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English for Writing Research Papers Five guidelines to massively improve your chances of publication Adrian Wallwork ENGLISH Adrian Wallwork for Writing Research Papers English for Writing Research Papers Wallwork Adrian Wallwork English for Writing Research Papers Good writing skills are key to a successful career in academia. English for Writing Research Papers was written specically for researchers and professors of all disciplines whose rst language is not English and who wish to have their work published in an international journal. With easy-to-follow rules and tips, and with examples taken from real papers, the book covers how to: prepare and structure a manuscript that will be recommended by referees for publication use a reader-oriented style write each section of a paper highlight the most important ndings write concisely and without ambiguity avoid plagiarism choose the correct verb forms The book also includes around useful phrases for use in any kind of research paper. Adrian Wallwork is the author of more than ELT and EAP textbooks. He has trained several thousand PhD students and researchers from countries to write research papers. rough his editing agency, he and his partners have been revising and editing research papers since . is guide is thus also highly recommended for providers of editing services, proofreaders, and trainers in English for Academic Purposes. Other books in the series: English for Presentations at International Conferences English for Academic Correspondence and Socializing English for Research: Usage, Style, and Grammar 1 Education ISBN 978-1-4419-7921-6 ENGLISH Adrian Wallwork for Writing Research Papers English for Writing Research Papers Wallwork Adrian Wallwork English for Writing Research Papers Good writing skills are key to a successful career in academia. English for Writing Research Papers was written specically for researchers and professors of all disciplines whose rst language is not English and who wish to have their work published in an international journal. With easy-to-follow rules and tips, and with examples taken from real papers, the book covers how to: prepare and structure a manuscript that will be recommended by referees for publication use a reader-oriented style write each section of a paper highlight the most important ndings write concisely and without ambiguity avoid plagiarism choose the correct verb forms The book also includes around useful phrases for use in any kind of research paper. Adrian Wallwork is the author of more than ELT and EAP textbooks. He has trained several thousand PhD students and researchers from countries to write research papers. rough his editing agency, he and his partners have been revising and editing research papers since . is guide is thus also highly recommended for providers of editing services, proofreaders, and trainers in English for Academic Purposes. Other books in the series: English for Presentations at International Conferences English for Academic Correspondence and Socializing English for Research: Usage, Style, and Grammar 1 Education ISBN 978-1-4419-7921-6
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Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Aug 29, 2014

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Lecture. MedSouk.
University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum.
By Adrian Wallwork, author of the Springer books "English for Writing Research Papers", "English for Presentations at International Conferences", "English for Academic Correspondence and Socializing", "English for Academic Research: Grammar Exercises" y "English for Academic Research: Vocabulary Exercises".
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Page 1: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

English for Writing Research Papers

Five guidelines to massively

improve your chances of publication

Adrian

Wallwork ENGLISH

Adrian Wallwork

for WritingResearch Papers

English for Writing Research Papers

Wallwork

Adrian WallworkEnglish for Writing Research Papers

Good writing skills are key to a successful career in academia. English for Writing Research Papers was written speci!cally for researchers and professors of all disciplines whose !rst language is not English and who wish to have their work published in an international journal.

With easy-to-follow rules and tips, and with examples taken from real papers, the book covers how to: • prepare and structure a manuscript that will be recommended by referees

for publication • use a reader-oriented style • write each section of a paper • highlight the most important !ndings • write concisely and without ambiguity • avoid plagiarism • choose the correct verb forms

The book also includes around "## useful phrases for use in any kind of research paper.

Adrian Wallwork is the author of more than $# ELT and EAP textbooks. He has trained several thousand PhD students and researchers from %& countries to write research papers. 'rough his editing agency, he and his partners have been revising and editing research papers since ()*&. 'is guide is thus also highly recommended for providers of editing services, proofreaders, and trainers in English for Academic Purposes.

Other books in the series: • English for Presentations at International Conferences • English for Academic Correspondence and Socializing • English for Research: Usage, Style, and Grammar

1

Education

ISBN 978-1-4419-7921-6

ENGLISHAdrian Wallwork

for WritingResearch Papers

English for Writing Research Papers

Wallwork

Adrian WallworkEnglish for Writing Research Papers

Good writing skills are key to a successful career in academia. English for Writing Research Papers was written speci!cally for researchers and professors of all disciplines whose !rst language is not English and who wish to have their work published in an international journal.

