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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

[交流] 2-Hour Lecture on Scientific Writing

by Dr R Q Zheng


Peking University

November 2002

Today, I am going to talk about Scientific Writing, as Gaoyuan and I discussed earlier.  However, Scientific Writing is such a big issue, that we certainly can not finish it within one or two classes, or even within a semester.  Upon my understanding, almost every university in the United States will offer courses related to technical writings during undergraduate education.  Although I myself received my Ph.D. degree in America, I had not taken such classes.  So what I am going to teach today is mostly based on my experience in writing papers and dissertation, and on some of my readings.  I will only introduce some basic ideas, give you some simple examples, and provide a general guide.  Well, I wish after this time, you would start to pay attention to writing once you get chance to read, to write or even to listen to.

I know, many of you will continue your education after the 4-years’ undergraduate life.  Students who want to get a master or Ph.D. degree, for example, at Peking University will be required to publish your research results.  Even if this is not the case, you can not avoid writing in your future work.  Because you are studying chemistry, today I will mostly introduce ACS style in technical writing, where ACS is the abbreviation of American Chemical Society.
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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

1)
Concerning the writing of a scientific paper, specific guideline for text length, preparation of figures and tables, and instructions on how to submit your paper differ from journal to journal and publisher to publisher. For ACS journals and special publications, read the Guide, Notes, Notices, or Instructions for Authors that appear in each publication’s first issue of the year and on the World Wide Web at http://pubs.acs.org.

Writing a Scientific Paper
Guide, Notes, Notices, or Instructions for Authors
http://pubs.acs.org
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2楼2007-10-28 00:56:47
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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

2)
Although there is no fixed set of “writing rules” to be followed like a cook book recipe or an experimental procedure, some guidelines can be helpful. Let’s start by answering some questions:
What is the function or purpose of this paper?
----Are you describing original research results?
----Are you reviewing the literature?
----Something else?

        How is your work different from that described in other reports on the same subject? Unless you are writing a review, be sure that your paper will make an original contribution. Some publishers, including ACS, do not publish previously published material.

        What is the best place for this paper to be published?
        Who is the audience?

Answering these questions will clarify your goals and thus make it easier for you to write the paper.
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3楼2007-10-28 00:59:39
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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

3)
Standard Format
        Here shows an example of standard format when you organize your material into a paper.  In the section of Introduction or Background, you may introduce why you choose your research topic, what have been done by others in this field; then comes with experimental details or theoretical basis, where you introduce how to do your experiments or how to calculate in your study; followed by results and discussion, which are the main body of the paper; Finally, go to conclusions.

This format has become standard because it is suitable for most reports of original research.  It is basically logical, and it is easy to use.  More importantly, it parallels the scientific method of deductive reasoning: define the problem, create a hypothesis, devise an experiment to test the hypothesis, conduct the experiment, and draw conclusions.  Furthermore, this format enables readers to understand quickly what is being presented and to find scientific information easily.
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4楼2007-10-28 01:02:51
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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

4)
Components of a Paper
Let’s go more details of this format.  This transparency shows the components of a paper.
Title:
The title must be briefly and grammatically correct but accurate and complete enough to stay alone.  1) A two- or three-word title may be too short, but a 14- or 15-world title is unnecessarily long.  2) Avoid phrases such as “on the”, “a sudy of”, “research on”, “report on”, “regarding”, and “use of”.  3) In most cases, omit “the” at the beginning of the title.  4) Spell out all terms in title, and avoid symbols, formulas, and abbreviations.  5) Serious titles are of little value. Some publishers do not permit them at all.  6) If you can not create a title that is short, consider breaking it into title and subtitle.
Byline and Affiliation
Byline:  1) Include in the byline all those, and only those, who made substantial contributions to the work, even if the paper was actually written by only one person.  2) Use your first name, initial, and surname of each author as requested by publications.  Many ACS publications request at least one full given name for each author, rather than only initials.  3) Do not include professional, religious, or official titles or academic degrees.  

