dr sue watts [email protected] 604.822.6316 january 7, 2014
TRANSCRIPT
What is your experience in writing? What stage of your program are you at? Have you written a thesis before? Have you written a paper before? Are you planning to write manuscript(s)
as part of your thesis? What are your expectations of this
course?
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Do you know what your supervisor has published and where?
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Jan 7 – Introduction to course
Jan 14 & 21 –Library online workshops
Jan 28 – Ground plan for writing
Feb 4 – Titles, authors, copyright,
abstracts
Feb 11 – Introduction, hypotheses
Feb 18 – Mid-term break (no class)10
Feb 25 – Methods & results I (tables)
Mar 4 – Results II (figures & statistics)
Mar 11 – Discussion & references
Mar 18 & 25 – Improving style
Apr 1 – Thesis writing for UBC
Apr 8 – TBA
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1. Identifying & comparing journals2. Writing an abstract3. Introducing your research proposal4. Improving your writing style
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?The orderly collection of observations about the natural world
Modern science is now an archive of published data
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You can all think like scientistsThere is a direct link between thinking & writing
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LogicWrite Think
How does it differ from other types of writing?
Scientific writing is almost the opposite of descriptive writing. It must INFORM and PERSUADE
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1.Always has a clarity of direction2.Always concise3.Always accurate
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Poor writing will not be published by a reputable journal
Your work may be disregarded if in a journal of low rank
If your paper is difficult to understand it may be ignored
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Research proposal, grant application, progress report, poster, thesis, journal article…..
UBC encourages manuscripts as components of your thesis
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A good writer is like a well mannered person
You must know your audience and aim for the most rapid and comfortable communication with that audience in mind
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Practice at every opportunity Read papers from reputable journals Present a poster whenever you can Give a talk Discuss publications with your supervisor Offer to review the work of your peers
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Logical (clear) Precise (correct) Brief (concise)
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Logical (clear) Clarity of direction No weak sentences, ambiguity or
needless complexity Entire paper should point towards
conclusion
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Precise (correct) Never fabricate data Recipes must be complete (data must
be correct)
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Brief (concise)Rid sentences of “fat phrases” and abstract nouns
“At this point in time” = now“Utilize” = use“Facilitate” = make
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If you do research it must be available to others
If no one can read about it, it does not count!
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“Publish or perish” for academics
Today a long publication list is needed if you want to become an academic. Not so when Watson & Crick published on structure of DNA Why?
LPU common term today26
You must be confident that the outcomes of your study are:
NewTrue Meaningful
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Must be:1. First publication of results2. In a form that peers could test results3. In a primary journal – readily available4. Organized in a stylized manner
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Being organized is the foundation of this course
Start with question (hypothesis)Provide evidence to support your answersPersuade readers of your choice of answers
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Consider the questions “so what?” and “who cares?”
Where you publish is almost as important as what you have to sayConverselyWhere you publish is determined by what you have to say
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Pick the right medium
An article in the “wrong” journal will not be
read
An inappropriate article for a particular
journal will be rejected if it is not in that
journal’s specific area
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1. Is your topic within the journal’s scope?2. What is size and type of audience?3. What is journal’s rejection rate?4. How long does journal take to publish?5. What is quality of graphic reproductions?6. Are there page charges or processing
fees?7. Is the journal available online?
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Consider the ranking of a journal
There are many thousands of journals
A range of indices such as impact factor, immediacy index, cited half life and circulation are used to assess journal quality
Web of Science includes almost 6,000 journals
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Due after your 2 computer labs
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Identify and compare the journals in your area
This is a writing assignment - no tables or lists
Due date: January 28, 2014Wolf [email protected]
http://suewatts.forestry.ubc.ca/frst-545/