With easy-to-follow rules and tips, and with examples taken from real papers, the book covers how to: • prepare and structure a manuscript that will be recommended by referees

for publication • use a reader-oriented style • write each section of a paper • highlight the most important !ndings • write concisely and without ambiguity • avoid plagiarism • choose the correct verb forms

The book also includes around "## useful phrases for use in any kind of research paper.

Adrian Wallwork is the author of more than $# ELT and EAP textbooks. He has trained several thousand PhD students and researchers from %& countries to write research papers. 'rough his editing agency, he and his partners have been revising and editing research papers since ()*&. 'is guide is thus also highly recommended for providers of editing services, proofreaders, and trainers in English for Academic Purposes.

Other books in the series: • English for Presentations at International Conferences • English for Academic Correspondence and Socializing • English for Research: Usage, Style, and Grammar

1

Education

ISBN 978-1-4419-7921-6

Page 2: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

A  PDF  of  this  seminar  will  be  on  my  blog:  adrianwallwork.wordpress.com  under  English  courses/downloads    

   

Page 3: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

GUIDELINE #1

Who should you have in mind when you

are writing your paper?

Page 4: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Who is the most important reader of your paper? The referee.

Page 5: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Spain’s  record  for  publishing  

3  Spanish  ins>tutes  in  top  200  ins>tutes  that  have  published  papers  in  Nature    (Portugal  0,  Italy  1,  France  5,  Germany  17,  UK  20)  

Page 6: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Research has found that there is a correlation between

poor English and non-acceptance of articles.

Many top journals are based in US and GB.

Page 7: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

List four things that you think represent ‘poor English’ and/or ‘poor writing skills’ that would cause

a paper to be rejected by a US or GB referee / reviewer.

Page 8: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

REASONS FOR PAPERS TO BE REJECTED 1) “There are 80 words in this sentence – my brain

is going to explode”

3-4 badly constructed long sentences may make a whole article incomprehensible.

Page 9: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

2) “Where are your findings?”

Referee cannot understand the importance of your findings / results because you have not highlighted them clearly.

Page 10: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

3) “Whose are these findings – yours or another author’s?”

Referee cannot understand if you are referring to your findings or findings already established in the literature.

Page 11: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

4)  Ambiguity  

If you take your dog in the car don't let him hang out of a window while driving. Like Maria, he had dark brown hair, with enormous black eyebrows, a moustache and a short beard.

Page 12: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

What do Spanish Referees complain about the most?

Page 13: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

         

Moral of the story

Papers are NOT normally rejected for a few grammar or vocabulary mistakes.

Papers ARE rejected for just two or three long

sentences / paragraphs

Page 14: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

FIVE EASY GUIDELINES      

•  1 Write from reader’s / referee’s point of view

•  2 Reduce word count to the minimum

•  3 Use short sentences

•  4 Avoid ambiguity

•  5 Highlight your findings and clearly

differentiate your findings from those already

in the literature

   

   

Page 15: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

If you follow my five guidelines you will DOUBLE the chances of your manuscript

being accepted.  

Page 16: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

If you follow my five guidelines you will DOUBLE, even TRIPLE, the chances of your

manuscript being accepted.  

Page 17: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

If you follow my five guidelines you will QUADRUPLE

the chances of your manuscript being accepted.

OK, I am little optimistic perhaps!  

Page 18: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

What do you see?

Page 19: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

We all have different perspectives

Trend today in English: seeing things from the reader’s point of view rather

than your point of view

Page 20: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Moral of the story  In your papers, emails, presentation slides, and applications for jobs always think about the audience. Think in terms of them them them NOT me me me

What do they want to: •  know? •  read first? •  hear first? How can I make it easier for them?

Page 21: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

 Guideline  1    

Write  for  the  referee  /  reader  Guideline  2    

Write  short  sentences  

Page 22: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Very  Simple  Sentence  One  part  only  

English  is  oQen  considered  to  be  the  simplest  language.  

 

Page 23: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Simple  Sentence  Two  parts  

Of  all  the  languages  in  the  world,  English  is  oQen  considered  to  be  the  simplest.  

