The CMO Survey - Highlights and Insights Report - Spring 2024
Research article presentation
1. Technical Writing
How to Write Good Research Articles
Supta Richard Philip 1
1 M.Sc. in Computer Science
Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science
University of Trento, Italy.
August 8, 2012
Copywrite Declaration : Metarials are taken from Dr. Ashfaqur Rahman, Research Scientist,Intelligent Sensing and
Systems Lab (ISSL),CSIRO, Australia &
Xiaohua Jia, Chair Professor,Dept of Computer Science,City University of Hong Kong.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 1 / 21
2. 1 Publication Requirement
2 Kinds of Scientific Publications
3 Where to publish your work
Important journals & conferences
4 Plan your writing
Reader-oriented Writing
5 Structure of a Paper
Choose a Right Title
Write a concise Abstract
Choose a right set of keywords
Examples of an abstract / keywords
Organization of your Paper
Introduction: the most difficult part
Related work and Reference list
Examples of reference lists
6 Writing Tips: carry you to a long way
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 2 / 21
3. Publication Requirement
The people who need the publications
BSc Degree (Minor)
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 3 / 21
4. Publication Requirement
The people who need the publications
BSc Degree (Minor)
MPhil Degree / MS by Research / MS (Minor)
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 3 / 21
5. Publication Requirement
The people who need the publications
BSc Degree (Minor)
MPhil Degree / MS by Research / MS (Minor)
PhD Degree
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 3 / 21
6. Publication Requirement
The people who need the publications
BSc Degree (Minor)
MPhil Degree / MS by Research / MS (Minor)
PhD Degree
Full time researcher / Academics
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 3 / 21
7. Kinds of Scientific Publications
Thesis
Aspects to be Assessed for a Thesis:
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 4 / 21
8. Kinds of Scientific Publications
Thesis
Aspects to be Assessed for a Thesis:
Conference Publications
Focus on a piece of work with limited discussion
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 4 / 21
9. Kinds of Scientific Publications
Thesis
Aspects to be Assessed for a Thesis:
Conference Publications
Focus on a piece of work with limited discussion
Journal Publications
More complete (extensive) discussion
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 4 / 21
10. Kinds of Scientific Publications
Thesis
Aspects to be Assessed for a Thesis:
Conference Publications
Focus on a piece of work with limited discussion
Journal Publications
More complete (extensive) discussion
Book chapters / Text books
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 4 / 21
11. Kinds of Scientific Publications
Thesis
Aspects to be Assessed for a Thesis:
background knowledge
Conference Publications
Focus on a piece of work with limited discussion
Journal Publications
More complete (extensive) discussion
Book chapters / Text books
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 4 / 21
12. Kinds of Scientific Publications
Thesis
Aspects to be Assessed for a Thesis:
background knowledge
original contributions (amount of work)
Conference Publications
Focus on a piece of work with limited discussion
Journal Publications
More complete (extensive) discussion
Book chapters / Text books
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 4 / 21
13. Kinds of Scientific Publications
Thesis
Aspects to be Assessed for a Thesis:
background knowledge
original contributions (amount of work)
methodology
Conference Publications
Focus on a piece of work with limited discussion
Journal Publications
More complete (extensive) discussion
Book chapters / Text books
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 4 / 21
14. Kinds of Scientific Publications
Thesis
Aspects to be Assessed for a Thesis:
background knowledge
original contributions (amount of work)
methodology
presentation (writing)
Conference Publications
Focus on a piece of work with limited discussion
Journal Publications
More complete (extensive) discussion
Book chapters / Text books
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 4 / 21
15. Where to publish your work
Journals
Ranking of journals
Review process of journals
Publication cycle
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 5 / 21
16. Where to publish your work
Journals
Ranking of journals
Review process of journals
Publication cycle
Conferences
Ranking of conferences
Review process of conferences
N.B. a good journal / conference tends to have rigorous review
process and long review time
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 5 / 21
17. Important journals & conferences
Database
IEEE Trans on Knowledge and Data Engineering
ACM Trans on Database Systems
Intl Conf on VLDB
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 6 / 21
18. Important journals & conferences
Database
IEEE Trans on Knowledge and Data Engineering
ACM Trans on Database Systems
Intl Conf on VLDB
Software Engineering
IEEE Trans on Software Engineering
ACM Trans on Software Eng. and Methodology
IEEE Intl Conf on Software Engineering
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 6 / 21
19. Important journals & conferences
Database
IEEE Trans on Knowledge and Data Engineering
ACM Trans on Database Systems
Intl Conf on VLDB
Software Engineering
IEEE Trans on Software Engineering
ACM Trans on Software Eng. and Methodology
IEEE Intl Conf on Software Engineering
Distributed Systems
IEEE Trans on Parallel and Distributed Systems
ACM Trans on Computer Systems
IEEE Intl Conf on Distributed Computing Systems
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 6 / 21
20. Important journals & conferences
Database
IEEE Trans on Knowledge and Data Engineering
ACM Trans on Database Systems
Intl Conf on VLDB
Software Engineering
IEEE Trans on Software Engineering
ACM Trans on Software Eng. and Methodology
IEEE Intl Conf on Software Engineering
Distributed Systems
IEEE Trans on Parallel and Distributed Systems
ACM Trans on Computer Systems
IEEE Intl Conf on Distributed Computing Systems
Computer Networks
IEEE/ACM Trans on Networking
IEEE INFOCOM
ACM Mobicom, etc.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 6 / 21
21. Plan your writing
Ask two questions before starting:
What is new in your work?
