Writing Style

Project paper Writing Style


Begin writing as soon as possible, even before you finish all your research. The very act of writing will help keep you focused and aware of what you are still lacking. If you have a gap or need more research to finish a point, leave a "flag" of some sort in your text and continue with what you have.

Avoid run-on sentences and awkward constructions. A sentence that exceeds more than three typed lines without punctuation will be difficult to read and follow. A good idea is to read your work aloud to check for length and smoothness of construction. It is also helpful to vary your sentence length for ease and interest of reading.

The construction of your paragraphs is also important. Each paragraph should address a single point. The first sentence tells the reader the topic of the paragraph. The rest of the paragraph provides all of the detail necessary to clarify the topic introduced in the first sentence. If the point requires much clarification, such as in more than six sentences or so, then you are probably dealing with several distinct points and should break the paragraph into several paragraphs, each with topic sentences. Each paragraph follows logically from the previous one in the text in order to build a coherent argument. At times you may need a transition paragraph to make the connections between one paragraph or point to another. At other times the final sentence in a paragraph or the initial sentence in the next may serve this purpose.

Write simply and directly. Avoid jargon (a professional hazard) whenever possible and always avoid common clich‚s such as "last but not least" or "in the general scheme of things." Remember that you are not writing a literary essay and that "flowery" language adds nothing to your argument or to your clarity. Be careful of which adjectives, qualifiers, and intensifiers you choose and be as precise as possible. A common mistake made by students is inappropriate word use. Make sure you know the precise meaning of the words you choose. If you are not sure, use a different word or look it up in a dictionary. Do not repeat the same word continuously. A thesaurus can be helpful in this regard. At the same time, guard against pretentiousness in your writing by using overly large or obscure words when a simpler one will do. Avoid the general use of the passive tense. I encourage you to write direct sentences and to use the word "I" when it is appropriate.

When you have finished your first draft, read through it and eliminate any unnecessary words or phrases. Check for brevity. Check for clarity and accuracy of your argument. Check for extraneous comments that do not add to your argument or which are not then developed. Check for unsupported or "opinion" statements. Editorial page comments have no place in a research paper, unless that is your topic. Check for smooth transitions from one point to another. Rearrange your paragraphs, if necessary. Check your spelling and grammar. After you finish editing your work, do it again. Be happy that you live in the computer age. Read it aloud. Have a friend edit your work for you. If you do this on a regular basis, both you and your friend will benefit by learning how to pick out flaws before they occur and by receiving better grades.

Viva

GOLDEN RULES FOR PRESENTING - VIVA

RESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE
What is their interest? What do they already know? What are they expectations?

LOCATE YOUR SELF ON THE 'STAGE'
Make sure you see your audience and they see you. Make an eye contact.

INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Answer 5Ws and H - Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?

THE VISUAL IMAGE IS THE NO. 1
The presentation impact is: 10% what you say; 40% voice (tone and volume) you use and 50% visual image you give.

START WITH THE 'PUNCH LINE'
Why are you doing this and what is your point?

STRUCTURE YOUR PRESENTATION USING THE INTRO-MIDDLE-SUMMARY SCHEME
Tell them what you are going to tell them - Tell them - Tell them what you told them.

ATTRACT AND ACTIVATE YOUR AUDIENCE
Talk with your audience and eliminate the barriers. Change position from time to time. Allow interruptions as long as they don't delay your presentation.

BE POSITIVE
Bring enthusiasm and use good gestures even if there are negative comments and questions - you are happy to be here!

AUDIENCE TYPICALLY REMEMBERS APP. 5% FROM YOUR TALK
Make sure that you emphasize your message and main points.

RULES OF THUMB FOR THE POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS:

1. NO MORE THAN 5 LINES/OBJECTS PER SLIDE.
2. NO MORE THAN 5-7 WORDS IN THE LINE.
3. AT MOST ONE SLIDE PER MINUTE.
4. ONE SLIDE - ONE POINT.
5. BETTER ONE GOOD DRAWING THAN 1000 WORDS.
6. THE FONTS ARE ALWAYS TOO SMALL!!
7. TEXT - USE THE KEY WORDS NOT THE WHOLE SENTENCES.
8. PUT YOUR NAME, TITLE AND OCCASION IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO PRINT THEM.
9. AVOID LONG FORMULAS OR MAKE SURE THE AUDIENCE CAN FOLLOW.

