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This document provides guidelines for structuring academic papers, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and organization. It suggests using specific verbs to express the paper's objectives and advises on how to effectively organize sections, particularly Materials and Methods, and Results and Discussion. The document highlights the need for topic sentences to guide readers and enhance the readability of each section.

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File 2

This document provides guidelines for structuring academic papers, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and organization. It suggests using specific verbs to express the paper's objectives and advises on how to effectively organize sections, particularly Materials and Methods, and Results and Discussion. The document highlights the need for topic sentences to guide readers and enhance the readability of each section.

Uploaded by

ree
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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For the object of the document,

 use the document itself as the subject of the sentence: this paper, this letter,
etc.;
 use a verb expressing a communication action: presents, summarizes, etc.;
 set the verb in the present tense.
The three examples below are suitable objects of the document for the three tasks
shown above, respectively.

This paper clarifies the role of CxHc on calcium oscillations in neonatal cardiac
myocytes and calcium transients induced by ATP in HL-cells originated from cardiac
atrium and in HeLa cells expressing connexin 43 or 26.
This paper presents the flow effects induced by increasing the hepatic-artery
pressure and by obstructing the vena cava inferior.
This paper discusses the theory behind oblivious hashing and shows how this
approach can be applied for local software tamper resistance and remote code
authentication.
The list below provides examples of verbs that express communication actions:

clarify This paper clarifies the role of soils in . . .


describe This paper describes the mechanism by which . . .
detail This paper details the algorithm used for . . .
discuss This paper discusses the influence of acidity on . . .
explain This paper explains how the new encoding scheme . . .
offer This paper offers four recommendations for . . .
present This paper presents the results of . . .
proposes This paper proposes a set of guidelines for . . .
provide This paper provides the complete framework and . . .
report This paper reports on our progress so far . . .
summarize This paper summarizes our results for 27 patients with . . .

The body
Even the most logical structure is of little use if readers do not see and understand it
as they progress through a paper. Thus, as you organize the body of your paper into
sections and perhaps subsections, remember to prepare your readers for the
structure ahead at all levels. You already do so for the overall structure of the body
(the sections) in the object of the document at the end of the Introduction. You can
similarly prepare your readers for an upcoming division into subsections by
introducing a global paragraph between the heading of a section and the heading of
its first subsection. This paragraph can contain any information relating to the section
as a whole rather than particular subsections, but it should at least announce the
subsections, whether explicitly or implicitly. An explicit preview would be phrased
much like the object of the document: "This section first . . . , then . . . , and finally . . .
"
Although papers can be organized into sections in many ways, those reporting
experimental work typically include Materials and Methods, Results,
and Discussion in their body. In any case, the paragraphs in these sections should
begin with a topic sentence to prepare readers for their contents, allow selective
reading, and — ideally — get a message across.

Materials and methods

A paragraph of materials and methods


This paragraph of materials and methods expresses the main idea first, in a topic sentence, so readers immediately
know what it is about.

Most Materials and Methods sections are boring to read, yet they need not be. To
make this section interesting, explain the choices you made in your experimental
procedure: What justifies using a given compound, concentration, or dimension?
What is special, unexpected, or different in your approach? Mention these things
early in your paragraph, ideally in the first sentence. If you use a standard or usual
procedure, mention that upfront, too. Do not make readers guess: Make sure the
paragraph's first sentence gives them a clear idea of what the entire paragraph is
about. If you feel you cannot or need not do more than list items, consider using a
table or perhaps a schematic diagram rather than a paragraph of text.

Results and discussion


A paragraph of results and discussion
This paragraph of results and discussion (above) can easily be rewritten (below) to convey the message first, not last.

The traditional Results and Discussion sections are best combined because results
make little sense to most readers without interpretation.
When reporting and discussing your results, do not force your readers to go through
everything you went through in chronological order. Instead, state the message of
each paragraph upfront: Convey in the first sentence what you want readers to
remember from the paragraph as a whole. Focus on what happened, not on the fact
that you observed it. Then develop your message in the remainder of the paragraph,
including only that information you think you need to convince your audience.

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