Post on 20-Dec-2015
Scientific Writing
Jan GustafssonIDE, Mälardalen University
April 16, 2007
Scientific Papers
● Journals New results Surveys
● Workshop/Conference Papers● Dissertations/Thesis● Technical Reports● Popular Science Publications
Purpose of Writing
● Purpose To describe interesting knowledge in an
understandable way. To get published… Must describe previously unpublished work (unless
survey paper).
Important
● It is not enough to write so that the reader can understand; You should write so that the reader cannot misunderstand!
● You can learn a lot from studying other people’s work, but ... never, ever, claim somebody else’s work as your own.
The reader should be
● intrigued within the first 5 minutes of reading;● excited within 15 minutes;● satisfied after 45 minutes.
A survey paper
● Who is going to read this?● What is the problem area?● Which methods did people use?● What are the most relevant contributions?● Are there remaining unsolved questions?
Contents of a paper
● Title and author(s)● Abstract● Introduction
Background information Problem definition
● Method● Results● Summary and Conclusions● References
What Does People Read?
● Abstract 87%● Introduction 43%● Middle 12%● Summary and Conclusions 55%
Title
● Must be informative, clear, and meaningful.● Don’t be clever or cryptic.● Get the attention of your readers immediately.
Bad: The effects of stress Good: Is stress killing you? Or: Stress: Is it killing you?
● Don’t use abbreviations in titles.
Abstract
● Summarizes problem, result, and uses.● Between 100 and 250 words.● Avoid references and acronyms.● Try to “sell” the paper!
Introduction
● Explains the background/significance of the paper.● A concise statement of the problem you are solving, and
why it is useful to solve the problem● The opening paragraph should be your best paragraph.● The opening sentence should be your best sentence.
Bad: An important method for internal sorting is quicksort.
Good: Quicksort is an important method for internal sorting, because …
● Ended by a a summary of the organization of the paper.
Method
● Tests, procedures, methods, experiments, processes, equipment, data structures, algorithms, etc.
● Proofs for algorithms Termination Correctness (soundness, completeness) etc.
● Don’t describe dead ends.
Results
● (Convincing) examples● Benchmarks● Time/space complexity.
Summary and Conclusions
● Interpretation of the results: pros & cons● Limitations● Suggestions for Future Work● Rejected alternatives
References
● Make sure all references are referenced● Some common reference formats are
Turing stated the following theorem [12] … as shown by Ullman [Ull87].
● What goes in the reference depends on the type of of publication. Books: author, title, publisher, ISBN, year. Journal: author, title, journal, volume, month, pages. Report: author, title, source, year.
References
[DW88] Saumya K. Debray and David S. Warren. Automatic Mode Inference for Logic Programs. The Journal of Logic Programming, 5:207-229, 1988.
[Llo84] J.W. Lloyd. Foundations of Logic Programming. Springer-Verlag, 1984.
[War83] D.H.D. Warren. An Abstract Prolog Instruction Set. Technical Report Tech. Note 309, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, 1983.
References to web pages
● To be used sparingly…● Be critical, do not use personal web pages● Write the date in the reference● Save a copy of the page for later retrieval
Wikipedia?● OK to use, but not more than half of the references● Try to find the original sources
Facts and Opinions
● As for facts, differentiate Own results Other's results
● As for opinions, differentiate Own opinions Other's opinions
Rules
● If you write text based on own experience or knowledge Argue clearly or prove it
● If you write text based on reading Refer clearly to the sources
● If you borrow sentences make it clear with Quotation marks and References
The Writing Process
● Understand what you want to achieve● Write with the reader in mind● The writing process:
1. Write
2. Read what you have written
3. Discuss - think - make notes ● Iterate 1 - 3● Let the text rest for a couple of days sometimes
Writing Style
● Neutral and objective Avoid first person reference, e.g. “I will show” Prefer “It will be shown” or possibly “We will see”
● Aim at: Precision Concentration Organization Understandable language
Remember
● The writing process is a creative process● Most important is the content● Also, style (linguistic and typographic) is
important
Simple Rules
● Always write so that every Report/Article/Thesis Section Paragraph
● can be summarized in a couple of sentences● The main purpose of every part of the text should
be obvious
Report Requirements
● Written in LaTex● Process all comments from the opponents● No page numbering in the final report● Submit as
PDF-file TEX-source and images
● Present the report using PowerPoint or similar