workshop writing scientific papers: abstract
DESCRIPTION
Clovis Torres Fernandes Learning and Interaction Laboratory – LAI Computer Science Department – IEC Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica – ITA. Workshop Writing Scientific Papers: Abstract. Workshop Goals. To present some tips for writing good abstracts for scientific papers - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
WorkshopWorkshopWriting Scientific Papers:Writing Scientific Papers:
AbstractAbstract
Clovis Torres Fernandes
Learning and Interaction Laboratory – LAIComputer Science Department – IECInstituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica – ITA
Workshop GoalsWorkshop Goals
To present some tips for writing good abstracts for scientific papers
To gain hands-on experience applying some of the tips to real examples
Keywords
Keywords
Abstract
Abstract
Paper Paper StructureStructure
9. Writing the abstract
Tip 11: Tip 11: Writing ProcessWriting Process
AbstractAbstract
The abstract is a summary of the paper
Namely, a brief statement of the main points of the paper
AbstractAbstractHighlight the main questions the
authors investigated
Provide the key results of the authors' experiments
Give an overview of the authors' conclusions
Usually accessible for free:
Online at journals' websites:
AbstractAbstract
AbstractAbstractUsually accessible for free:
In scientific literature databases
available in libraries
Abstract: Abstract: GOALGOAL
Provide enough information to
help others decide if the paper
is what they are looking for
Abstract: Abstract: GOALGOAL
Provide enough information to
help others decide if the paper
is what they are looking for, or
not!
Abstract: Abstract: GOALGOAL
Without spending a long time
reading the whole paper
Abstract: Abstract: GOALGOAL
Is this paper relevant
enough to proceed to the
full text, or should I move
on to another paper?
To serve as a table of contents
in sentence form
Abstract: Abstract: Not a GOALNot a GOAL
“O artigo introduz uma leve abordagem sobre Análise Orientada a Objetos – AOO – e também à Redes Neurais artificiais, no caso uma Rede Neural de Kohonen. Estando assim situado no espaço de atuação, inicia uma AOO sobre a rede neural de Kohonen. A análise Identifica os problemas, a forma e sua estrutura. Uma vez tendo o problema sob domínio, parte-se para uma implementação, usando para tanto a linguagem C++. Em seguida é exposta e analisada toda a estrutura da rede Neural já na linguagem C++. Discute-se então o método da AOO para representar as Redes Neurais, seus problemas e a sua funcionalidade para tal atividade.”
Abstract: Abstract: Not a GOALNot a GOAL
“The behavior of editors is discussed.
What should be covered by an abstract
is considered. The importance of the
abstract is described. Dictionary
definitions of “abstract” are quoted. At
the conclusion a revised abstract is
presented.” – BAAPG, 1951.
Abstract: Abstract: Not a GOALNot a GOAL
”The abstract is of utmost importance, for it is
read by 10 to 500 times more people than
hear the entire paper. It should not be a mere
recital of the subjects covered, replete with
such expressions as “is discussed” and “is
described.” It should be a condensation and
concentration of the essential qualities of the
paper.” – BAAPG, 1951.
Improved VersionImproved Version
Please, revise this abstract:
” This article gives a brief
overview of the structure and purposes of
rubrics; reviews the benefits of using rubrics as
both teaching and grading tools; warns against
approaches that limit the effectiveness of
rubrics; and urges instructors to take simple
steps toward ensuring the validity, reliability,
and fairness of their rubrics. Tips for using
rubrics with undergraduate and graduate
students are also included.”
Bad example:
” This article gives a brief
overview of the structure and purposes of
rubrics; reviews the benefits of using rubrics as
both teaching and grading tools; warns against
approaches that limit the effectiveness of
rubrics; and urges instructors to take simple
steps toward ensuring the validity, reliability,
and fairness of their rubrics. Tips for using
rubrics with undergraduate and graduate
students are also included.”
“This study suggests that students use rubrics to support their own learning and academic performance. In focus groups, fourteen undergraduate students discussed the ways in which they used rubrics to plan an approach to an assignment, check their work, and guide or reflect on feedback from others. The students said that using rubrics helped them focus their efforts, produce work of higher quality, earn a better grade, and feel less anxious about an assignment. Their comments also revealed that most of the students tend not to read a rubric in its entirety, and that some may perceive of a rubric as a tool for satisfying a particular teacher’s demands rather than as a representation of the criteria and standards of a discipline."
What about this abstract?What about this abstract?
An abstract must stand alone (be self-explanatory):
Without referring to any part of the paper
Citing a reference entry? Not a chance! Avoid referencing!
Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract
An Abstract must stand alone (be self-explanatory):
No new information: refer to just information used in the paper text!
Avoid using abbreviations, symbols, acronyms, and jargon!
Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract
If necessary, define unfamiliar terms, introduce acronyms
E.g. “... Test-driven Development (TDD)…”
Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract
Avoid using passive voice
Example: The abstract was written in the last
weekend
Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract
Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract
Avoid beginning (or using) with "This paper reports that sex leads to happiness.”
Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract
Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract
“This study suggests that students use rubrics to support their own learning and academic performance. In focus groups, fourteen undergraduate students discussed the ways in which they used rubrics to plan an approach to an assignment, check their work, and guide or reflect on feedback from others. The students said that using rubrics helped them focus their efforts, produce work of higher quality, earn a better grade, and feel less anxious about an assignment. Their comments also revealed that most of the students tend not to read a rubric in its entirety, and that some may perceive of a rubric as a tool for satisfying a particular teacher’s demands rather than as a representation of the criteria and standards of a discipline."
What about here?What about here?
Avoid repeating information from the title
Attributes of a Good Attributes of a Good AbstractAbstract
Read the two abstracts found in TIDIA: ExerciseGoodBadAbstract 01 and 02
Tell if they are good or bad abstracts, and why!
Classroom WorkClassroom Work
1. Write the problem
Tip: Tip: Four Sentences Four Sentences SchemeScheme
2. Explain why the problem is a problem
Tip: Tip: Four Sentences Four Sentences SchemeScheme
3. Write a catchy and startling phrase, which captures the essence of your solution/contribution
Tip: Tip: Four Sentences Four Sentences SchemeScheme
4. As a result of the previous sentence, write the main conclusion, implication, and recommendation
Tip: Tip: Four Sentences Four Sentences SchemeScheme
1[The rejection rate for OOPSLA papers in near 90%.] 2[Most papers are rejected not because of a lack of good ideas, but because they are poorly structured.] 3[Following four simple steps in writing a paper will dramatically increase your chances of acceptance.] 4[If everyone followed these steps, the amount of communication in the object community would increase, improving the rate of progress.]
Example: Example: Four Sentences Four Sentences SchemeScheme
“This study suggests that students use rubrics to support their own learning and academic performance. In focus groups, fourteen undergraduate students discussed the ways in which they used rubrics to plan an approach to an assignment, check their work, and guide or reflect on feedback from others. The students said that using rubrics helped them focus their efforts, produce work of higher quality, earn a better grade, and feel less anxious about an assignment. Their comments also revealed that most of the students tend not to read a rubric in its entirety, and that some may perceive of a rubric as a tool for satisfying a particular teacher’s demands rather than as a representation of the criteria and standards of a discipline."
The following abstract follows The following abstract follows the Four Sentences Scheme?the Four Sentences Scheme?
Read the two abstracts found in TIDIA: ExerciseStructureAbstractFourParagraphs 01 and 02
Tell if they follow the Four Sentences Scheme, and why!
Classroom WorkClassroom Work
Alternative Methods Alternative Methods
for Writing Abstractsfor Writing Abstracts
Write the world before your work: context and objective
Write your main results/contributions
Write the world after your work: conclusions and implications
World Before/After Your World Before/After Your WorkWork
Context/Background (where they come from)
Objective/purpose or rationale of study (why they did it)
Methodology/methods (how they did it)
Results/findings (what they found) Conclusions/recommendations
(what it means)
Informative: Informative: 5 5 SentencesSentences
Another Model
http://www.editage.com/resources/art11.html
Good Explanation Good Explanation about about Type Type InformativeInformative
Contains information that is consistent with that presented in the paper
Meets the guidelines of the targeted journal (word limit, type of abstract, etc.)
Does not contain typographical errors (typos)
Check that the final abstractCheck that the final abstract
Choose randomly one paper from your research area
Try to dissect its structure, according to the models seen here!
PracticePractice
The problem of predicting the next request during a user’s navigation session has been extensively studied. In this context, higher-order Markov models have been widely used to model navigation sessions and to predict the next navigation step, while prediction accuracy has been mainly evaluated with the hit and miss score.We claim that this score, although useful, is not sufficient for evaluating next link prediction models with the aim of finding a sufficient order of the model, the size of a recommendation set, and assessing the impact of unexpected events on the prediction accuracy. Herein, we make use of a variable length Markov model to compare the usefulness of three alternatives to the hit and miss score: the Mean Absolute Error, the Ignorance Score, and the Brier score. We present an extensive evaluation of the methods on real data sets and a comprehensive comparison of the scoring methods. Borges et al., International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making, 9, 2010, 547.
Educative sensemaking focuses on the needs of self-directed learners, a nonexpert population of thinkers who must locate relevant information sources, evaluate the applicability and accuracy of digital resources for learning, and determine how and when to use these resources to complete educational tasks. Self-directed learners face a sensemaking paradox: They must employ deep-level thinking skills to process information sources meaningfully, but they often lack the requisite domain knowledge needed to deeply analyze information sources and to successfully integrate incoming information with their own existing knowledge. In this article, we focus on the needs of college-aged students engaged in learning about natural sciences using web-based learning resources. We explored the impact of cognitive personalization technologies on students’ sensemaking processes using a controlled study in which students’ cognitive and metacognitive processes were analyzed as they completed a common educational task: writing an essay.We coded students’ observable on-screen behaviors, selfreported processes, final essays, and responses to domain assessments to assess benefits of personalization technologies on students’ educative sensemaking. Results show that personalization supported students’ analysis of knowledge representations, helped students work with their representations in meaningful ways, and supported effective encoding of new knowledge. We discuss implications for new technologies to help students overcome the educative sensemaking paradox.
Butcher et al., Human–Computer Interaction, 26, 2011,123.
The EndThe End