Indian Biological Research Consultancy Services

Things you need to know before you start writing?

 

PLAGIARISM

 

Plagiarism means using the ideas of someone else such as an author, critic, journalist, artist, composer, lecturer, tutor or another student without giving them proper credit.

 

• Intentional plagiarism is a serious form of cheating.

• Unintentional plagiarism can result if you don't understand and use the acceptable scholarly methods of acknowledgment.

• In either case, the University may impose penalties which can be very severe.

• In published writings authors are expected to give references to articles and books on which they have relied, and to give written thanks to people who have helped them in preparing their work. There are several methods for giving credit in written work and students should familiarise themselves with acceptable practice in their disciplines.

• An explanation of the University's Acknowledgement Practice (avoiding Plagiarism) is contained in the Course Rules.

 

 

 

Results vs. Discussion Sections

 

Quarantine your observations from your interpretations. The writer must make it crystal clear to the reader which statements are observation and which are interpretation. In most circumstances, this is best accomplished by physically separating statements about new observations from statements about the meaning or significance of those observations. Alternatively, this goal can be accomplished by careful use of phrases such as "I infer ..." vast bodies of geological literature became obsolete with the advent of plate tectonics; the papers that survived are those in which observations were presented in stand-alone fashion, unmuddied by whatever ideas the author might have had about the processes that caused the observed phenomena.  

 

How do you do this? 

• Physical separation into different sections or paragraphs.

• Don't overlay interpretation on top of data in figures. 

• Careful use of phrases such as "We infer that ".

• Don't worry if "results" seem short.

Why? 

• Easier for your reader to absorb, frequent shifts of mental mode not required. 

• Ensures that your work will endure in spite of shifting paradigms.

 

 

 

Crosscutting Issues

 

What Are They Looking For?

They are looking for a critical analysis. They want you to answer a scientific question or hypothesis. They would like you to gather evidence -- from various sources -- to allow you to make interpretations and judgments. Your approach/methods should be carefully designed to come to closure. Your results should be clearly defined and discussed in the context of your topic. Relevant literature should be cited. You should place your analysis in a broader context, and highlight the implications (regional, global, etc.) of your work. They are looking for a well-reasoned line of argument, from your initial question, compilation of relevant evidence, setting data in a general/universal context, and finally making a judgment based on your analysis. Your thesis should be clearly written and in the format described below.

 

Planning Ahead for Your Thesis

If at all possible, start your thesis research during the summer between your junior and senior year - or even earlier - with an internship, etc. ... then work on filling in background material and lab work during the fall  so that you're prepared to write and present your research during the spring . The best strategy is to pick a project that you are interested in, but also that a faculty member or other professional is working on.  

 

Writing for an Audience

Who is your audience? 

• Researchers working in analogous field areas elsewhere in the world (i.e. other strike-slip faults, other deep sea fans). 

• Researchers working in your field area, but with different techniques.

• Researchers working on the same interval of geologic time elsewhere in the world. 

• All other researchers using the same technique you have used . 

• If your study encompasses an active process, researchers working on the same process in the ancient record.

• Conversely, if your study is based on the rock record, people studying modem analogs. 

• People writing a synthesis paper on important new developments in your field.

• People applying earth science to societal problems (i.e. earthquake hazard reduction, climate warming) who will try to understand your paper. 

• Potential reviewers of your manuscript or your thesis committee.

 

Skimming vs. Reading

 

Because of the literature explosion, papers more skimmed than read. Skimming involves reading the abstract, and looking at the figures and figure captions. Therefore, you should construct your paper so that it can be understood by skimming, i.e., the conclusions, as written in your abstract, can be understood by study of the figures and captions. The text fills out the details for the more interested reader.

 

 

Writing for an International Audience

 

• Put as much information as possible into figures and tables. In particular, try to find a way to put your conclusions into a figure, perhaps a flowchart or a cartoon. 

• Don't assume that readers are familiar with the geography or the stratigraphy of your field area. 

• Every single place-name mentioned in the text should be shown on a map. 

• Consider including a location map, either as a separate figure or as an inset to another figure. If your paper involves stratigraphy, consider including a summary stratigraphic column--in effect, a location map in time. 

• Use shorter sentences. Avoid nested clauses or phrases.  

• Avoid idioms. Favor usages that can be looked up in an ordinary dictionary. "Take the beaker out of the oven immediately..." rather than "Take the beaker out of the oven right away..."