Affiliation:  Affiliation is the institution at which the work was conducted. If there is more than one author, use an asterisk or superscript to indicate the author to whom correspondence should be addressed.  This person is usually your boss, and he is fully responsible for the paper.  For example, he will submit the paper, write to editors, answer the questions raised by reviewers, and revise the paper as suggested.
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5楼2007-10-28 01:05:34
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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

5)
Abstract:  Most publications require an informative abstract for every paper, even if they do not publish abstracts. For a research paper, briefly state the problem or the purpose of the research, indicate the theoretical or experimental plan used, summarize the principal findings, and point out major conclusions.  The abstract allows a reader to determine the nature and scope of the paper, and helps editors identify key features for indexing.  Some tips: 1) The optimal length is one paragraph, and between 80 and 200 words is usually adequate.  2) Do not cite references, tables, figures in the abstract. Do not include equations, schemes, or structures that require display on a line separate from the text.  3) Use abbreviations only when it is necessary.  Define abbreviation in the abstract (and again at first use in the text).

Introductions:  A good introduction is a clear statement of the problem or project and the reasons that you are studying it. The body of the introduction part usually contains the following contents:  1) to give a concise and appropriate background discussion of the problem and also the significance, scope and limits of your work;  2) to outline precious work by citing pertinent literature;  3) to state how your work differs from or is related to work previously published, and the continuity from the pervious work to yours.
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6楼2007-10-28 01:06:29
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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

6)
Experimental Details or Theoretical Basis:
This section may own different names such as “experimental methods”, “experimental section”, or “materials and methods”, and “theoretical calculations”, depending on specific journals or publications.  In this section, you need to give sufficient details about your materials and methods so that others can repeat your work and obtain comparable results.

What we usually do in this part is outlined here:
1)        Identify the materials used, but do not reference standard lab reagents;
2)        Give the chemical names of all compounds and the chemical formulas of compounds that are new and uncommon;
3)        Describe apparatus only if it is not standard or not commercially available;
4)        Describe the procedures used, unless they are established and standard;
5)        Note and emphasize any hazards, and include precautionary handling details and safety measurements;
6)        In theoretical reports, include all background data, equations, and formulas necessary to the arguments, but not lengthy derivations, which may be presented as Supporting Information.
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7楼2007-10-28 01:07:40
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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

7)
Results and Discussion
Results and Discussion can be presented either as two separate sections or as one combined section. In the section of Results, you need to summarize the data collected. If necessary, include equations, figures, and tables for clarity and brevity.
        The purpose of the discussion is to interpret and compare the results. In this section, you need to relate your results to your original purpose in undertaking the project: Have you resolved the problem? What exactly have you contributed? You may also suggest further study in this section. Usually, Results and Discussion are the most important components of a paper.
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8楼2007-10-28 01:10:11
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至尊木虫 (著名写手)

8)
Conclusions and Summary
The purpose of the conclusion is to put the interpretation into the context of the original problem. Do not repeat discussion points or include irrelevant material. And your conclusions should be based on the evidence presented.
        The function of summary is similar to that of conclusions. A summary is unnecessary in most papers. However, in long papers, a summary of the main points can be helpful. Keep in mind that a summary should be short.
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9楼2007-10-28 01:11:22
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cosn

至尊木虫 (著名写手)

9)
Acknowledgments
        Generally, the last paragraph of the paper is the place to acknowledge people, organizations, and financing. Do it as simple as possible. It is important to follow the journal’s guidelines on what to include in the Acknowledgments section.

References
        In ACS books and most journals, the style and content of referenced are standard. So, you need to follow the reference style. The best way is to check the journal you like to publish your paper.

Special Sections and Supporting Information
        Special Sections and Supporting Information are not required sections in many journals. However, if you have large tables, extensive figures, lengthy experimental procedures, mathematical derivations, analytical and spectral characterization data and so on, you may include these in the section of Supporting information.
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10楼2007-10-28 01:12:59
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