MAKE DEMONSTRATIONS
If you prove that something works, they will always be more impressed.

REHEARSE AND CROSS-CHECK TECHNICALITIES!!

OPTIONAL BUT NOT NECESSARY:

RELATE YOUR WORK WITH THE MOST RECENT HAPPENINGS
Read news and bring up most relevant questions.

AWAKE YOUR AUDIENCE IF NECESSARY
Use what ever is needed (interesting images? why not) to keep the focus of your audience. Change intonation and volume (yell) of your speech from time to time (avoid monotonous voice).

Project Paper - Writing

GOLDEN RULES OF WRITING YOUR PROJECT PAPER (RESEARCH ARTICLE -RA)

TAKE A READER'S VIEW
Write for your audience not for yourself.

TELL A STORY
Direct your RA but keep clear focus of the paper and present only results that relate to this focus.

BE YOURSELF
Write like you speak and then revise and polish.

MAKE IT SIMPLE
Use simple(st) examples to explain complex methodology.

MAKE IT CONCRETE
Use concrete words and strong verbs, avoid noun clusters (more than three words), abstract and ambiguous words.

MAKE IT SHORT
Avoid redundancy, repetition and explanation of familiar techniques and terminology.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
Make clear distinction between your and work of others.

MAKE STRONG STATEMENTS
" We concluded... " instead of "It may be concluded... ".

BE SELF-CRITICAL
Consider uncertainty of conclusions and their implications and acknowledge work of others.

Project Paper

40 Steps to Assist you in Developing Your Project Paper

STEP 1 Make a working title
STEP 2 Introduce the topic and define terminology
STEP 3 Emphasize why is the topic important
STEP 4 Relate to current knowledge: what's been done
STEP 5 Indicate the gap: what need's to be done?
STEP 6 Pose research questions
STEP 7 Give purpose and objectives
STEP 8 List methodological steps
STEP 9 Explain theory behind the methodology used
STEP 10 Describe experimental set-up
STEP 11 Describe object of the study (technical details)
STEP 12 Give summary results
STEP 13 Compare different results
STEP 14 Focus on main discoveries
STEP 15 Answer research questions (conclusions)
STEP 16 Support and defend answers
STEP 17 Explain conflicting results, unexpected findings and discrepancies with other
research
STEP 18 State limitations of the study
STEP 19 State importance of findings
STEP 20 Establish newness
STEP 21 Announce further research
STEP 22 ABSTRACT: what was done, what was found and what are the main conclusions
STEP 23 Is the title clear and does it reflect the content and main findings?
STEP 24 Are key terms clear and familiar?
STEP 25 Are the objectives clear and relevant to the audience?
STEP 26 Are all variables, techniques and materials listed, explained and linked to existing
knowledge - are the results reproducible?
STEP 27 Are all results and comparisons relevant to the posed questions/objectives?
STEP 28 Do some statements and findings repeat in the text, tables of figures?
STEP 29 Do the main conclusions reflect the posed questions?
STEP 30 Will the main findings be unacceptable by the scientific community?
STEP 31 Is the text coherent, clear and focused on a specific problem/topic?
STEP 32 Is the abstract readable standalone (does it reflects the main story)?
STEP 33 Are proper tenses and voices used (active and passive)?
STEP 34 Are all equations mathematically correct and explained in the text?
STEP 35 Are all abbreviations explained?
STEP 36 Reconsider (avoid) using of words "very", "better", "may", "appears", "more",
"convinced", "impression" in the text.
STEP 37 Are all abbreviations, measurement units, variables and techniques internationally
recognised (IS)?
STEP 38 Are all figures/tables relevant and of good quality?
STEP 39 Are all figures, tables and equations listed and mentioned in the text?
STEP 40 Are all references relevant, up to date and accessible?

Announcement - Batu Pahat Class

To all BP Class members,

Please be reminded that you have to submit your Chapter 1 to me for review immediately. You have past the target date of end of Sep 2005.

Delay in submitting your project paper will also delay your graduation. Therefore, pls take this seriously and until now, only one person has submitted draft of chapter 1 for comment.

You can also do the same to me so that you will have clearer picture on how to go about completing your project paper.

Wish you all Selamat Berpuasa.