 

Page 24: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Complex  Sentence  Too  many  ideas  

Of  all  the  languages  in  the  world,  including  those  that  are  now  dead  languages,  for  example  La>n  and  Sanskrit,  English,  which  is  now  spoken  by  around  400  million  na>ve  speakers  and  1.1  billion  non-­‐na>ve  speakers,  is  considered  by  most  people  to  be  the  simplest.  

 

Page 25: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Where  is  key  informa>on?  In  italics?  Or  normal  script  

English,  which  is  the  interna4onal  language  of  communica4on,  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people.    English,  which  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people,  is  the  interna>onal  language  of  communica>on.  

 

Page 26: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Rule  for  wri>ng  a  sentence    

1  Subject  in  first  part  2  Key  info  in  second  part  

 

Page 27: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

1)  Subject  2)  Key  info    

English,  which  is  the  interna4onal  language  of  communica4on,  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people.    English,  which  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people,  is  the  interna>onal  language  of  communica>on.  

 

Page 28: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Do  NOT  separate  the  subject    from  the  key  informa4on  

English,  which  owes  its  origins  to  the  Anglo  Saxons  (a  tribe  who  lived  in  what  is  now  Denmark  and  Northern  Germany)  and  is  the  interna>onal  language  of  communica>on,  in  part  due  to  the  importance  of  the  USA,  rather  than  the  Queen  of  England,    is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people.    

 

Page 29: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Don’t  hide  the  subject  in  the  middle  of  the  phrase  

Owing  its  origins  to  the  Anglo  Saxons  (a  tribe  who  lived    in  what  is  now  Denmark  and  Northern  Germany),  English  is  the  interna>onal  language  of  commun-­‐ica>on,  in  part  due  to  the  importance  of  the  USA,  rather  than  the  Queen  of  England,  and  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people.    

 

Page 30: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Think  how  you  could  divide  up  this  sentence  into  four  short  sentences.  

Owing  its  origins  to  the  Anglo  Saxons  (a  tribe  who  lived    in  what  is  now  Denmark  and  Northern  Germany),  English  is  the  interna>onal  language  of  commun-­‐ica>on,  in  part  due  to  the  importance  of  the  USA,  rather  than  the  Queen  of  England,  and  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people.    

 

Page 31: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Solu>on  

English  owes  its  origins  to  the  Anglo  Saxons,  who  were  a  tribe  from  what  is  now  Denmark  and  Northern  Germany.  //  It  has  become  the  interna>onal  language  of  communica>on.  //  This  is  in  part  due  to  the  importance  of  the  USA,  rather  than  the  Queen  of  England.  //    English  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people.    

 

Page 32: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

English, which owes its origins to the Anglo Saxons, is …  

English  owes  its  origins  to  the  Anglo  Saxons.  

Remove  relaCve  clauses  

Page 33: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

English, which owes its origins to the Anglo Saxons (a tribe who lived in what is now Denmark and Northern Germany)  

English  owes  its  origins  to  the  Anglo  Saxons.    

Remove  brackets  (and  consider  removing    content  of  brackets)    

Page 34: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

…. a tribe who lived in what is now Denmark and northern Germany) and is the international language of communication,  

…a tribe from what is now Denmark and northern Germany. English has become the international language of communication.    

Remove  linker  *  and  begin  a  new  sentence.    Don’t  worry  about  repeaCng  the  same  word  twice.  

* A linker is a connecting word: moreover, in particular, consequently

Page 35: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

… is the international language of communi- cation, in part due to the importance of the USA, rather than the Queen of England, is now studied by 1.1 billion people.  

…  is  the  interna>onal  language  of  communica>on.      This  is  in  part  due  to  the  importance  of  the  USA,  rather  than  the  Queen  of  England.  English  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people.          

Remove  comma  (,)  and  begin  a  new  sentence  

Page 36: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Having  shorter  sentences  also  makes  it  easier  to  change  their  order  

English owes its origins to the Anglo Saxons, who were a tribe from what is now Denmark and Northern Germany. // It has become the international language of communication. // This is in part due to the importance of the USA, rather than the Queen of England. // English is now studied by 1.1 billion people.  

