Title: Susan Brady, Department Head, CSEE
1Technical Writing
Susan Brady, Department Head, CSEE Brown Bag
Session
2 How to Write a Technical Paper
- Overview
- DOE guidelines
- Workshop Groups
3Technical Communication
- Accurate
- Clear
- Concise
- Coherent
- Appropriate
- Adapted from The Mayfield Handbook of Technical
and Scientific Writing
4Clear
- Structural clarity
(forecasting or organizational strategies,
graphic representation) - Stylistic clarity
(simple, direct language) - Contextual clarity
(importance, authorization and implications)
5Accurate
- Document accuracy
(clear problem statement, outline, appropriate
detail) - Stylistic accuracy
(paragraph and sentence structure, word choice) - Technical accuracy (understanding,
representation, conceptual mastery, ability to
analyze data)
6Concise
- Focus
(narrow to manageable problem and
response) - Eliminate unnecessary text (identify
words not needed to support claims, use graphics) - Revise
(numerous read-throughs, peer review)
7Coherent
- Consistent patterns
(logical and stylistic consistency) - Indicate connections
(road map through document) - Paragraph development (clear topic
sentence, supporting text, transitional devices)
8Transitional Devices
- Example
- Reducing drag in an aerospace vehicle is an
important design consideration with financial and
operational consequences. Poorly designed rocket
fuselages can triple fuel and launch costs. Drag
increases stress on key joints. This proposed
project will develop a model to reduce
aerodynamic drag on the RX100.
9Transitional Devices
- Improved
- Reducing drag in an aerospace vehicle is an
important design consideration. For example,
poorly designed rocket fuselages can triple fuel
and launch costs. Moreover, drag increases stress
on key joints. Therefore, this proposed project
will develop a model to reduce aerodynamic drag
on the RX100.
10Appropriate
- Match goals and purpose
- Address the correct audience (expertise,
purpose, attitude) - Match context
(institutional guidelines, general scientific and
technical community)
11Critique
- The flow of electrical current can induce the
migration of impurities or other defects through
the bulk of a solid. This process is called
electromigration. In simple electromigration, the
force on the defect is thought to have two
components. The first component is the force
created by direct interaction between the
effective charge of the defect and the electric
field that drives the current. The second
component, called the "wind force," is the force
caused by the scattering of electrons at the
defect. - --J.A. Stroscio and D.M. Eigler, "Atomic and
Molecular Manipulation with the Scanning
Tunneling Microscope," Science
12Purpose and Benefits
- To clarify your thinking
- Publish in DOE Journal of Undergraduate
Research - Grad School application/resume
- AAAS Conference 2010 San Diego
13Resources
- DOE Program Handbook
- Online Mayfield Handbook
- Writing groups with peers
- One-on-one meetings with Clyde
- Ask your mentor
14General Guidelines
- DOE Program Handbook
- DOE will not consider publishing a paper that
does not conform to its guidelines
15Outline of Research Paper
- Title Page
- Table of contents
- Abstract (2500 Character Max, including spaces)
- Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion
Conclusions 10 page maximum - References (IEEE format for citations)
- Acknowledgements
- Figures and tables
16Abstract
- The abstract is a brief summary of your
research. No more than 2500 characters! - Includes the following
- Header Title, Names, Affiliations
- Introduction Background Significance
- Methods and Materials How did you do it?
- Results What happened?
- Discussion and Conclusions Interpretation
- Only standard abbreviations (laser, DNA, etc.)
- No citations
See p 15 of DOE guide for details and very good
sample abstracts.
17Sample Title Page
See Page 40 of the Program Guidebook for sample
layout.
- Title of Research
- Name of Student
- Program Name
- Name of Students School
- Host Lab (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
- Location Berkeley, California
- Date
- Signatures (yours and your Research Advisors)
18Table of Contents
- List all sections of the paper with page
numbers. - Tables and Figures are included at the end of
your research paper (after your References.)
19Introduction Objectives
- Provide a rationale for the study
- State the nature and scope of the problem
- Include background/ history and references
important to understanding the study - There is no one right approach!
- Use one or some of these.
20General Notes on Introduction
- Hook the reader Make it interesting!
- Start with the familiar or the general
- Poor
- Galaxies are collections of stars and they have
emission at 100 microns and 1.4 GHz and
telescopes can detect them. - Better
- The correlation between the far-infrared and
radio continuum emission in galaxies is one of
the most robust and one of the most puzzling
relations in extragalactic research.
21Materials and Methods
- Complete sentences
- Describe the experimental procedure, and the
materials used - Do NOT describe well-known techniques
examples PCR, NMR - Do spell out complete names when first
introduced - Reference established procedures when necessary
22Results
- Tables and Figures
- Your data are your data
- No interpretation
23Results
- Describe
- We detected 115 GHz continuum emission in 3
out of 44 galaxies. - Do not interpret
- Because we detected so few galaxies, there
must be very little thermal emission from these
sources.
24Discussion Conclusions
- Interpretation of Results
- Comparisons to similar studies
- Future research
25Figures and Tables
- What is a Figure ?
- Number tables and figures separately.
- Include figure captions.
- Place all tables and figures at the end of your
paper.
Figure 5. A really great figure!
26Acknowledgments
- Identify where the research was done.
- Acknowledge those who provided major assistance
to you. - Thank the DOE, Office of Science, LBNL, and
CSEE for creating, funding, and organizing the
program. - If applicable, thank the NSF for help in
funding your internship.
27References
- Cite all ideas or information from other
sources - In the body of the text 1
- With complete citation in the references
section - 1 T. T. Helfer, My Great Paper, Journal of
Prestigious Research, v. 315, pp. 155-167, 2001. - Citations should be in IEEE format
- Dont copy citations! Read the original paper
for yourself!
28Recap of Research Paper
- Introduction
- Use short paper as springboard
- Materials Methods
- Straightforward to write
- Results
- Again straightforward
- Discussion Conclusions
- Your mentor can help out with interpretation
- All those miscellaneous details abstract,
title page, TOC, figures - Tedious but straightforward
29Peer Writing Groups
- Sign up for group of 4 students
- Break paper into manageable chunks
- Exchange papers and review before you meet
- Get together and offer constructive criticism
- Read and critique the papers in your group
before you meet - Submit your own writing to your group by the
deadlines - Attend 3 meetings, 1 hour each
- Why bother? It works!
- Papers published in JUR in past years
- have gone through this process
30Final thoughts schedule
- Sign up for your peer group today.
Meeting Days Time Slots Monday,
Wednesday 12-1, 4-5, 5-6 Tuesday
4-5, 5-6 Friday 11-12, 12-1
Calendar Today Sign up for group June 18
Short Papers due June 15? Meet 3 times, complete
the paper in stages (Intro, MM, Data,
Conclusions, final edits)