英文科技论文写作HOW-to-WRITE-Discussion课件

1、The heart of the paperDiscussion8/8/202218/8/2022It may seem obvious that a scientific document is incomplete without the interpretation of the writer; it may not be so obvious that the document cannot exist without the interpretation of each reader.G.D. Gopen and J.A. Swan8/8/202228/8/2022Discussio

2、nAlways write the discussion for the reader the focus should be to help the reader understand the study and the highlight should be on the study data.8/8/202238/8/2022Discussion: The ElementsState the studys major findingsExplain the meaning and importance of the findingsRelate the findings to those

3、 of similar studiesState the theoretical or practical relevance or implication of the findingsAcknowledge the studys limitationsMake suggestions for further researchGive the “take-home message” in the form of a conclusion8/8/202248/8/2022State the major findingsIn the first paragraph：Begin (with a s

4、tatement of the major findingsA direct, declarative, succinct proclamationShould not include any dataBegin:Our results confirm that Our findings suggest that The data show that In this study, we found that .8/8/202258/8/2022Explain the meaning and importance of the findingsNo one has thought as long

5、 and as hard about your study as you have. As the person who conceived, designed, and conducted the study, the meaning of the results and their importance seem obvious to you, but the findings might not be so clear for the readers who read your paper for the first time.What do the findings mean?Why

6、are they important?“That make perfect sense!” (Why didnt I think of this?)8/8/202268/8/2022Always remember:IntroductionBroadSpecificDiscussionSpecificBroadMoves from the narrow specific focus of the research to a more general view8/8/2022Your findingsYour goals/objectivesYour conclusions/future work

7、sThe importance/significance of Your findingsLimitationsRelate to expectations and to literatureProve the hypotheses/Answered questionsMake explanations completeDiscuss the results in the same order as in the “Results” one by oneExplain how your results relate to expectations and to literature cited

8、 in your IntroductionGive evidence for each conclusion.Discuss possible reasons for expected and unexpected findingsWhether the experiments prove the hypotheses with evidence (results).Do they agree, contradict, or are they exceptions to the rule?8/8/202288/8/2022Relate the findings to similar studi

9、esIs your study so novel? (no relation to other studies?）No！Then, relate your findings to others.Previous findings: Stimulated yours to Fill a gap, Correct their errors, invent a new method, Support yours strength the importance of your studiesOur finding/result is associated with/similar to, differ

10、ent from (others )8/8/202298/8/2022Alternative Explanations of the FindingsRemember that the purpose of research is to discover and not to prove. Dont fall into the trap to prove Carefully consider all possible, alternative explanations for your results8/8/2022108/8/2022Acknowledge the studys limita

11、tionsStudies: flaws, fatal flaws?Even the best studies in the most prestigious journals have limitations!Should know the limitations in your studies that might cause problems and possible explanationDo not hide weak results behind bad writingBe sure to explain why results are weaker than you expecte

12、dWe used only . Future research should include/ do (differently, use different , use more )8/8/2022118/8/2022Suggestions for Further ResearchYou only answered some questions, others related to this subject may remain unansweredYou should make suggestions for further studies and give a future perspec

13、tiveMake recommendations, discuss future workOur subject that remain to be explored is how to More studies in are needed 8/8/2022128/8/2022Take-Home Message: ConclusionsWhat is the “take-home message”?What do you want the reader to remember from your study? The take-home message should be the first

14、sentence of the conclusions section.8/8/2022138/8/2022DiscussionThe same information can have different meanings or significances to different people - brainstorming 8/8/2022148/8/2022DiscussionHow do your results fit into a broader context?Suggest the theoretical implications of your results.Sugges

15、t practical applications of your resultsExtend your findings to other situations or other speciesGive the big picture: do your findings help us understand a broader topic?8/8/2022158/8/2022Free to explain what the results mean or why they differ from what other workers have found. Should interpret y

16、our results in light of other published results, by adding additional information from sources you cited in the Introduction section as well as by introducing new sources. Relate your discussion back to the objectives and questions you raised in the Introduction section. Limit your conclusions to th

17、ose that your data can actually support.You can then proceed to speculate on why this occurred and whether you expected this to occur, based on other workers findings.Suggest future directions for research, new methods, explanations for deviations from previously published results, etc.Discussion: s

18、ummary8/8/2022How to Cite Sources in the Discussion SectionIt is important to cite sources in the discussion section of your paper as evidence of the claims you are making. There are ways of citing sources in the text so that the reader can find the full reference in the literature at the end of the

19、 paper.8/8/2022The Bully Pulpit - AvoidDont criticize or attach other studies or researchersContrast your findings to others professionallyRemember, they may be reviewing your paperAvoid offending people, unless you must8/8/2022188/8/2022Over interpretation of the resultsUnwarranted speculation that

20、 cannot be tested in the foreseeable futureInflating the important of the findingsConclusions that are not supported by the dataDont leave the reader thinking So what?.Watch out for symptoms of “megalomania”8/8/2022198/8/2022Potential pitfallsIncluding too much information - wordy arguments. Not foc

21、used, meandering, etc.Failure to follow arguments set up in the introductionFailure to focus on the current resultsSpeculating too much or not enoughImproper tense (largely in present tense)8/8/2022208/8/2022End Many a paper loses much of its effect because the clear stream of the discussion ends in

22、 a swampy delta. Anderson and Thistle (1947)8/8/202221QuotationBetter to say little clearly than saying too much unclearlyForget who8/8/202222Language: generalization100%|0%all / every / each mosta majority (of)many somea number ofseverala minority ofa few /a littlefew / littleno /none/not anyalways

23、usual(ly)normal(ly)general(ly)as a ruleon the wholeoftenfrequent(ly)sometimesoccasional(ly)rare(ly)seldomhardly everscarcely evernevercertain(ly)definite(ly)undoubted(ly)clear(ly)presumablyprobably/probablelikelyconceivablypossibly/possibleperhapsmaybeuncertainunlikelywillis / aremust have toshouldo

24、ught tocan couldmaymightcould notwill not cannotis / are not238/8/2022Language: probability24Itisfairlyvery quiteratheralmost quitecertainlikelyprobablepossibleseemsappearsunlikelycertainInthe (vast) majoritya large numberofcases, .mostsomea few(+ other quantity words)8/8/2022Language: degree of cer

25、tainty is not will not must not .certain(ly)definite(ly)clear(ly)undoubted(ly)8/8/202225can/cannotshould (not)probably (not)presumably (not)could (not)likely / unlikelymay (not)might (not)possibly (not)perhaps (not)It is said that appears that X reports that There is evidence to suggest that Language: make recommendationStrong recommendation|Weak recommendation must be done. is needed. is necessary.There is a continuing need for It is strongly re