1. A gentle introduction to writing research papers
Alistair Edwards
…but drawing heavily on slides from Chris Power

2. Objectives
To give a brief introduction to scientific writing in general
To help you prepare for the specific writing task for the assessment of this module

3. Why do we publish? (principled)
As scientists we work at the forefront of our field, we have new insights into many topics in which we work
We have an obligation to share our improved knowledge, about interaction or any topic, with others
Peer-review self-selects the best work to be shared with the outside world forming a meritocracy
Our work grants us immortality

4. Why do we publish? (pragmatic)
Publications help us communicate our message to other scientists to foster collaboration
Publications give us ‘esteem’, which is a quality that allows you to influence decision makers
Publications get us money in the form of grants and scholarships
Publications grant us jobs

5. ‘Publications get us money in the form of grants and scholarships’
Increasingly true
All university departments are being assessed via the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
This will depend to a large extent on bibliographic metrics of publications
Publish a paper and get lots of people to cite it = £££££££

6. Why do we publish? Often people publish just to publish
The “publish or perish” paradigm
The best research scientists put out a moderate number of publications, each of which has an original contribution to the field in which they work
The contribution is what you are trying to communicate to the reader – you want them to understand what you have done, how you have done it and why

7. Why do we publish?
‘Publish or perish’

8. Your writing tasks Formative assessment Module assessment
Weeks 4 - 8
Group writing on a given topic
Peer reviewed
Module assessment
Spring 7 – Summer 1
Individual writing on a negotiated title
Individual project
Report
Paper

9. Organizing your research (paper)

10. Organizing your research (paper)
Choosing a topic
Choosing your audience
What is your hypothesis?
What is your story?
Doing your literature review
Finding your evidence

11. Choosing a topic
One key to success is – What are you going to research?
…but in the context of your assessments
you will have to negotiate your topic

12. Choosing a topic
One key to success is – What are you going to research?
…but in the context of the later assessment
must be related to one or more of the classes
must have a significant literature
must be of the right size
must require no original research

13. Think of your audience Formative exercise? Module assessment?
Project report?
Project paper?

14. What is your hypothesis?
A classic scientific paper is based on a hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposition
Your objective is to prove – or falsify – that hypothesis
(QUAN)

15. Example hypotheses Animation makes web advertising more effective
Fast-tempo music increases game players’ sense of immersion
Perceived ease-of-use is positively related to flow experience of playing of an on-line game
Data entry by older users is easier when the pocket computer has a keyboard, albeit a small one

16. The null hypothesis The negation of the hypothesis Seek to prove it
Fail and you have supported the hypothesis
e.g. Perceived ease-of-use is not positively related to flow experience of playing an on-line game

17. Even a review paper may have a hypothesis
Find a point to argue
and do so with reference to the literature

18. What is your story? Every paper has a story Finding it can be hard
but once you are clear you can write a clearer paper
‘No tale is so good that it can’t be spoiled in the telling’ (Proverb)

19. Example stories
‘This is my hypothesis and here is the evidence to support or refute it’
A history
Selling
an idea
a product
Teach
start from what the reader knows
and lead them to new knowledge

20. Doing your literature review
There is always a literature review
Your assessment paper will be mostly a literature review

21. What’s your story?

22. Structuring your paper
You then have to communicate all of the above to your reader
Build constructs of language – sentence to paragraph, paragraphs to sections, sections to papers
All constructs of our paper will have the same structure:
Introduction – orienting the reader
Contribution – the point of the construct
Conclusion – sending the reader off

23. Structuring your paper
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Contribution
Conclusion
References
Acknowledgements

24. Structuring your paper
Contribution
Generally
Method
Results
Discussion

25. Structuring your paper
Contribution
Show reasoned judgement
Do not express opinions

26. Structuring your paper
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Contribution
Conclusion
References
Acknowledgements

27. Structuring your paper
Introduction
Contribution
For the assessment mainly discussion
Conclusion

28. Abstract Abstract: You get about 1-2 sentences for each of these
State the contribution you are making
State the motivation as to why it is interesting
State the methodology you followed
State the results
State the conclusions
You get about 1-2 sentences for each of these
The abstract will keep people reading your paper
if it is likely to be useful to them

29. Abstract Abstract: You get about 1-2 sentences for each of these
State the contribution you are making
State the motivation as to why it is interesting
State the methodology you followed
State the results
State the conclusions
You get about 1-2 sentences for each of these
The abstract will keep people reading your paper
if it is likely to be useful to them

30. Abstract
The abstract and paper should be capable of being read independently
Don’t assume that the reader reading one of them has read the other

31. A good abstract?

32. Introduction Introduce the topic Introduce the background
‘This paper is about…’ very early on
‘No one reads the second paragraph’
Journalists’ dogma
Introduce the background
Introduce the paper

33. Literature review
In this section you will convince the reader that what you are doing is new and interesting
Hit on major themes within the research community
Look for problem areas such as common disagreements or ‘dogma’ that is in the field so that you reference them clearly
This is particularly important in your assessment
You have not simply read the literature, you have analysed it critically
Discussion section?

34. Conclusions Simple rule Not a summary of the paper
Introduce nothing new in the conclusions
It is a distillation of what has gone before
Not a summary of the paper
A summary of what can be learned from it

35. Conclusions State – or re-iterate – succinctly:
The contribution you have made
The motivation as to why it is interesting to your audience and how it applies to them
The methodology you already described
The key results
What the findings mean to the field and how it is original and important

36. Sources of information
Zobel Writing for Computer Science
Strunk and White (2014) Elements of Style, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Mander K. (1994) Writing for Humans

37. Sources of information
How to Write a Great Research Paper
Video (34:25) by Simon Peyton Jones
Thimbleby, H (2008) Write now!, (in) Cairns. P & Cox, A. (eds.) Research Methods for Human-Computer Interaction, Cambridge University press, pp
Pinker, S (2014) Why Academics Stink at Writing, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Read literature critically for style - re-read papers, chapters that you found easy to read

38. Sources of information
Truss, L. (2003) Eats shoots and leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation Profile Books Burchfield, R. W (2004) Fowler's Modern English Usage Oxford University Press How to Write an Abstract by Philip Koopman, Carnegie Mellon University

39. Sources of information
Academic phrasebook

40. Exercise
Instructions
Groups of 2 – 3
Consult your tutor

41. Formative exercise topics
1. Formal methods in HCI
2. Designing for trust
3. Motivations of people in crowdsourcing
4. Effects of font size and line spacing of text on webpages - what should we be recommending to web developers use to make the web easiest for people to read?

42. 1. Formal methods in HCI
Harrison, M., Campos, J. C. & Loer, (2008) Formal analysis of interactive systems: opportunities and weaknesses. (in) P. Cairns & A. L. Cox (Eds), Research Methods for Human- Computer Interaction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp

43. 2. Designing for trust
Shneiderman, B. (2000) Designing trust into online experiences, Communications of the ACM, 43 (12) pp

44. 3. Motivations of people in crowdsourcing
Nov, O. (2007). What motivates Wikipedians? Communications of the ACM, 50(11),

45. 4. Effects of font size and line spacing of text on webpages - what should we be recommending to web developers use to make the web easiest for people to read?
Ling, J. and van Schaik, P. (2007). The influence of line spacing and text alignment on visual search of web pages. Displays, 28(2),