y o u r s t r a t e g i c p a r t n e r 1 final result: a scientific publication dr. aarne mÄmmelÄ...

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Y o u r s t r a t e g i c p a r t n e r

FINAL RESULT:A Scientific Publication

Dr. AARNE MÄMMELÄResearch Professor (VTT), Docent (HUT)Oulu, Finland 20.11.2001

VTT ELECTRONICSKaitoväylä 1, P.O. Box 1100, FIN-90571 Oulu, Finland

Email: [email protected], http://www. vtt.fi/ele

Tel. 5512111, 5512482 (direct), 040-5762963 (GSM), Fax 5512320

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CONTENTS

1 Introduction2 Make plans for writing3 Different parts of a paper4 Referee (peer review) process guarantees quality

5 ConclusionsReferencesAppendices

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1 Introduction

•motivation for writing scientific papers: – knowledge distribution (to the whole

mankind)– outlining and writing is a research method,

which improves the quality of research • journal papers are our “Olympic Games”

(maturation as a researcher)• improve organization, use clear definitions,

accurate terminology– measure of scientific merit for the

researcher and for the employer

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Phases of research

Review ofliterature

Experiments& discussions

Problem &hypothesis

Paper

Prototype

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Examples•Example problems and hypotheses

– recursive version of the optimal receiver (problem), implementation with the Viterbi algorithm (hypothesis), Forney (1972)

– best combined coding and modulation (problem), trellis-coded modulation (hypothesis), Ungerboeck (1976, 1982)

– best possible codes approaching the Shannon limit (problem), parallel concatenated convolutional codes or turbo codes (hypothesis), Berrou (1993, 1996)

– review paper or book (problem), organization of the review paper or book (hypothesis), for example Qureshi (1982, 1985), Sklar (1983, 1988, 1997, 2001)

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Definitions•Seminar: Any meeting for exhanging information and holding discussions; a group of advanced students undertaking original research under the guidance of a faculty member and meeting regularly.

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Timing of research

S ta n d a rd

R e se a rc h D e v e lo p m e n t

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Timing of a doctoral thesis

1. Proposal2. Courses3. Literature4. Experiments5. Reports6. Papers7. Thesis8. Defence

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Timing of a doctoral thesis1. Proposal- tentative table of contents- publishing plan2. Post-graduate courses (40-45 credits)3. Literature review4. Experiments- plan for the experiments- testing of prototype- final experiments5. Progress reports (initially every half a year)

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Timing of a doctoral thesis6. Papers- conference papers- journal papers7. Thesis manuscript- outlining of table of contents- writing of chapters (comments from the advisor and supervisor)

- review of the thesis (done by two external examiners)

- corrections suggested by examiners8. Public defence- report from the defence (one or two opponents)- acceptance (faculty meeting)

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Is there life after Ph.D.

•advisor of a doctoral student, a seminar leader, instructor of a postgraduate course

•reviewer of a paper or opponent of a doctoral thesis

•review organizer, session chairman

•international project preparation and management

•postdoc stay abroad

•IEEE/ACM journal papers, review papers, books

•leading scientist, docent or adjunct professor, or research professor

•IEEE/ACM Senior Member or IEEE/ACM Fellow

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2 Make plans for writing 1. Make a decision that you will write a paper before you start your project

reserve time for literature reviews and publications in the project plan (do not write only reports)

write the paper during the course of the project

2. Select the main author and the co-authors select those who can give contribution (i.e., solve

engineering problems)

3. Select the journal and acquire its writing instructions

the right journal is found through literature reviews conference paper is a good starting point if you have

no previous experience use also general writing instructions, dictionaries,

grammar books and manuals of style

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2 Make plans for writing 4. Collect the related relevant literature and write the list of references

literature review for the introduction is needed

5. Write an outline of the manuscript include the list of references in the outline outline figures and tables, make a page budget write sections based on the outline make last checking and submit the paper wait for comments from the editor and reviewers

6. Make a revised version according to the comments

after acceptance check the page proof

7. Enjoy seeing your own paper published priority is yours forever!

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2 Make plans for writing

T ex tb o o k s ,rev iew s

Jo u rn a lp ap e rs

C o n fe ren cep ap ers

R ep o rts


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Information for writing

•writing instructions– see list of references– IEEE Transactions, Journals and Letters,

http//www.ieee.org/organizations/pubs/transactions/ information.htm (click “Information for Authors”)

– IEEE Magazines, http//www.ieee.org/organizations/pubs/magazines/ submit.htm (click “Information for Magazine Authors”)

– see also the writing instructions of the journal

dictionaries and vocabularies, grammar books, manuals of style

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Information for writing

best journals are found through literature search

– impact factor and cited half-life measure the quality of journals

– referee practice is required– start from national conference papers, work

towards journal papers through top international conferences

– select your favourite scientific society (e.g., IEEE Communications Society) and its best conferences and journals

how to publish confidential results – request a release date– plan to publish, regardless– omit motivation or applications– omit critical data

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Definitions

•Impact factor: The average number of times recent articles in a specific journal were cited in one year (usually averaged over two preceding years). (Example: Nature 29.491 times in 1999.)