 

English  is  now  studied  by  1.1  billion  people.  It  owes  its  origins  to  the  Anglo  Saxons,  who  were  a  tribe  from  what  is  now  Denmark  and  Northern  Germany.  //  It  has  become  the  interna>onal  language  of  communica>on.  //  This  is  in  part  due  to  the  importance  of  the  USA,  rather  than  the  Queen  of  England.    

Page 37: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Summary:  How  to  make  short  sentences  from  a  very  long  sentence.  Start  a  new  sentence  if  there  are/is:    

•  brackets  •  which  •  and  •  more  than  two  commas  •  a  link  word  (in  addi4on,  furthermore)  

Page 38: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

 Guideline  1    

Write  for  the  referee  Guideline  2    

Write  short  sentences  Guideline  3  

Minimum  number  of  words    (avoid  redundancy)  

Page 39: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Researchers vs Normal People

Imagine you ask a researcher the question

“What time is it?”

Page 40: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

A typical researcher will say: "On the basis of the consideration that the sun would appear to be at its highest peak in the sky, it would be reasonable, given such circumstances, to hypothesize, all other things being equal, that the time, with respect to Greenwich, is midday."

Page 41: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

A normal person would say:

“12 o’clock”

Page 42: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Which style of writing is easier to understand and more enjoyable to

READ?

a) “12 o’clock” b) "On the basis of the consideration that the sun would appear to be at its highest peak in

the sky …”

Page 43: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Which style do you use? Why?

a) “12 o’clock”

b) "On the basis of the consideration that the sun would appear to be at its highest peak in

the sky …”

Page 44: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

In a survey at Stanford

University, 86.4% of students admitted they used complicated language in

their papers to make themselves sound more

intelligent.

Page 45: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Remove the fog: cut redundant words

 

It was yellow in colour and round in shape.

Page 46: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Remove the fog: cut redundant words

1.  It was yellow in colour and round in shape.

2.  This will be done in the month of December.

3.  The research activity carried out in our department.

4.  The activity aimed at the extrapolation of X is not trivial.

5.  We did X. This choice meant that …

6. The summary statements presented above represent the authors’ current perceptions in relation to the results. Since the work is ongoing, these statements should only be viewed as conclusions to the extent that it is the author’s intention and aim to embellish them in the light of subsequent events.

 

Page 47: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Cut redundant words

1.  It was yellow in colour and round in shape.

2.  This will be done in the month of December.

3.  The research activity carried out in our department.

4.  The activity aimed at the extrapolation of X is not trivial.

5.  We did X. This choice meant that …

6.  The summary statements presented above represent the authors’ current perceptions in relation to the results. Since the work is ongoing, these statements should only be viewed as conclusions to the extent that it is the author’s intention and aim to embellish them in the light of subsequent events.

 

Page 48: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Why is eliminating redundant words useful?

It was yellow in colour and round in shape / form. We did X. This choice / choose meant that … The activity aimed at / to the extrapolation of X is not trivial.

 

Page 49: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Why is eliminating redundant words useful?

It was yellow in colour and round in shape / form. We did X. This choice / choose meant that … The activity aimed at / to the extrapolation of X is not trivial.

 

Page 50: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Why cut redundant words?

It was yellow in colour and round in shape / form. We did X. This choice / choose meant that … The activity aimed at / to the extrapolation of X is not trivial.

•  If you cut redundant words it is impossible make mistakes with them!

•  They add no value for the reader. •  They are not concrete.

 

Page 51: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Which is correct?  

1a) We found useful to consider the cases separately.

1b) We found it useful to consider ...

2a) It is worth to note that x = y. 2b) It is worth noting that x = y.

Page 52: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Which is correct?  

We found useful to consider … We found it useful to consider ...

It is worth to note that x = y. It is worth noting that x = y.

Are you 100% sure???!!!

Page 53: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Are the sentences in blue correct?  

We found useful to consider … We found it useful to consider √ We considered ...

It is worth to note that x = y. It is worth noting that x = y. √ Note that x = y.

Page 54: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Eliminating words  Reduces the number of choices you have to make, thus reduces the time you have to spend thinking.

Reduces the chances of you making mistakes, thus reduces correction time.

Saves the reader time and reduces possible boredom.

Page 55: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Using simple constructions does not mean you have a low intelligence quota!

Page 56: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Prefer verbs to nouns    

X was used in the calculation of Y.  X was used to calculate Y.    

