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 To get published… Must describe previously unpublished work (unless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