•Cited half-life: The number of journal publication years going back from the current year which account for 50% of the total citations received by the cited journal in the current year. (Example: Nature 6.7 years in 1999.)

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Impact factors and cited half-lifes (JCR, 1999)Engineering, Electrical & Electronic1 Prog Quant Electron 5.357 5.72 P IEEE 3.424 >10.03 IEEE Electr Device L 3.018 5.54 IEEE T Med Imaging 2.984 5.65 IEEE T Image Process 2.695 4.16 IEEE J Sel Top Quant 2.507 3.17 J Microelectromech S 2.500 3.48 IEEE J Quantum Elect 2.281 8.79 IEEE Signal Proc Mag 2.256 3.110 IEEE J Sel Area Comm 2.221 5.6

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Impact factors and cited half-lifes (JCR, 1999)Engineering, Electrical & Electronic (continued)

11 IEEE T Inform Theory 2.009 9.712 IEEE ACM T Network 1.959 4.4---14 IEEE Commun Mag 1.815 3.640 Electron Lett 1.164 4.946 IEEE T Commun 1.058 9.562 IEE P-Optoelectron 0.826 5.4(96) Eur T Telecommun 0.500 4.5101 AEU-Int J Electron C 0.488 5.3133 IEICE T Commun 0.325 4.5148 IEE-P Commun 0.229 6.5

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3 Different parts of a paper •general aim is the reproducibility of experiments

•general “IMRAD” structure of a scientific paper

Introduction– What question or problem was studied?

Methods – How was the problem studied?

Results – What were the findings?

Discussion – What do these findings mean?

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Structure of an IEEE paperTitle and list of authorsAbstractGlossary of symbols (only in some reviews)I. Introduction---Body of the text---V. ConclusionsVI. AcknowledgmentsAppendices ReferencesPhotograph and biography

usually the number of pages, figures and tables is limited

different rules apply for full papers and letters

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Structure of an IEEE paper

Scope

Introduction(motivation,orientation)

Conclusions

READERSHIP(PAST)

FUTURE

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Title and authors of the paper title

– not too general– brief, clear and descriptive– less than ten words

list of authors– at most four or five names recommended– include those who had scientific contribution

(those who solved engineering problems)– the order of the names reflect the

significance of the contribution (first name most important)

– financial support is mentioned in the acknowledgments

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Abstract contents of the abstract

1. What the author has done.2. How it was done (if it is important).3. Principal results (numerically, when possible).4. Significance of the results.

length usually limited to 50-200 words plus a few key words

must be understandable independently: no references to the paper, no obscure abbreviations, include only information mentioned in other parts of the paper

the first sentence establishes the context and scope of the paper

identify important ideas: informative, not merely a list of topics

author’s own contribution must be emphasized

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Introduction

contents of the introduction1. Nature of the problem.2. Background of previous work.3. Purpose and significance of the paper.4. Method by which the problem is

approached.5. Organization of the paper.

show new contribution with a brief literature review

own results are not presented in detail in the introduction

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Body of the text

•organization– make an outline first, treat each topic in one

place only, minimize cross-references to other parts

– study the material and use key words for outlining (a mind map may also be useful)

– define carefully the scope of the text, not too wide nor too narrow

– try to make the organization clear, unified and well balanced, no gaps between sections

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Body of the text

•organization (continued)– use of terms, symbols and abbreviations

must be unified during outlining, do not use synonymous terms, define all symbols, abbreviations and new terms

– make a list of figures and tables, use them sparingly

– define your system model, no silent assumptions allowed

– continue outlining until all the topics are covered and well organized

– based on the outline, write a table of contents (make a clear copy!)

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Body of the text write all sections of the paper

– try to write as final text as possible– make it brief and well organized– write only about what you understand– write a stand-alone document

writing style– all experiments must be reproducible

without oral explanations– use analytical approach– text must be objective, accurate,

argumentative and logical– make it correct, concise and crystal clear– no contradictory claims, no gaps, no

repetitions– good grammar, check spelling and

punctuation

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Body of the text writing style (continued)

avoid long sentences, very short and very long paragraphs or sections

write consistent paragraphs with a link between sentences

do not use italicized, underlined or boldface words do not use short comments in parentheses, use

footnotes sparingly do not use trade names, company names, proprietary

terms do not jump tenses

use present tense when you refer to previously published work

use past tense when you refer to your present results exceptions: “Smith [9] showed---”, “Table 4 shows

that---” use active voice instead of passive voice whenever

possible for example, write “the results indicate” instead of “it

was indicated by the results”)

