Week - 2

Academic Writing: The Big Picture

Dr. Muhammad Wasim

 Learning Objectives
• Roles of Writing in Science
• What is a Research Paper?
• Kinds of Publications
• Norms of the Scientific Community
• Writing, Science, and Skepticism
• How Academic Writing is Different?
• The Importance of Writing in Academia
• Getting Starting with Research Paper Writing
• Research Planning
• Research Advisor
• Characteristics of a Good Research Student
•
Roles of Writing in Science
• We use it to record events and classify our thinking
• We use it to communicate ideas with our colleagues and discuss our
work
• We use it to add scientific knowledge, by contributing books, journals,
and conference proceedings
What is a Research Paper?
• A typical research paper consists of the arguments, evidence,
experiments, proofs, and background required to support and explain a
central hypothesis.
• The process of research that leads to a paper can include uninteresting
failures, invalid hypotheses, misconceptions, and experimental
mistakes which are not included in the research paper.
• A paper or thesis should be an objective addition to scientific
knowledge, not a description of the path that was taken to the result.
What a Research Paper is NOT!
• Some newcomers try to pursue research as if it were some other kind
of activity
• A research activity is different from software development, essay
writing, software user manual or software documentation.
• A perspective on research is that it is the process that leads to papers
and thesis, because these represent our store of accepted scientific
knowledge.
• Another perspective is that it is about having impact; by creating new
knowledge
• Our work must be adopted in some way by others if it is to be of value.
Why Research Paper Quality Matters?
• A research paper can remain relevant for years or even decades
• Complexity makes readers struggle to reconstruct the author’s
intention.
• Irrespective of the importance and validity of a paper, it cannot be
convincing if it is difficult to understand
• While you have months or years to prepare your work, reviewers and
examiners often have no more than hours and may have rather less.
• Thus the written work rests on a program of activity that begins with
interesting questions and proceeds through a sound methodology to
clear results.
Kinds of Publications
• Books are text which do not contain new results or provide evidence
of the correctness of the information they present
• Thesis is a deep investigation of a single problem
• A Journal paper is an end product of the research process presenting
new ideas and has been revised according to the referee's suggestion.
• Conference papers/proceedings can be an end product but usually
they present a work in progress
• In contrast to books, the scientific knowledge in a published research
paper has been refereed.
The Scientific Community
• A collection of people and a set of norms, behaviors, and attitudes
that bind them together.
• Norms of the Scientific Community
• Universalism: The research is to be only judged based on scientific merit
• Organized Skepticism: Scientists should not view new ideas in a carefree
manner. They should challenge and question all evidence
• Disinterestedness: Neutral, impartial, and open to new ideas. They should
accept ideas even if against their position based on high quality research.
• Communalism: Scientific knowledge should be shared with others; it belongs
to everyone.
• Honesty: Demand honesty in all research; dishonesty or cheating in scientific
research is a major taboo.
How Academic Writing is Different?
How Academic Writing is Different from
Other Writings?
• Reading, Writing, Arithmetic is basic to learning
• Rule Governed Training (Low value)
• Stop thinking about Rules and start thinking about readers
• You think about the world and do your writing
• Thinking process and writing process (use writing to think)
Unlearn Rules taught at School
• Authors do not need to know, in advance, what they want to say before they begin
to write; rather, they should begin writing right away to discover what they have
to say.
• Writing does not have to begin with an outline; rather, a detailed outline can be
produced from the work after it has been written well.
• Correctness is unimportant in the first draft; rather, focus on the content while
drafting and address errors during revision and the final edit
• Editing for spelling, grammar, and typos does not count as revision; rather,
revision is rethinking/rewriting in substantive ways.
• Academic authors should not imitate the verbose, difficult to read writing they
sometimes see in print. They should strive make their writing clear, accessible,
and suited for the intended audience.
How Academic Writing is Different from
Other Writings?
Reader

Teacher Writer Text

k
d b ac
Fee

Think
Writer Text about World

Purpose: To explain that you know Purpose: To provide the reader new and
domain concepts interesting perspective about the world and
convince him that your idea is valuable!
Focus on your Readers: If your text is not
clear:
• They slow down
• They Misunderstand
• They Stop!

• Your teachers reading text because they are paid to care about you!
• The research community reads if they find your work valuable
How Academic Writing is Different from
Other Writings?
• What if one doesn’t understand what you have written
• You explain stuff to them
• Revealing the world what is inside your head
• No one cares about the inside of your head
• Writing is not conveying your ideas!!
• It is changing their ideas
• Nothing will be accepted as knowledge unless someone competent
has challenged it and It changes your readers
Your Writing Should be
• Valuable
• Persuasive
• Organized
• Clear

• Value is not in the world, the value is in the mind of readers!