All sentences in red are examples of BAD English

Page 57: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Prefer a verb to a verb + noun construction    

This allows the analysis of X to be performed. This allows you to analyse X. This allows X to be analysed. A comparison was made between X and Y. X and Y were compared. X showed a better performance than Y. X performed better than Y.  

Page 58: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Why is using verbs a good idea?

A comparison was made / done / effected / carried out between X and Y.

X and Y were compared.

 

Page 59: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Be concise in the title of your paper but not too concise  

Page 60: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

After reading a title of a paper only 1 in 500

people … ?

Page 61: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

So you think they are going to read your paper?

1 in 3 Americans read gossip on blog websites 1 in 6 people read 12 or more books a year 1 in 100 people read a newspaper ONLY 1 in 500 people read a paper after reading the title

1 in 10,000 people read poetry

Page 62: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

What is the problem with this title?

An innovative Spanish PhD student scientific English

didactic methodology

Page 63: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

When you start reading it, it seems to have one meaning. But when you

finish it, it has another meaning.

An innovative Spanish PhD student …

Page 64: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

It is a string of :

adjectives + nouns that act as adjectives + nouns

An innovative Spanish PhD student scientific English

didactic methodology

Page 65: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Rewrite the title. Include some prepositions and a verb.

An innovative Spanish PhD student scientific English

didactic methodology

Page 66: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Good titles have a verb and some prepositions.

An innovative Italian PhD student scientific English

didactic methodology

An innovative methodology for teaching scientific English

to Spanish PhD students

Page 67: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Good titles put the adjective next to the noun it

refers to.

NO! An innovative Spanish PhD student scientific English didactic

methodology

YES! An innovative methodology for teaching scientific English to Spanish

PhD students

Page 68: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Moral of the story

If readers can’t understand your title, there is a 98.76532% chance they won’t

read your paper.

Page 69: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Using  Google  to  check  your  English  

Page 70: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Google:  summary  

This  word  or  exact  phrasing:  these  informa>ons  are    Language:  English    Domain:  .ac,  .edu    Author  (Google  Scholar  only):  Smith      

Page 71: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Being concise: Summary    Remove redundant words (and even whole sentences, paragraphs, sections) For a period of six months For six months Reduce number of words This gives us the possibility to do x This allows us to do x Use verbs instead of nouns We made an analysis of x We analysed x    

Page 72: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Why be concise?    Abstracts

CVs Applications for grants

Research proposals Emails

Slides in presentations Posters at conferences

Twitter

Learning to be concise is not an option, it is essential.  

Page 73: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

You will not write like a child!

Being concise does not mean that you cannot be expressive or cannot be eloquent.

You can!

Are native English academics concise? Most are not.

But the difference between them and you is that they don’t make mistakes!

 

Page 74: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Believe me. You need to be concise    

Page 75: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Just because it was not concise: “Must be rewritten completely”  

Referees can be real bastards!

Page 76: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

But the author could easily have been avoided the problem

 Abstract  Tomato  (Solanum  lycopersicum  L.)  is  a  worldwide-­‐culCvated  vegetable  crop  which  is  affected  by  many  viruses  that  cause  significant  economic  losses.  Therefore,  Their  detec>on  and  iden>fica>on  is  of  cri>cal  importance  to  plant  virologists  in  general  and,  in  parCcular,  to  scienCsts  and  others  involved  in  plant  protec>on  acCviCes  and  quaran>ne  and  cer>fica>on  programs.  

 Instead publication was delayed 3 months. Also, the author had to pay me €220 to revise his manuscript – when he could have done the revision HIMSELF before the first submission. P.S. Obviously, the author had NOT followed my English course!

Page 77: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Note also that this is an Abstract  Abstract  Tomato  (Solanum  lycopersicum  L.)  is  a  worldwide-­‐culCvated  vegetable  crop  which  is  affected  by  many  viruses  that  cause  significant  economic  losses.  Therefore,  Their  detec>on  and  iden>fica>on  is  of  cri>cal  importance  to  plant  virologists  in  general  and,  in  parCcular,  to  scienCsts  and  others  involved  in  plant  protec>on  acCviCes  and  quaran>ne  and  cer>fica>on  programs.  

