Panorama On Skills of Research Tools: Writing, Submission, Revised, Cover Letter and Response Letter Paper

Research Tools (Lecture
4)
Panorama on skills of
Research Tools: Paper
writing, submission,
revised, cover letter and
response letter
Dr. ZAKI ELDEEN M. ELHASSAN

Karary University (KU)
Tuesday 29 December 2015
Prepared by Dr. Elhassan
General Format of Research Paper

Introduction
Why research needed
Methodology
How
research
completed and results
analyzed
Results And
What was found (data)
Discussion
Interpretation of results
and application
Basic structure of a research paper

Title (and Subtitle)
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review/Background Analysis
Acknowledgements
Approval
Contents
appendix
Methodology
Results and Analysis
Conclusion
Bibliography/References
Definition of Abstract?
Many What and why ?
a one-paragraph summary of a research project.

a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that describes a
larger work.
a condensed version of a longer piece of writing that highlights
the major points covered, concisely describes the content and
scope of the writing, and reviews the writings contents in an
abbreviated form.
Two types of abstracts:
Descriptive abstract
Informative abstract
Abstract Parts (checklists) ?
How did you go about solving the

problem?
What answers did you

find?
What is the importance of the

research? Why would a reader be
interested in the larger work?
What problem does this work attempt to

solve? What is the scope of the project?
What is the main argument/thesis/claim?
How does this work add to the
body of knowledge on the
topic?
Selection of Key Words?
An abstract must contain key words about what is

essential in an article, paper, or report so that
someone else can retrieve information from it.
printed
underneath the abstract and are useful for readers

and researchers.
selected
from the title and the abstract
separated
contain
by a semi-colon(;), comma(,) or larger space.
3-6 key words.
Introduction or literature review!!!
(Clare & Hamilton, 2003, p. 8)

(Manalo & Trafford,
2004, p. 45)
a
process of gathering and

documenting information from other
sources
critical and in-depth evaluation of previous research

not a chronological catalog of all of the sources
not a collection of quotes and paraphrasing from other sources
Introduction should be contained

Statement
of the problem
Background
Rationale
What
was done
1. What do we already know in the immediate area concerned?

2. What are the characteristics of the key concepts or the main
factors or variables?
3. What are the relationships between these key concepts, factors
or variables?
4. What are the existing theories?
5. Where are the inconsistencies or other shortcomings in our
knowledge and understanding?
6. What views need to be (further) tested?
7. What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too
limited?
8. Why study (further) the research problem?
9. What contribution can the present study be expected to make?
10.What research designs or methods seem unsatisfactory?
The following questions must

answer in the introduction !!!
Why we write Literature Review?
To demonstrate
a familiarity with a
body of knowledge and establish
credibility
To show
the path of prior research

and how a current project is linked
to it
To integrate
and summarize what

is known in an area
To learn
10
from others and stimulate

new ideas
Ways of integrating sources?
put the information into

your own words and
identify the source.
put quotation
marks around the
words and identify
the source.
take the key
ideas and
paraphrase
them and
identify the
source
http://integrity.mit.edu/academic-writing/incorporating-words11 and-ideas-others
How to show the quoting?
Name
the source in an
introductory phrase.
Use
quotation marks or
indent long quotations.
When to
quote?
When
language is particularly
vivid or expressive.
When
exact wording is needed

for technical accuracy.
Cite the source
When the words of an
appropriately.
important authority lend weight
to an argument.
http://integrity.mit.edu/academic-writing/avoiding-plagiarism12 quoting
Read, Compare and Decide

Original
Because of their unique perspective, Americans fear globalization less
than anyone else, and as a consequence they think about it less than
anyone else. When Americans do think about globalization, they think
of the global economy as an enlarged version of the American
economy.
(Source: Thurow, L. (1993). Fortune Favors the Bold (p. 6). New York:
Harper Collins.)
Economist Lester Thurow (1993)
has asserted that the American
reaction to globalization is different
from that of the rest of the world in
that "American's fear globalization
less than anyone else, and as a
consequence . . . think about it
less than anyone else" (p. 6).
The American view of

globalization is unlike that of the
rest of the world. Because of
their unique perspective,
Americans fear globalization less
than anyone else, and therefore
think about it less than anyone
else (Thurow, 1993).
13
Lexical
Guidelines for Paraphrasing
transformation
Syntactic
Use
alternative word (synonyms)
Change
Make
word forms
necessary structural adjustments
Change
between the affirmative and the negative
Change
the voice from active to passive and vice versa
Change
clauses to phrases and vice versa
Include
14
transformation
reference to the original source
http://integrity.mit.edu/academic-writing/avoidingplagiarism-paraphrasing
How to make the introduction

in more summarize
Start by reading a short text and highlight the main

points as you read
Reread the text and make notes of the main points,

leaving out examples, evidence, etc.
Restate or repeat the ideas of the source in different

words and phrases
Do not add your own ideas, opinions or judgment of the
arguments.
Make it shorter than the source
15
Describing Methodology
provides
What we did?
the information by which a studys

validity is judged.
Clear subheadings for
answers
methods/materials
two main questions:

1) How was the data collected or generated?
Novel methods must be
2) How was it analyzed?
described in sufficient detail
The writing should be direct and precise and
written in the past tense.
16
Results: What did you find and

how to show it?
Texts
Tables
Graphs
Clear
concise
heading
Clearly label
Charts
17
write them in the present tense
Clear, stand
alone legend
Activity : Writing about a graph

Study the graph below. Write a brief paragraph describing
the data shown in the graph.
The graph shows the
number of international
students on a presessional course, at
Southfield University, from
2000 to 2008. The
horizontal axis presents the
years and the vertical axis
shows student numbers.
The graph indicates that numbers of international students on the
course each year have fluctuated. There was a decline in student
numbers from 2001-2002, and 2005-2006, but generally, student
numbers have increased over the period.
Compare or Contrast?
Discussing Findings
What does it all mean?
Restate your research question and/or any hypotheses

presented in the introduction.
Summarize your main findingsmake it clear how your
study has advanced the field.
Begin with your most important finding.
Past tense to describe results (current and published).
Present tense to describe their implications.
Minimize repetition with other sections.
Describe inconsistencies with other papers.
Describe the limitations of your study.
20 Prepared by Dr. Elhassan
Expressions for limiting a claim

Expressions for strengthening a claim
21
22
Restate key findings and their

significance
Propose future studies that might

follow on from your current study
Give the reader a take-home

message
Acknowledgments and References

Your chance to acknowledge anyone who has helped with
the study:
Anyone who provided technical assistance
Anyone who helped with the preparation of the
manuscript or provided a critical assessment of it
Funding bodies
For order and cite your References must use relevant
software; I recommend using EndNote. For more
information about it return to EndNote lecture, which
in this lecture.
23 appended
Why you publish?
To share your research findings and opinions with the

international research community
Publication success is linked to funding success and

career advancement
Many PhD programs require candidates to achieve a

set number of peer-reviewed publications
Lead to next step
24Prepared by Dr. Elhassan
How to select a suitable journal?

The following items must consider
25
Can be the difference between success and rejection

What is the main focus of your research and who will be
interested in it?
What are its strengths and weaknesses?
How significant are your findings?
Are your findings preliminary or are they sufficient to make a
story?
How widely will your research appeal? To researchers in the
same field or to the broader scientific community?
What are the elements should be

considered for journal selection?
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
26
Publishing frequency
How do these relate to
Impact factor
your publication needs?
Target audience
Aims and scope
Rejection rate
Lead times
Access (open or subscriber)
Prior publications
Publication fees
Publication types
Rapidly citation in website database
Publication ethics
Unethical behavior could lead to rejection and a
possible ban from a target journal.
Multiple submissions
Redundant publications
Plagiarism
Data fabrication and falsification
Improper use of human subjects and animals in
research
Improper author contribution
Prepared by Mr. Elhassan
27
Tuesday 29 Decembe
Who classification journals types?
Institute for Scientific Information(ISI) was classified journal

to many types. ISI was created by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It
was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992,[1]
became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Intellectual
Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters.
ISI offered bibliographic database services. Its specialty:
citation indexing. It maintains citation databases covering
thousands of academic journals, including a continuation of its
longtime print-based indexing service the Science Citation Index
(SCI), as well as the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), and
the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI). All of these are
28available via ISI's Web of Knowledge database service.
The ISI also publishes a list of highly cited researchers,

one of the factors included in the
Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Compendex, is the computerized version of
the Engineering Index,. It is an engineering
bibliographic database. It indexes scientific literature
pertaining to engineering materials. Beginning in 1884, it
was compiled by hand under the original title of Engineering
Index
(EI). Index" was renamed "Compendex", and it is
Engineering
now published by Elsevier, which purchased the parent
company Engineering Information in 1998.[1] The name
"Compendex" stands for COMPuterized ENgineering
inDEX.[2]
29
Sometimes indexing in EI Compedenx

or SCI
In academia, proceedings are the collection of academic

papers published in the context of an academic conference.
They are usually distributed as printed volumes or in
electronic form either before the conference opens or after it
has closed. Proceedings contain the contributions made by
researchers at the conference. They are the written record
of the work that is presented to fellow researchers.
30
Publishing Houses
Wiley
AIP (American Institute of Physics)
Elsevier
Springer
France & Taylor
Hindawi
31
IEEE Explore ( Institute of Electrical and

