again7. Submit to the journal8. Initial screening of scope and
relevance – rejected?10. Peer reveiw process – rejected?11. Revision12. Editing by the journal13. Preparing proofs14. Publication15. CELEBRATION!!!Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
IMRADTitleAuthorsAbstract =the short version
Introduction Why is the field important and what was your research question?
Methods How did you investigate it?Results What did you find?AndDiscussion What does it mean?
AcknowledgementsList of references Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
IMRADTitleAuthorsAbstract =the short version
Introduction Why is the field important and what was your research question?
Methods How did you investigate it?Results What did you find?AndDiscussion What does it mean?
AcknowledgementsList of references Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Instructions to authors
• Specific for each scientific journal
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Putting together a scientific paper
1. Propose the research and find funding
2. Carry out the research and analyse the data
3. Consider possible target journals
4. Obtain the journal’s instructions to authors
5. Draft the paper6. Revise, get feedback and revise again7. Submit to the journal8. Initial screening of scope and
relevance – rejected?10. Peer reveiw process – rejected?11. Revision – rejected?12. Editing by the journal13. Preparing proofs14. Publication15. CELEBRATION!!!Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Different kinds of literature
• Textbooks
• Scientific papers• Review papers
• Conference proceedings– Abstracts– Invited papers
• Anyone can publish a textbook!!!
• Peer review process• Summarises published
literature, can be biased, not always peer reviewed
• Submitted abstracts often undergo a ”peer revier light” while invited papers often are not reviewed
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Different kinds of literature
• Textbooks
• Scientific papers• Review papers
• Conference proceedings– Abstracts– Invited papers
• Anyone can publish a textbook!!!
• Peer review process• Summarises published
literature, can be biased, not always peer reviewed
• Submitted abstracts often undergo a ”peer revier light” while invited papers often are not reviewed
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Meta-analysis!
Different kinds of literature
• Textbooks
• Scientific papers• Review papers
• Conference proceedings– Abstracts– Invited papers
• Anyone can publish a textbook!!!
• Peer review process• Summarises published
literature, can be biased, not always peer reviewed
• Submitted abstracts often undergo a ”peer revier light” while invited papers often are not reviewed
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Using the work of others in your text
• Find the most appropriate literature
• Always refer to the right author.
• Do Not Plagiarize!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
• Search literature in scientific databases
- PubMed- Web of Science
• Evaulate what you find- is it useful to you?- is it good science?- is it the original work?
• Summarize in your own words
Using the work of others in your text
• Find the most appropriate literature
• Always refer to the right author.
• Do Not Plagiarize!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
• General statements can be referred to reviews (and maybe textbooks)
• Details like a specific value should be referred to the original work
• References in the text and in the list of references
Using the work of others in your text
References in the text• Author’s last name and the year of
publicatíon. If > 2 authors, only name the first author et al.
• Chronological order• After the information
Example from Collier et al., 2012:“The MECs in ruminants do not regress to the same extent as occurs in rodent mammary glands, and apparently some synthetic and secretory activity of these cells are maintained throughout the dry period (Holst et al., 1987; Sordillo, 1987; Sordillo and Nickerson, 1988).” iarize!
List of references• Alphabetical order• Follow instructions!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Using the work of others in your text
References in the text• Author’s last name and the year of
publicatíon. If > 2 authors, only name the first author et al.
• Chronological order• After the information
Example from Collier et al., 2012:“The MECs in ruminants do not regress to the same extent as occurs in rodent mammary glands, and apparently some synthetic and secretory activity of these cells are maintained throughout the dry period (Holst et al., 1987; Sordillo, 1987; Sordillo and Nickerson, 1988).” iarize!
List of references• Alphabetical order• Follow instructions!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Using the work of others in your text
References in the text• Author’s last name and the year of
publicatíon. If > 2 authors, only name the first author et al.
• Chronological order• After the information
Example from Collier et al., 2012:“The MECs in ruminants do not regress to the same extent as occurs in rodent mammary glands, and apparently some synthetic and secretory activity of these cells are maintained throughout the dry period (Holst et al., 1987; Sordillo, 1987; Sordillo and Nickerson, 1988).” iarize!
List of references• Alphabetical order• Follow instructions!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Using the work of others in your text
• Find the most appropriate literature
• Always refer to the right author.