• Actually community of readers!!!
Effective Writing
• Nonetheless
• However
• Widely accepted / reported
• Although
• Every community has its own codes, a set of words that add value
• What the readers doubt
• Flow words and transition words (Creating Value)
• And, but, Because, if, unless, however, although
Academic Writing Code
• I have read all your work and you are idiots (Not a good way!)
• Wow, I am just amazed! (You can start like this!)
• You are so smart (Or like this)
• But, there is this small contribution that can be added! (Now you have
their attention)
• Then, you have argument – not explanation
• In Introduction you tell politely what is wrong with the current work!
The Importance of Publication in Academia
• It contributes to the expertise of an individual
• It creates a positive energy and increases motivation
• It helps in building satisfying professional network
• It is attached to the reward system (Jobs, Promotions)
• Many masters and PhD degrees require publication in top-tier
scholarly journals in lieu of traditional dissertation as evidence of
candidate’s ability to plan and conduct research.
Starting with Research Paper Writing
Elementary Steps of Writing
• Create logical organization
• Use concise sentences
• Revise against checklists of possible problems
• Seek feedback
Strategies for Getting Started for Writing
• Play with titles
• Interview
• The Five Ws
• Clustering
• Plus/Minus/Interesting Chart
• Read Aloud
• Chronological
• Smart Art
• Invisible Writing
• Argue for/against
Shaping a Research Project
• Two Questions:
• What is the broad problem to be investigated?
• What are the specific initial activities to undertake and outcomes to pursue?
• Productive research is often driven by a strong motivating example, which
also helps focus the activity towards useful goals.
• Sometimes it is necessary to make a conscious decision to explore questions
where work can be done, rather than where we would like to work
• The fact that a topic is in a fashionable area should be at most a minor
consideration
• A topic should not be investigated unless you are confident that it will
continue to be relevant.
Match your strengths with the topic “ Web
Search”
• Statistical: Identify properties of Web pages that are useful in
determining whether they are good answers to queries.
• Mathematical. Prove that the efficiency of index construction has
reached a lower bound in terms of asymptotic cost.
• Analytical. Quantify bottlenecks in query processing, and relate them
to properties of computers and networks.
• Algorithmic. Develop and demonstrate the benefit of a new index
structure.
• Representational. Propose and evaluate a formal language for
capturing properties of image, video, or audio to be used in search.
• Behavioral. Quantify the effect on searchers of varying the interface.
Barrier to Entry in a Field
• When evaluating a problem, a factor to consider is the barrier to
entry, that is, the knowledge, infrastructure, or resources required to
do work in a particular field.
• High costs
• No experts in your institute in the field
• Need for or experience in a codebase
• If a field is popular or well-developed, it may make more sense to
explore other directions.
Barrier to Entry in a Field (Cont.)
• Some students are wildly ambitious, entering research with the
hope of achieving something of dramatic significance.
• Even a minor advance can be profoundly rewarding.
• Most research is to some extent incremental: it improves, repairs,
extends, varies, or replaces work done by others.
• Some research is concerned with problems that appear to be solved
in commercial or production software.
• Often, however, research on such problems can be justified.
Research Planning
• Students commencing their first research project are accustomed to the patterns of
undergraduate study
• Attending lectures, completing assignments, revising for exams

• In contrast, a typical research project has just one deadline: completion.

• However, having a series of deadlines is critical to the success of a project.