Electronics Engineers)
IET (The Institute of Engineering and Tech.)
ASP (American Scientific Publishers )
International Publishing House.
Trans Tech Publications.
Etc
Tips for getting accepted
32
Your cover letter

Recommending reviewers
Language
Good writing
Common language problems
What do reviewers look for?
Submission
Final checks
Post-referee revisions
Checklist
Cover Letters
Your cover Letter is an opportunity to get the journal
editors attention
General rules for cover letters:
Address to the editor personally
Begin by giving your manuscript title and publication type
Give a brief background, rationale and description of results
Explain why your findings are important and why they would
be of interest to the journals target audience
Consult the journals Guide for Authors for cover letter
requirements (e.g., disclosures, statements, potential
reviewers)
Give corresponding author details
33
Language
Some journals look seriously to English writing so !!!
Language and Style: Manuscripts should be

written in English in a clear and concise manner.
Manuscripts which are not written in fluent
English will be rejected automatically without
refereeing.
Good scientific writing possesses the following three Cs:
Clarity
Conciseness
Correctness (accuracy)
34
Golden rules for writing paper in a good

English
Use simple language: it is often clearer, more precise

and
more concise than using more complex language
Say what you mean in as few words as possible
Delete unnecessary words
Avoid circular sentences, redundancies and repetition
One sentence: one idea
35
Reviewers What do they look for?
36
Is the manuscript sufficiently novel?

Is the manuscript of broad enough interest?
Submission
Final checks
37
Critically self-evaluatecould anything be done

better?
Double check the Guide for Authors
Are all files in the correct file format and of the
appropriate resolution or size?
Is your spelling/grammar correct?
Do you have contact information for all authors?
Have you completed online registration?
Have you written a persuasive cover letter?
Revisions Post-referee revisions
Rejection from journals is an important part of the

publication process
It is not a negative experience
Reasons for rejection:

Inappropriate target journal
Poor study design
Poor written language
Inappropriate or incompletely explained methodology
Inappropriate statistical tests
Incorrect description or overstatement of results
Lack of balance or detail in introduction and/or discussion
Lack of novelty
38
Prepared by Mr. Elhassan
Revisions Post-referee revisions

Only 1.5% of papers are immediately accepted without
need for any revisions
Acceptance with
miner revision
Journal editor
decision
Acceptance with
major revision
Reject and
resubmit
Rejection
39
When revising your manuscript:

Acceptance with
miner revision
Address all points raised by the editor and/or reviewers
Describe the revisions in your response letter
Perform any additional experiments or analyses requested
paper: explain why not in your response letter)
Provide a polite and scientific rebuttal to any points or
comments you disagree with
Differentiate comments and responses in your letter
Clearly show the major revisions in the text
Return revised manuscript and response letter within the
requested time period
40
CFSS
Research Tools

Panorama On Skills of Research Tools: Writing, Submission, Revised, Cover Letter and Response Letter Paper

Transféré par

Informations du document

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Panorama On Skills of Research Tools: Writing, Submission, Revised, Cover Letter and Response Letter Paper

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Research Tools (Lecture

Dr. ZAKI ELDEEN M. ELHASSAN

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Prepared by Dr. Elhassan

General Format of Research Paper

Prepared by Dr. Elhassan

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Basic structure of a research paper

a one-paragraph summary of a research project.

Two types of abstracts:

Prepared by Dr. Elhassan

Abstract Parts (checklists) ?

How did you go about solving the

What answers did you

What is the importance of the

What problem does this work attempt to

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Selection of Key Words?

An abstract must contain key words about what is

underneath the abstract and are useful for readers

from the title and the abstract

by a semi-colon(;), comma(,) or larger space.

3-6 key words.

Prepared by Dr. Elhassan

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Introduction or literature review!!!

(Clare & Hamilton, 2003, p. 8)

process of gathering and

critical and in-depth evaluation of previous research

Introduction should be contained

Prepared by Dr. Elhassan

Tuesday 29 December 2015

1. What do we already know in the immediate area concerned?

The following questions must

Prepared by Dr. Elhassan

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Why we write Literature Review?

the path of prior research

and summarize what

from others and stimulate

Prepared by Dr. Elhassan

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Ways of integrating sources?

put the information into

How to show the quoting?

exact wording is needed

Read, Compare and Decide

The American view of

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Guidelines for Paraphrasing

alternative word (synonyms)

necessary structural adjustments

between the affirmative and the negative

the voice from active to passive and vice versa

clauses to phrases and vice versa

reference to the original source

How to make the introduction

Start by reading a short text and highlight the main

Reread the text and make notes of the main points,

Restate or repeat the ideas of the source in different

Prepared by Dr. Elhassan

Tuesday 29 December 2015

the information by which a studys