• Do Not Plagiarize!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
• General statements can be referred to reviews (and maybe textbooks)
• Details like a specific value should be referred to the original work
• References in the text and in the list of references
Using the work of others in your text
• Find the most appropriate literature
• Always refer to the right author.
• Do Not Plagiarise!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Using the work of others in your text
• Find the most appropriate literature
• Always refer to the right author.
• Do Not Plagiarise!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
• Plagiarism does not forward your academic career and can lead to diciplinary consequences such as suspension from studies
Using the work of others in your text
• Find the most appropriate literature
• Always refer to the right author.
• Do Not Plagiarise!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
• Plagiarism does not forward your academic career and can lead to diciplinary consequences such as suspension from studies
Examples of plagiarism
• Copying of text – quotations should be clearly marked• Using someone else’s ideas or theories without referring to
the original author• Using someone else’s layout/organisation of text• Using facts or conclusions from someone without referring to
them
The worst and most obvious form of plagiarism is to copy text without referring to the original author, but copying one or two sentences can also be plagiarism, even if you do give the reference, if you copy the exact text.
How to avoid accidental plagiarism:• Write your text with your own words and support all facts with
references.• Do not copy text, not even as a note to yourself while gathering
information because if you do that it is a high risk that the copied text remains in your work. Always re-write with your own words!
• If you want to use the exact words of someone else (for example a definition of a term) you show that by use of quotation marks with this kind of construction:
There is no clear definition of what a species is. Darwin (1859) said: “No one definition has satisfied all naturalists; yet every naturalist knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a species.”
It is never correct to cite a long text section but one or two sentences, like in the example above can be OK.• Do not copy the layout of a text.
Using the work of others in your text
• Find the most appropriate literature
• Always refer to the right author.
• Do Not Plagiarize!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
• Plagiarism can lead to diciplinary consequences such as suspension from studies
• Universities use software to check for plagiarism and will find plagiarised text.
Using the work of others in your text
• Find the most appropriate literature
• Always refer to the right author.
• Do Not Plagiarize!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
• Plagiarism can lead to diciplinary consequences such as suspension from studies
• Universities use software to check for plagiarism and will find plagiarised text.
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
The scientific writing process
• Getting in the mood
• Writing the first draft
• Getting feedback and revise, revise, revise
• Finish!
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientific writing differs from other kinds of writing
A scientific paper first and foremost has to be:
- Correct- Clear- Consice
- Novel and up to date
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientific writing differs from other kinds of writing
A scientific paper first and foremost has to be:
- Correct- Clear- Consice
- Novel and up to date
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientific writing differs from other kinds of writing
A scientific paper first and foremost has to be:
- Correct- Clear- Consice
- Novel and up to date
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientific writing differs from other kinds of writing
A scientific paper first and foremost has to be:
- Correct- Clear- Consice
- Novel and up to date
This is much more important than varied, exciting, unexpected,
imaginative, poetic and other things we value in imaginative literature.
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Scientific writing differs from other kinds of writing
A scientific paper first and foremost has to be:
- Correct- Clear- Consice
- Novel and up to date
This is much more important than varied, exciting, unexpected,
imaginative, poetic and other things we value in imaginative literature.
Therefore, use short words, short sentences, avoid long convoluted expressions and metaphors.
Also, use ”increased” or ”decreased” instead of ”changed”, ”larger” or ”smaller” instead of ”different” and so on.
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Ways to improve your writing
• Read a lot of scientific literature.• Choose good models!• Do not work alone!• Outline before you write the text.• Improve your language skills.
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Ways to improve your writing
• Read a lot of scientific literature.• Choose good models!• Do not work alone!• Outline before you write the text.• Improve your language skills.
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Ways to improve your writing
• Read a lot of scientific literature.• Choose good models!• Do not work alone!• Outline before you write the text.• Improve your language skills.
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Ways to improve your writing
• Read a lot of scientific literature.• Choose good models!• Do not work alone!• Outline before you write the text.• Improve your language skills.
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Ways to improve your writing
• Read a lot of scientific literature.• Choose good models!• Do not work alone!• Outline before you write the text.• Improve your language skills.
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013
Ways to improve your writing
• Read a lot of scientific literature.• Choose good models!• Do not work alone!• Outline before you write the text.• Improve your language skills.
Sigrid Agenäs Aug 16th 2013