What are you going to write?
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 7 / 21
22. Plan your writing
Ask two questions before starting:
What is new in your work?
What are you going to write?
Emphasize on the originality and significance of your work.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 7 / 21
23. Plan your writing
Ask two questions before starting:
What is new in your work?
What are you going to write?
Emphasize on the originality and significance of your work.
Organize your thinking and decide the structure (outlines) of your
paper.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 7 / 21
24. Plan your writing
Ask two questions before starting:
What is new in your work?
What are you going to write?
Emphasize on the originality and significance of your work.
Organize your thinking and decide the structure (outlines) of your
paper.
Stick on your central points throughout the whole paper and remove
all unnecessary discussions.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 7 / 21
25. Reader-oriented Writing
Purpose of your writing: disseminating your research results.
Dont write if there is nothing to write.
Dont make a simple problem complicated to fool people.
Dont hide technical details.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 8 / 21
26. Reader-oriented Writing
Purpose of your writing: disseminating your research results.
Dont write if there is nothing to write.
Dont make a simple problem complicated to fool people.
Dont hide technical details.
Reader-oriented writing: Write in a way that would lead readers to
follow your thinking, NOT in the way of your thinking.
Well-organize your thinking.
Give enough and clear explanation (never leave reader to guess).
Try to present your idea in an accurate way (no ambiguous).
Always think how readers would interpret your writing (assume youre
a reader).
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 8 / 21
27. Reader-oriented Writing
Purpose of your writing: disseminating your research results.
Dont write if there is nothing to write.
Dont make a simple problem complicated to fool people.
Dont hide technical details.
Reader-oriented writing: Write in a way that would lead readers to
follow your thinking, NOT in the way of your thinking.
Well-organize your thinking.
Give enough and clear explanation (never leave reader to guess).
Try to present your idea in an accurate way (no ambiguous).
Always think how readers would interpret your writing (assume youre
a reader).
Use simple/ plain English.
Purpose of technical writing: express your idea correctly & clearly.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 8 / 21
28. Structure of a Paper
Title
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
29. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
30. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
31. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
32. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
33. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Related Work
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
34. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Related Work
System Model & Problem Statement
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
35. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Related Work
System Model & Problem Statement
Methods / Solutions
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
36. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Related Work
System Model & Problem Statement
Methods / Solutions
Simulations / Experiments
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
37. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Related Work
System Model & Problem Statement
Methods / Solutions
Simulations / Experiments
Conclusion
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
38. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Related Work
System Model & Problem Statement
Methods / Solutions
Simulations / Experiments
Conclusion
Acknowledgement
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
39. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Related Work
System Model & Problem Statement
Methods / Solutions
Simulations / Experiments
Conclusion
Acknowledgement
References
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 9 / 21
40. Structure of a Paper
Title
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Background
Related Work
System Model & Problem Statement
Methods / Solutions
Simulations / Experiments
Conclusion
Acknowledgement
References
Average number of pages of a journal paper.
Average number of pages of a conference paper.
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41. Choose a Right Title
The title should be very specific, not too broad.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 10 / 21
42. Choose a Right Title
The title should be very specific, not too broad.
The title should be substantially different from others.
Topology control for multihop wireless networks, IEEE Trans. on
Comm, 93.
Topology control of multihop wireless networks using transmit power
adjustment, infocom00.
Distributed topology control for power efficient operation in multihop
wireless networks, infocom01.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 10 / 21
43. Choose a Right Title
The title should be very specific, not too broad.
The title should be substantially different from others.
Topology control for multihop wireless networks, IEEE Trans. on
Comm, 93.
Topology control of multihop wireless networks using transmit power
adjustment, infocom00.
Distributed topology control for power efficient operation in multihop
wireless networks, infocom01.
Avoid general / big titles, e.g.,
Research on data mining,
Some research on job assignment in cluster computing,
A new framework for distributed computing,
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 10 / 21
44. Write a concise Abstract
The use of an abstract:
for search purpose.
giving readers a paper-summary before getting into details.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 11 / 21
45. Write a concise Abstract
The use of an abstract:
for search purpose.
giving readers a paper-summary before getting into details.