• It is a mistake, for example, to implement a complete system rather than ask what
code is needed to explore the research questions.
• A strong approach to the task of defining a project and setting milestones is to
explicitly consider what is needed at the end, then reason backwards.
• The final thing required is the write-up in the form of a thesis, paper, or report;
• So, you need to plan in terms of the steps necessary to produce the write-up.
Research Planning (Cont.)
• A traditional research strategy is to first read the literature, then
design, then analyze or implement, then test or evaluate, then write up.
• A more effective strategy is to overlap these stages as much as
possible.
• You should begin the implementation, analysis, and write-up as soon
as it is reasonable to do so.
Students and Advisors
• Advisors are powerful figures in their students’ lives
• Some advisors set their students problems such as verifying a proof in a
published paper and seeing whether it can be applied to variants of the
theorem
• Another example is to attempt to confirm someone else’s results, by
downloading code or by developing a fresh implementation.
• The difficulties encountered in such efforts are a fertile source of
research questions.
• Other advisors immediately start their students on activities that are
expected to lead to a research publication.
• Advisors are busy people. Prepare for your meetings—bring tables of
results or lists of questions
• Be honest!
Characteristics of Successful Research Students
• They show a willingness to read widely, to explore the field broadly beyond their specific
topic, to try things out, and to generally take part in the academic community.
• They have the enthusiasm to develop their interest in some area
• They have the ability and persistence to undertake a detailed investigation of a specific facet
of a larger topic
• They take the initiative in terms of what needs to be done and how to present it
• They are systematic and organized, and understand the need for rigour, discipline, stringency,
quality, and high standards.
• They actively reflect on habits and working practices, and seek to improve themselves and
overcome their limitations and knowledge gaps.
• Their work looks plausible; it has the form and feel of high-quality published papers.
• They have the strength to keep working despite some significant failed or unsuccessful
activity
Note that neither “brilliance” nor “genius” is in this list
The Challenges of Scholarly Writing
Deal with Impatience and Uncertainty
• Convince yourself that writing is what you are doing now and commit
yourself to doing only those tasks that will support the writing effort.
• When the composing process is stalled or unproductive, switch to a
different task.
• Go back and search the literature or check references
• Many people mistakenly assume that “real” writers need only write
down brilliant, perfectly worded sentences
• Reserve writing time when you feel “fresh”
• Set realistic goals!
Cope with Time Constraints
• When authors are convinced they can succeed, they “suddenly” find
time for writing.
• Chances are, no one is going to “give” you time to write
• Try keeping a log of how you actually spend your time;
• The best advice that my mentor/colleague gave to me was to put
writing time on my calendar and guard it just as zealously as classes,
meetings, and other important appointments.
Get Past Procrastination and Avoidance
• Most people are reluctant to attempt a task unless they think they have a better
than 50/50 chance of succeeding
• Writing is the focus of considerable procrastination and outright avoidance
because expectations for success may be low.
• Published authors have learned to break writing down into smaller sub-tasks
(Snack Writing)
• They also “chip away” at writing tasks by beginning immediately because this
affords the greatest opportunity to complete multiple revisions and get critical
feedback.
• The reason for this is that writing is not some simple leisure time hobby that can
be casually pursued.
Address Aversion to Writing
• People who see themselves as poor writers typically have had some
bad experiences as learners.
• Another issue that surfaces is resisting recommendations for
improvement in the manuscript.
• A recommendation for revision is an invitation, not a rejection.
Put Perfectionism on Hold
• Authors need to develop a “thick skin” rather than taking criticism
personally
• Too often, students equate many written comments with poor evaluation
rather than a sincere commitment to supporting their growth as writers.
• Perfectionism also causes writers obsess about the finished product.
• Clarity, coherence, insight, and brilliance are not where writers start but
they are a destination.
• Thus, authors first need to generate quite a bit of text and then set about
deciding what keep and what to toss away.
Be Realistic About Criticism
• Academic authors would do well to abandon the fantasy that the editor’s and
reviewers’ responses to their manuscript will be, “Please, don’t change a
word”
• Accept that the act of submitting a manuscript invites critique and that a
recommendation to “revise and resubmit” is a positive outcome.
• Accept that writing is not the most time-consuming part of the process; it is
rewriting a manuscript and revising it significantly 15 times or more that is the
most challenging.
• It almost never works to submit what is admittedly a very flawed manuscript
in the hope that reviewers and editors will tidy it up or lead the author out of
muddleheaded thinking.
Seek Out More Knowledgeable Others
• Successfully published authors have learned to capitalize on social
support.
• The opportunity to work with a person who has been highly successful
with the task you are tackling for the first time and wants to help you
is a boon to growth as a writer.
• Academic authors often experience their first success with publishing
through co-authorship.
Use Higher order thinking
Assignment#1
• Search the JCR Journals list on Google using the following query:
JCR 2023 researchgate
• Download the excel sheet from the first link
• Search for the Journals that most interest you. You can search for keywords in
excel sheet such as “computer”, “software”, “information”, “bioinformatics”,
“machine learning”, “neural networks”, “artificial intelligence” etc.
• Open the journal’s website that you find interesting, look for recent
published articles and read their abstracts.
• Each student will present one topic of his/her interest in the next week. The
slides will contain What is the topic, from which Journal and what motivated
you to select this topic.