 

If the reader sees a lot of redundancy in the Abstract, then he/she will probably stop reading.

In your Abstract every word must add VALUE.

You do not have much space in an Abstract, so don’t waste a single word.

Page 78: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

   

1)  Write  for  the  referee  2)  Write  short  sentences  3)  Avoid  redundancy)  

 

Guideline  4  Highlight  your  findings  and  

differenCate  them  from  the  literature    

Guideline  5  Avoid  ambiguity  

Page 79: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Which part of the paper is the most

difficult to write? Why?

Abstract Introduction

Methodology (Materials and Method) Results

Discussion Conclusion

Page 80: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Which part of the paper is the most

difficult to write? Why?

Abstract Introduction

Methodology (Materials and Method) Results

Discussion Conclusion

Page 81: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

With  the  person  siSng  next  to  you  decide  the  main  purposes  of  

the  Discussion  

Page 82: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

In Discussion / Conclusions it is essential to:

1) be clear what you did and what

other authors have done

2) highlight your unique contribution

3) discuss limitations of your findings

4) state what the applications and implications of your research are

Page 83: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Differentiating yourself from other authors

NO!! It was found that …

•  ?

•  ? They found X. •  They found X. •  They found XThey

found X

They found X. We found X. Our findings show that ...

THEM YOU YOU

Page 84: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Use ACTIVE and WE to distinguish between you and other authors

1.  We clearly indicates that you are referring to your own work.

2.  The author is the subject of the verb, so it is clear to the reader.

3.  The passive form means that the reader is not sure until the end of the sentence if it was you or another author. A long literature review full of passive sentences is very heavy for the reader.

4.  This is ambiguous. Readers cannot know who made the suggestion unless they go to Ref. 25 and see if it was you or someone else.

5.  There is no reference. Readers cannot be sure if you made the suggestion or someone else.

1.  GOOD! In 2008, we confirmed that complex sentences aggravate the reader [25].

2.  GOOD! In 2007, Carter suggested that complex sentences could also lead to high levels of stress for the reader [36].

3.  OK! In 2007, it was suggested that complex sentences could also lead to high levels of stress for the reader [Carter, 36].

4.  BAD! In 2007, it was suggested that complex sentences could also lead to high levels of stress for the reader [25].

5.  DISASTER! In 2007, it was suggested that complex sentences could also lead to high levels of stress for the reader.

Page 85: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Not making the distinction clear between what YOU did and what OTHERS have done

causes more confusion for the reader than any grammatical or vocabulary mistake

Page 86: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

For  each  verb  in  bold,  try  to  understand  if  the  verb  refers  to  something  Kim  

(the  author)  did  or  found,  or  to  something  another  author  (AA)  did  or  found.  

 

Bilingual  children  (1)  were  found    to  show  a  greater  adaptability  to  new  

situa>ons  (e.g.  change  of  school,  change  of  diet)  and  demonstrated  a  greater  

ease  in  communica>ng  confidently  with  adults  [Simons,  1995].  As  result  of  an  

extensive  search  for  bilingual  children  in  ten  European  countries,  149  children  

(2)  were  iden3fied  (Table  1).  It  (3)  has  been  found  that  those  children  with  

parents  of  the  same  na>onality  but  who  lived  in  a  foreign  country  (for  

example,  a  child  with  English  parents  living  in  Italy)  (4)  have  a  greater  level  of  

adaptability  than  those  children  with  parents  of  different  na>onali>es  living  

in  the  na>ve  country  of  one  of  the  parents.    

 

Page 87: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Original

Bilingual children were found to show a greater adaptability to new situations and

demonstrated a greater ease in communicating confidently with adults [Simons, 1995].

As result of an extensive search for bilingual children in ten European countries, 149

children were identified (Table 1).

Revised

Bilingual children show a greater adaptability to new situations and

demonstrated a greater ease in communicating confidently with adults

[Simons, 1995]. Simons investigated children from the US

and Canada. On the other hand, the focus of our study

was Europe and as a result of an extensive search for bilingual

children in ten European countries, 149 children were identified (Table

1).

Page 88: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

impersonal forms vs we

Simons investigated children from the US and

Canada, whereas we studied children in Europe. We

conducted an extensive search for bilingual children

in ten European countries and identified 149 children

(Table 1). We found that those children with parents

Page 89: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Results: present simple vs simple past

present: to talk about established scientific fact

past: your findings that you

describe in your paper.