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Body of the text Expressions preferred

– “like” > “as, for example” tai “as, for instance” tai “such as” or “as” (kuten)

– “so” > “thus”, “consequently”, “then” or “therefore” (siten)

– “different than” > “different from” (erilainen kuin)

– “too” > “also” or “as well as” (myös)– “hopefully” (toiveikkaasti) > “I hope” or “we

hope” (toivottavasti)– “s/he” > “he or she” (or use a plural form)– avoid “kind of” and “sort of” – avoid redundant expressions, verbosity,

rhetorical questions, clusters of nouns– avoid colloquial expressions such as “isn’t”

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Body of the text Equations

– in-text equations (no numbering) and displayed equations (numbers in parentheses near the left margin)

– refer to equations by using numbers, for example “--in (1)--”, in the beginning of sentence “Equation (3)--- ”

– equations must be a natural part of a sentence with appropriate punctuation and spacing

– prefer generally accepted symbols– superscripts and subscripts two points smaller than

ordinary text (for example 12 points vs. 10 points)– use only one-letter symbols for scalars, vectors and

matrices– one-letter symbols for scalars, functions and

operators are italicized in the text, equations, figures and tables, for example Q(x) and E(X)

– text, numbers, parentheses, signs, other functions and operators up-right, for example 1 - cos2(x) = sin2(x) or Var(X) or Xav

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Body of the text Equations (continued)

– vectors and matrices in up-right bold letters •use column vectors with small letters, e.g. y•use capital letters for matrices, e.g. H

– use letters i, j, k, l, m, n for integers (use of capital letters: for example m = 0, 1, ..., M - 1)

– Greek letters often used for angles– use similar letters for similar things, for

example Fourier transform of x(t) is X(f)– all symbols must be defined first time they

occur, for example: “It is easy to show that

v = (1/2) a t 2 (2)where v is the velocity, a is the acceleration and t is the time.”

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Body of the text Abbreviations

– explain all abbreviations first time they occur, for example “signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)”, explain them separately in the abstract

Figures, tables and appendices– refer to figures and tables with numbers,

e.g. Fig. 1, Table I, Appendix I– figure captions below the figure, table

captions above the table (in a manuscript a separate list provided)

– captions should be self-explanatory, not merely labels

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Body of the text•use of commas (“,”) in English

– a pause inside a sentence shown– separate items in a list– separate nonrestrictive or inessential words or

phrases

•independent main clauses are separated by commas

•no comma is used if a subordinate clause follows a main clause

– for a restrictive or essential relative clause no comma is used

– clause starting with “that” is always restrictive– clause starting with “who” or “which” can be

restrictive (preferred) or nonrestrictive

•if a main clause follows a subordinate clause, a comma is used

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Body of the textA space between a quantity and unit of measure

– usually a space is needed•12 V, 35 mm, 7 h, 26 mm x 45 mm

– exceptions•23%, 9', 3", 30°, 36°30' N, $325, £123

– special cases•DM 45 and 30 °C or 30°C

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Conclusions and acknowledgments Contents of conclusions

1. What is shown by this work and its significance.

2. Limitations and advantages. 3. Applications of the results.4. Recommendations for further work.

Acknowledgments– financial support (contracts, grants) should be

mentioned– mention people who had some contribution,

but not enough to make them co-authors

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References•numbered, usually in the order of appearance (alphabetical order if the list is long)

•refer to references by using numbers in square brackets, for example “in [1]”

•original landmark journal papers preferred (textbooks and review papers can also be used)

•the reader must know what was cited and what is author’s own contribution

•give enough information so that the references can be easily located

•references should be scientific (refereed), do not refer to unpublished reports, personal communication or www addresses

•use the same format in all references (order of information, punctuation, use of capital letters), do not use your own abbreviations

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Photograph and biography•only in full papers•typically 100-150 words•give date and place of birth, degrees attained, important educational visits, earlier employers, present position, memberships of scientific societies, main research interests

– “tutkija” is research scientist or research engineer

– “diplomi-insinööri” is Master of Science in Engineering, M.Sc. (Eng)

– “tekniikan lisensiaatti” is Licentiate in Technology, Lic.Tech., but this degree is unknown in most other countries

– “tekniikan tohtori” is Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D.