An abstract should tell:
the problem that the paper discusses.
the work that has been done, or method being used.
original findings / achievements.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 11 / 21
46. Write a concise Abstract
The use of an abstract:
for search purpose.
giving readers a paper-summary before getting into details.
An abstract should tell:
the problem that the paper discusses.
the work that has been done, or method being used.
original findings / achievements.
An abstract usually does NOT have:
reference numbers
multiple paragraphs
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 11 / 21
47. Choose a right set of keywords
The use of keywords:
database search,
categorizing your work (for editors to choose reviewers).
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 12 / 21
48. Choose a right set of keywords
The use of keywords:
database search,
categorizing your work (for editors to choose reviewers).
The keywords must be specific and, as a whole, represent the main
topic of the paper.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 12 / 21
49. Choose a right set of keywords
The use of keywords:
database search,
categorizing your work (for editors to choose reviewers).
The keywords must be specific and, as a whole, represent the main
topic of the paper.
Avoid using the words that are not the main topic, such as calculus,
simulations, etc.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 12 / 21
50. Examples of an abstract / keywords
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 13 / 21
51. Organization of your Paper
Top-down writing method
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 14 / 21
52. Organization of your Paper
Top-down writing method
Planning sections and subsections
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 14 / 21
53. Organization of your Paper
Top-down writing method
Planning sections and subsections
Sketching: use a sentence to represent the points (paragraphs) in
each subsections
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 14 / 21
54. Organization of your Paper
Top-down writing method
Planning sections and subsections
Sketching: use a sentence to represent the points (paragraphs) in
each subsections
Writing details: expand a sentence in the sketch into a paragraph
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 14 / 21
55. Organization of your Paper
Top-down writing method
Planning sections and subsections
Sketching: use a sentence to represent the points (paragraphs) in
each subsections
Writing details: expand a sentence in the sketch into a paragraph
Adjustment: break / merge paragraphs, add / merge sections
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 14 / 21
56. Organization of your Paper
Top-down writing method
Planning sections and subsections
Sketching: use a sentence to represent the points (paragraphs) in
each subsections
Writing details: expand a sentence in the sketch into a paragraph
Adjustment: break / merge paragraphs, add / merge sections
N.B. keep a logical flow from section to section, paragraph to paragraph,
and sentence to sentence.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 14 / 21
57. Introduction: the most difficult part
Purpose of introduction: Introducing readers to your problem / work. An
introduction usually contains: Brief background of the topic-area Existing
work, which would lead to the importance / originality of your work
Description of your problem Achievement / significance /
brief-methodology of work
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58. Related work and Reference list
Show your knowledge in the related area,
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 16 / 21
59. Related work and Reference list
Show your knowledge in the related area,
Give credit to other researchers (reviewers are usually chosen from the
references),
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 16 / 21
60. Related work and Reference list
Show your knowledge in the related area,
Give credit to other researchers (reviewers are usually chosen from the
references),
Cite good quality work (particularly when citing your own work) and
up to date work.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 16 / 21
61. Related work and Reference list
Be organized to serve your topic,
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 17 / 21
62. Related work and Reference list
Be organized to serve your topic,
Emphasize on the significance / originality of your work (Introducing
your work out).
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 17 / 21
63. Related work and Reference list
Consistent with the format, ordering, etc.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 18 / 21
64. Related work and Reference list
Consistent with the format, ordering, etc.
Standard format of books / journal papers / conference papers, e.g,
X. Jia, X.D. Hu and D.Z. Du, Multiwavelength Optical Networks,
Kluwer Academic, 2002. J. Li, Yi Pan, and X. Jia, Analysis of
Dynamic Location Management for PCS Networks, IEEE Trans on
Vehicular Technology, Vol. 51, No. 5, Sep 2002, pp.1109-1119.
¨
X. Jia, D. Li, X.Hu and D. Du, Placement of Read-Write Web Proxies
in the Internet¨ Proc of IEEE Intl. Conf. on Distributed Computing
,
Systems, Phoenix, USA, Apr 2001, pp.687-690.
Do NOT use non-standard abbrev.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 18 / 21
65. Examples of reference lists
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 19 / 21
66. Writing Tips: carry you to a long way
Reader-oriented writing (good organization, logical flow, etc).
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 20 / 21
67. Writing Tips: carry you to a long way
Reader-oriented writing (good organization, logical flow, etc).
Standard and consistent formatting (professional and neat looking).
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 20 / 21
68. Writing Tips: carry you to a long way
Reader-oriented writing (good organization, logical flow, etc).
Standard and consistent formatting (professional and neat looking).
Learning from other peoples writing.
Supta R. Philip (University of Trento) Technical Writing August 8, 2012 20 / 21
69. For Further Reading I
James D. Lester.
Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide.
Harpercollins College Div; 8th edition, January 1996.
Peter Haisler.
Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide.
15/6 2011.
A. Sloman.
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/internal/research students/theses.php, Jul
2010.
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
http://www.aresearchguide.com/
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