It is well known that if green is mixed with red, brown is produced. We found that when we mixed green and red, white was produced.

NO!!! We found that when we mixed green and red, white is produced.

Page 90: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Highlighting your findings

Page 91: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Telling

Page 92: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Show

Don’t tell

Page 93: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Show

Don’t tell

The large difference in mean size between X and Y is particularly interesting.

X showed a massive increase, almost ten times that of Y.

Interesting for who?

Page 94: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

This is one ridiculously long paragraph containing all kinds of information about everything that you can possibly imagine and conceive. This is one ridiculously long paragraph containing all kinds of information about everything that you can possibly imagine and conceive. Here are my findings you will be lucky if you can see them here buried in the midst of this ridiculously long paragraph containing all kinds of information about everything that you can possibly imagine and conceive. And now I will continue with this ridiculously long paragraph containing all kinds of information about everything that you can possibly imagine and conceive. So here we go again with this ridiculously long paragraph containing all kinds of information about everything that you can possibly imagine and conceive. This is one ridiculously long paragraph containing all kinds of information about everything that you can possibly imagine and conceive.

This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. Here are my findings, which you can now see quite clearly. Note how this paragraph is also quite short. In fact, it is shorter than the previous and following paragraphs. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph. This is now a much shorter paragraph.

Page 95: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Highlighting your findings

"   Begin a new paragraph "   Use different language "   Avoid too many ‘note that’, ‘interestingly’ – show rather than say

"   If possible, use ‘we’ and active form "   Use shorter than normal sentences "   Keep the paragraph short

Page 96: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Do any of you drink Carlsberg?

Probably the best beer in the world

Page 97: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Probably the best beer in the world Early Carlsberg adverts had these slogans:

Lager at its best.�

Unrivalled quality and flavour.�The world’s best.�

Why did Carlsberg decide to use ‘probably’?

http://carlsberg.com/#/Commercials/historic+ads

Page 98: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Hedging and Sitting on the Fence

Page 99: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Emphasizing your contribution

Too modest Too arrogant

Page 100: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Too weak

It may be the case that these findings could possibly find an application in …

These findings would seem to suggest that in certain circumstances there might be a possiblity to ..

Too strong

These findings will certainly be useful for …

Our findings prove that ..

Other researchers should use these findings to …

Page 101: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

The right balance

X would seem to indicate that …

We believe that these results show that …

To the best of our knowledge this is

the first time that …

We hope that other researchers will …

Our findings suggest

that ..

Other researchers may benefit from …

Page 102: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

But don’t put ‘probably’ in front of every affirmation you make!

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Level of certainty when discussing results

100% Must will (certainly) 90% should will probably 50% may could

0% will not cannot

Page 106: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

There are no studies on ... Have you actually checked every single paper in the world?

The literature has not discussed ...

Are you 100% certain about this? This is the first time that this method has been applied

to ... What about that recent study in China?

Results often conflict with each other ...

Have you investigated all the results?

How can you be so sure about what you say?

Page 107: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

As far as we know, there are no studies on ... To [the best of] our knowledge, the literature has not

discussed … We believe that this is the first time … Results often appear to conflict with each other ...

I want my paper published, so I am more modest and open to other

interpretations

Page 108: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Don’t offend anyone when describing their limitations

Page 109: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Don’t give the finger to another author: he/she might be the refereee

Page 110: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Describe the limitations of your research + all possible objections.

Page 111: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork
Page 112: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

So, what does it all mean?

Page 113: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

Summary    

Write  for  the  reader  not  for  yourself    

Simple,  short,  clear  and  unambigous      

‘Sell’  your  methods  and  results    

Reduce  what  you’ve  wrihen  by  25%  

Page 114: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

How to end a seminar using boring scientific English

On the basis that I have now concluded everything that I wish to say on this particular occasion, and, moreover, due to the consideration that the time allocated to this particular session is drawing near to its scheduled completion, I believe, given all the above factors, that we have reached the point at which we can bring this seminar to a suitable and appropriate termination.

Page 115: Writing research articles in English, by Adrian Wallwork

How to end a lesson using error-free English

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