Monday, October 13

• Revision Odds and Ends: titles, section headings, document design, citations, and more

IPHY 3700 Writing Process Map

Guidelines for Writing Titles of Scientific Papers

1. The title should reflect the key aspects that define the research, without overwhelming readers with details.

2. As a very general rule, titles of scientific papers should be in the range of 8 to 15 words.

3. Try to eliminate words like 'the', 'of', 'on', 'A Study of', 'An Experiment on', 'A Review of,' 'A Proposal for'.

4. The title should reflect the unique aspects of the research.

5. The title should reflect the overall purposes, and perhaps even the key outcomes, of the study and the paper.

Revising Titles

For a research paper on a study to determine how swimming exercise affects blood pressure in postmenopausal women with hypertension.

Problem: Effects of Exercise on Cardiovascular Function

Okay Solution: Effects of Swimming on Blood Pressure

Better Solution: Effects of a 6-month Swimming Program on Blood Pressure in Hypertensive,

Postmenopausal Women

Overdoing it: Effects of 6-months of Swim Training Using Continuous and Interval Methods at Moderate and

High Intensities on Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure in Hypertensive, Postmenopausal Women between

55 and 65 years of age.

For a research paper reporting the first experimental study on exercise and cancer-related fatigue.

Problem: Exercise and Cancer-related Fatigue

Solution: Effects of Low-intensity Exercise on Cancer-related Fatigue: An Experimental Design

For a research paper to determine the effects of swim training on depression.

Effective title: What are the Effects of Swim Training on Symptoms of Depression in 70- to 90-year-old Men?

Effective title: Regular swimming reduces symptoms of depression in 70- to 90-year-old men

Guidelines for Writing Section Headings

1. Include words and phrases that directly reflect key aspects of the section's content and your rhetorical (power) goal for the section.

2. Try to limit the heading to 4-8 words.

3. Use a sans-serif font (maybe bold it) to accentuate the heading, but don't increase the font size.

4. Follow discipline-specific guidelines for positioning headings. If instructions to authors don't include guidelines for positioning headings, center them or place them on the left margin.

Revising Section Headings

For the discussion section of a research paper on the effects of zinc on the common cold; the goal for the subsection is to discuss a specific limitation.

Problem: Limitations to the Study

Solution: Oversights in Accounting for Dose-Response Effects

For the discussion section of a research paper on the effects of zinc on the common cold; the goal for the subsection is to explain underlying mechanisms.

Problem: Mechanisms (too vague)

Problem: Mechanisms Underlying the Study Results (still too vague)

Solution: How Zinc Protects Against the Common Cold

Solution: Zinc Inhibits Binding of Rhinovirus to Nasal Epithelium

Cite sources of information and ideas that are neither your own nor common knowledge

The following would not be considered common knowledge and would therefore require citations.

–Original data from published studies that you did not conduct and author

–Recently developed concepts and theories that are undergoing scrutiny in the scientific community

–Any elements of debatable arguments in the published literature—in other words claims,

supporting data, and conceptual reasoning

–Concepts, theories, and arguments that have clearly been attributed to one scientist or scientific

team

The following would be considered common knowledge and would therefore not require citations.

–Facts in nature, such as the fact that muscular strength declines in old age

–Consistently defined and uncontested terms, such as the definition of reaction time (the time that

elapses between the presentation of a stimulus and the initiation of a response)

–Widely accepted and uncontested concepts and theories that cannot be attributed to any one

scientist or scientific team

IPHY 3700 Guidelines: Citing References in the Text

Place a reference number, corresponding to the citation in the reference list, in parentheses at the appropriate place in the text, as in the following examples.

Narrative of sentence, to give credit directly to the authors:

Williams et al. (6) consider the Lachman or anterior-drawer test to be the most sensitive test for evaluating ACL laxity.

Offset from narrative of sentence, when you don't need to credit specific authors directly:

The Lachman or anterior-drawer test is considered the most sensitive test for evaluating ACL laxity (4,6,7).

How to Avoid Citing a Source Excessively

Check for whether all of the citations are necessary

The shift from the body using primarily carbohydrates for fuel to using fat is caused by the action of regulatory

hormones, most importantly insulin. Insulin is released from the pancreas in response to rising levels of glucose, as

seen in the consumption of a high-carbohydrate meal (3). Insulin works to move glucose in the bloodstream to storage

in the muscle or liver in the form of glycogen. In addition, insulin plays a role in inhibiting fat metabolism and

promoting fat storage (3). McDonald (3) contends that low-carbohydrate diets increase fat metabolism because they

reduce insulin levels. By reducing insulin levels, low-carbohydrate diets promote the breakdown of triglycerides into

fatty acids, which is part of the metabolic advantage.

Revision

McDonald (3) contends that low-carbohydrate diets increase fat metabolism because they reduce insulin levels. This

argument is based on the regulatory roles of the hormone insulin, which is released from the pancreas in response to

rising levels of glucose, as seen in the consumption of a high-carbohydrate meal. Insulin works to move glucose in the

bloodstream to storage in the muscle or liver in the form of glycogen. In addition, insulin plays a role in inhibiting fat

metabolism and promoting fat storage. is released from the pancreas in response to rising levels of glucose, as seen in

the consumption of a high-carbohydrate meal. Insulin works to move glucose in the bloodstream to storage in the

muscle or liver in the form of glycogen. In addition, insulin plays a role in inhibiting fat metabolism and promoting fat

storage. According to McDonald's argument, low-carbohydrate diets promote the breakdown of triglycerides into fatty

acids because they reduce insulin levels.

Revision Odds and Ends

Check Instructions and Guidelines for IPHY 3700 Authors for

--writing numbers

--preparing the first page with title and author information

--including page numbers

--avoiding direct quotations