TheEZwaytowriteaprospectus,thesis,publishablepaper

1、The EZ way to write a prospectus, thesis, publishable paperJohn M. Hoenig, Ph.D.Department of Fisheries Science1The EZ Way to Write a Prospectus Define the problem Say what youre going to do Say what you need4) Show youve reviewed the literature, but only in context of 1, 2, & 3All you need to do is

2、211 - 15 pages, MAX!(but check with your committee)3Can you believe its so simple? Do you understand the problem and its complexities? Will your approach work? Are you reinventing the wheel? You have no business going in the lab or the field if you dont know what youre going to do. Are you familiar

3、with the procedures? Are you going to be able to get the data, specimens, equipment youll need?Think of the purpose of the prospectus: your committee wants to know4What if you dont stick to the plan in the prospectus?Its an action plan, not a contract. Unforseeable problems arise. Plans change. Get

4、over it. Youll be judged on whether you did good work, not on whether you stuck to the plan.Unforseeable problems happen. A good prospectus has a back-up plan.The prospectus is to help you. Done after the fact its a waste of time. Do you want to waste your committees time?5Writing a thesis or disser

5、tationchapter vs manuscript format6Writing a thesis or dissertationIntroduction (review of literature)All Materials and MethodsAll ResultsAll DiscussionChapter format the old way to do itComplete rewrite to publish this!7Short(er) Introduction (define the problem)Manuscript 1 (in format for journal

6、1)IntroductionMaterials & Methods Results & DiscussionManuscript 2 (in format for journal 2)Introductionetc.Concluding chapter (pull things together)Manuscript format the modern way8Some things in the thesis wont go in the published version (maybe put them in an appendix)Use this to your advantage:

7、things you dont want in the publication but that need documenting can go in the thesis (e.g., negative results)Example: youre interested in how growth of clams varies with depth, temperature and salinity but you measure 15 other environmental variables just to eliminate the possibility that theyre i

8、nfluencing growth. None of the correlations are significant. Including all of these data would take up a lot of space and be tedious. So, put the results in your thesis or a technical report and simply refer to it in your journal article.9So the secret to writing a thesis is to write manuscripts. OK

9、.So whats the secret to writing manuscripts?10Cardinal Rule: Write the paper before you do the research.! ? !11Write the Materials and Methods first.Its easy.And you need to know what to do (preferably before you do it!)(Hopefully, you can lift this from your prospectus)12Next, write the Introductio

10、nEZ Formula:Whats the problem?Why is it of interest?How does your work contribute to an understanding of the problem?There are other ways to write the introduction but the EZ formula works every time13Also write the Results section! ? !14Make up plausible resultsI might see this, or this, or maybe t

11、hisHow are you going to graph the data?How are you going to analyze the data?How are you going to interpret the data?15Is it unethical to write the results before you do the research?No. Its good practice. You get to- review your design- think about assumptions- anticipate problems- plan your analys

12、is16For the discussion section, just list points you want to remember to discuss17After the researchUpdate everythingInsert resultsNow, a major portion of your thesis is already done. (This is important sitting down to write a 100 page thesis is intimidating. Having it half done makes it MUCH easier

13、.)18Generally, its easier to combine results & discussion into one section, and most journals will let you do this.19The sphaghetti problem: sometimes the ideas are all tangled up and its hard to find the start and end of the story you want to discussmake a list of the points you want to make, in an

14、y order. Then try to put them in sequence. Then fill in with more detail. Then make an outline, & keep adding detailIf youre still having problems, say your discussion instead of writing it. Do it again and again until it stabilizes. Typically, the first time itll take you 20 minutes to explain your

15、 findings, the second time it will take 10 minutes, then 5. Then write it down.20When youre too tired to think but still want to make progressType up the bibliography, title page, etc.(Its got to be done sometime). Congratulations, you now have 8 of your 100 pages finished. Just 92 left to go21Commo

16、n Errors (thought police)Results occurring in introductionResults in methods sectionMethods in results section 22EZ PublishingPick a journal before you start writing, and type manuscript (especially references) in the right style from the startNOTE: its i.e., e.g., (get it right the first time)Gener

17、ally, no more than 35 pages per manuscriptFigures & tables must be able to stand alone23Submit papers as early as possible for publication. Dont wait until youre about to defend.If a paper is a “done deal” (i.e., in press) your committee probably wont give you a hard time about the paper (e.g., maki

18、ng you work on organization, style, etc. After all, why bother if its already in press.)Its nice to get the ms back from the journal while youre still at VIMS because it will be easier to revise “at home” than in your new surroundings after you leave VIMS.24Suggest reviewers when you submit msWhen ms is returned by the journal- respond to all reviewers comments- make all changes you can live with- always take the high roadIf your ms is rejected - rebut reviewers errors- take your lumps if its a matter of opinio