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Last checkings before submission use double-spacing, typ. max. 10-30 pages, ample margins (2.5 cm)

– give address information– fill in the copyright form

check spelling and all reference, figure, table and appendix numbers

– use spelling and find/replace tools – use British or American English– ask a colleague to read the manuscript critically

submit the manuscript to the editor-in-chief– keep an electronic and paper copy of the

manuscript

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Revisions and paper proofs the reviewers fill in a paper review form that will be sent to the author with additional comments

follow strictly the orders of the reviewers– write a letter where you answer each of their

comments– make also corrections implied by the

suggestions of the reviewers (use replace tool) no additions allowed in the page proof

– only typographical errors corrected a complimentary copy received after acceptance

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4 Referee (peer review) process guarantees quality•requirements for a journal paper

– original contribution– significance– value to potential audience

•originality: original results, methods, observations, concepts, synthesis of or new insights into previously reported research

•final decision concerning publication of the manuscript is made by the editor with the help of reviewers (referees)

– often the editor makes a majority decision, but not always

•in conferences editor is replaced by a program committee

– the referees give grades and the total grade must be larger than a certain minimum

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Referee process

Literature (knowledge)

Researchers

Peer review

Editor

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Referee process

M an u sc rip t

A u th o r

E d ito r- in -C h ie f

E d ito r

R ev iew ers

M an u sc rip t

M an u sc rip t R ev iew ers ' rep o rts

A ccep t/co rrec t/re jec t

C o rrec tio n s

A ccep t/re jec t

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Instructions to reviewers •Does the paper represent a technical contribution and, if so, what?

•Is the paper well written? If not, how can it be improved?

•Is the paper appropriately organized? If not, how can it be reorganized?

•Can the paper be shortened without diminishing the quality of the paper or its results? If so, how?

•Is it necessary that the paper be expanded? If so, where and how?

•If the paper is not publishable in its current form, can it be modified to make so? How?

•Does the abstract give a clear summary of the results of the paper?

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Evaluation •do not identify yourself in the review •consider quality, originality, analysis,

development, unity and conciseness • information which is new and valuable at the

present time and sufficient reference value to merit publication

•material will be made widely and permanently available to practicing engineers and researchers

• feel free to consult with other

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Review summary form

• PAPER NUMBER: ---• TITLE: ---• AUTHORS: ---• REVIEWER: ---• REVIEW DUE DATE: --- (max. 6 weeks)• SUMMARY:

[ ] Accept as is (my reasons are attached).[ ] Accept with attached suggested changes.[ ] Accept with attached mandatory changes.[ ] Reject (my reasons are attached).

• CLASSIFY AS:[ ] Transactions Paper.[ ] Transactions Letter.[ ] Paper is Rejected.

• Do you feel this paper should be considered for an IEEE Award?

[ ] Yes[ ] No

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Reviewing conference papers •Example paper evaluation sheet (0 = Worst, 5 = Best)

1. Content2. Relevance3. Originality4. Clarity5. Overall qualityComments to the authorComments to the selection committee

•a score of 2.5/5 is considered average•a total mark of 17.5/25 (3.5/5) or better to be accepted for presentation (Note. Such a high requirement only for best conferences.)

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5 Conclusions in research new scientific knowledge is discovered

a good researcher is a good author and a good debater (discussions create most research ideas)

in addition to researchers, quality of research depends on the research organization and its culture (ideas generated more easily in seminars, etc.)

cultural changes are often slow

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Conclusions

Review ofliterature

Experiments& discussions

Problem &hypothesis

Paper

Prototype

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Literature review

D ig ita l lib ra rie s

A b strac ts d a tab ases

C ita tio n in d ices

B ib lio g rap h ies

IE E E X p lo re /IE LA C M D ig ita l L ib ra ry

IN S P E CC O M P E N D E X

S C I

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Literature review and writing


Jo u rn a lp ap e rs

C o n fe ren cep ap ers

R ep o rts


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Experiments (research methods)

AnalysisAnalysis

Simulation

Prototype

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Summary of research trade-offs

Encouragement

Criticism

History &roadmaps

Concentration

Creativity

Systematicwork

Flexibility

History &roadmaps

Experiments

Discussion

History &roadmaps

Details

Systems

History &roadmaps

Analysis

Synthesis

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Big issues guiding our work

History &roadmaps

Fundamentallimits

Systemsengineering

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References •M. Davis, Scientific papers and presentations. Academic Press, Inc., San Diego, 1997.

•R. A. Day, How to write and publish a scientific paper. 5th ed. Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ, 1998.

•H. B. Michaelson, How to write and publish engineering papers and reports. 3rd ed. Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ, 1990.

•A. J. Smith, “The task of a referee,” Computer, vol. 23, no. 4, 1990, pp. 65-71.

•The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th ed. University of Chicago Press, London, 1993.

•1999 Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Science Edition. Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2000.

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References •A. Mämmelä, H. Kopola, P. Kuivalainen & M. Mäkäräinen, Ohjeita tieteellisten julkaisujen kirjoittajille [Instructions for authors of scientific publications, in Finnish], VTT Electronics, 1998. 17 pp.

•A. Mämmelä, How to write journal papers and other publications, VTT Electronics, 1998. 10 pp.

•For more information at VTT, see Eleinfo - Aakkosellinen hakemisto - Julkaisukurssi (in English)

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