SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE WRITING

Professor Charles O. Uwadia

couwadia@unilag.edu.ng, couwadia@yahoo.com

At the Conference on Transition in Observation –Knowledge – Intelligence (TOKI2014) held at the University of Lagos, August 20 – 22, 2014.

2 Outline of Presentation

Introduction

Components of a Scientific Article/Contents

Conclusion

3 Introduction - Essence of Article writing

Why write a Scientific article?

A way of expressing/documenting or ventilating the outcome of research findings and conclusions

Foundation or precursor of Scientific article writing is conducting research in a topical field

4 Introduction - Conducting Research

[Shuttleworth, 2008] describes research as “..any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge”.

[Creswell, 2008] states that “Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyse information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue”.

5 Introduction - Major steps in conducting scientific research [Hoogenbroom and Manske, 2012]

Identification of research problem Survey and critique of literature/literature review State purpose of research State research questions Specify a Conceptual framework – could be a set of

hypotheses Methodology (for data collection) Data Collection Analysis and interpretation of data Reporting and evaluating research Communicating research findings and recommendations.

6 Introduction..

Products of scientific articles fit for submission to a peer-reviewed journal requires substantial effort when composing / creating, writing, and submitting the article and manuscripts (time consuming and often daunting).

Barriers to effective writing include – lack of experience, poor writing habits, writing anxiety, unfamiliarity with the requirements of scholarly writing, resistance to feedback.

7 Introduction - Criteria considered by Reviewers Criteria that guide Reviewers in accepting

articles for publication include:

Importance, timeliness, relevance, and prevalence of the problem addressed.

the quality of writing (well-written, clear, straightforward, easy to follow , and logical)

appropriate design, rigorous, comprehensive

literature review-focused, up-to-date use of sufficiently large sample

8 Introduction – Some reasons why articles are rejected Wrong or over-interpretation of results

Use of inappropriate, sub-optimal or insufficiently described population or instruments.

inadequate or biased samples.

Poorly written or deficient to follow text

9 Introduction - Format

Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References, Appendices.

Usually, Results are written first, then, Introduction and Discussion; Conclusion and References. Abstract should come last.

Communication Skills –Ideas, procedures, and outcomes/results should be described as accurately as possible.

Use of Figures and graphics – Do everything possible to avoid plagiarism; ample citations are required to acknowledge consulted works.

10 Components of a Scientific Article

Title – Should be specific and describe the contents of the paper

Should summarise the outcomes/results of the article; should not be unnecessarily long

Authors – Person who did the work and wrote the article is generally listed as the first/lead author of the article

Other researchers who made substantial contributions to the work are also listed

Mentor’s name could be listed if permission is sought and granted

11 Components of a Scientific Article.. Abstract – Summary of article/study

written in third person/reported speech

Should be brief, accurate, and concise

Structure and size are usually provide in instructions to authors

Usually written last due to possible changes or revisions in article

12 Components of a Scientific Article.. Introduction and Literature review:

o Significance of topic.

o Information gap in the available literature associated with the topic.

o Literature review in support of key questions.

o Purposes/objectives and hypotheses.

o Focused literature review.

o Citation of literature should be consistent and conform to publisher’s standard

13 Components of a Scientific Article.. Methodology clearly describes specific design

of study, and provides clear and concise description of procedures performed. Include: Population, equipment, and tools used. How population, equipment, and tools were

prepared and used during study Protocol used Outcomes and how they were measured Methods used for data analysis. Statistical methods used to analyze data.

14 Components of a Scientific Article.. Results, Discussions and Conclusions

- Report results neutrally as obtained;

- Discuss where result is similar or different from other published results and why;

- Final summative statement that reflect the flow and outcomes of the entire paper.

15 Components of a Scientific Article..

References – Should be relevant to article

All listed References should be cited in the body of article

All cited references should be listed under References

Reference listing should conform to guidelines of the publisher

Web references should indicate date of download/reference

16 Conclusion

Writing scientific articles suitable for publication in a peer-review journals is both an art and science

It involves identifying a genuine story to tell, and telling the story well

The bedrock of any genuine story telling is Research

17 References

1. Creswell, J. W, (2008); Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating quantitative and Qualitative Research. Upper saddle River, NJ. Pearson education Inc.

2. Hoogenboom, B. J, (2012); Manske, R. C; How to Write a Scientific Article; International Journal of Sports Therapy, Vol. 7(5).

3. Shuttleworth, M (2008); Definition of Research, www.explorable.com; Accessed on August 3, 2014