Sie sind auf Seite 1von 8

CHAPTER 6 HOW DID YOU STUDY THE PROBLEM?

HOW DID YOU STUDY THE PROBLEM?


How to Explain the General Procedure and Materials
Introduction to the Methods Section Keep this section as concise as possible. The reader may only by interested in one formula or part of your procedure. Materials and methods may be reported under separate subheadings within this section, or can be mixed together. This should be the easiest section to write, but many students misunderstand its purpose. The objective of this section is to document all the specialized materials and general procedures in your study so that another individual may use some or all of the methods in another study or evaluate the quality of your work. This section is not a step by step description of everything you did, nor is it a set of instructions. It is also not supposed to tell a story. Writing the Materials Section Materials Describe materials in a separate section only if the study is so complicated that it saves space this way. Your description should include specialized equipment or supplies not commonly found in laboratories. Do not include commonly found supplies such as test tubes, beakers, or standard lab equipment such as centrifuges. If the use of specific piece of equipment is critical to the success of the experiment, then it and the source should be mentioned, otherwise dont mention it. Materials may be reported in a separate paragraph, or they may be identified with your procedures. Style

Using the active voice is often awkward and sometimes impossible when documenting methods without using first person, which focuses the readers attention on the researcher instead of the work. Therefore, many authors use third person or the passive voice when writing the Methods section. How Did You Study the Problem? Briefly explain the general type of procedure you used.

Describing Different Methods


To date, various methods have been developed and introduced to measure X: Most recent studies measure X in four different ways. Radiographic techniques are the main non-invasive method used to determine Different authors have measured X in a variety of ways. Previous studies based their selection criteria on A variety of methods are used to assess X. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Giving Reasons Why a Particular Method Was Adopted The semi-structured approach was chosen because Smith et al (1994) identified several advantages of the case study The best method to adopt for this investigation is to A case study approach was chosen to allow a The questionnaire design is based on The X method is one of the more practical ways to Quantitative measures supplement and extend qualitative analysis.

Indicating a Specific Method


X was prepared according to the procedure used by Patel et al (1957). The synthesis of X was done according to the procedure of Smith (1973). X was synthesized using the same method that was detailed for Y, using This compound was prepared by adapting the procedure used by Zhao et al (1990). This study used X to explore the subsurface

What Did You Use?


(This may be subheaded as the Materials section)

Describe what materials, subjects, and equipment you used. Indicating Sample Size and Characteristics The initial sample consisted of 200 students, but 13 did not complete all of the interviews All studies described as using some sort of X procedure were included in the analysis. All of the participants were aged between 18 and 19 at the beginning of the study Two groups of subjects were interviewed, namely X and Y. The first group was interviewed A random sample of patients with was recruited from Forty-seven students studying X were recruited for this study. The students were divided into two groups based on their performance on The project used a convenience sample of 32 first year modern languages students. Just over half the sample (53%) were female, of which 69% were Indicating Reasons for Sample Characteristics A small sample was chosen because of the expected difficulty of obtaining The subjects were selected on the basis of their homogeneity in Criteria for selecting the subjects were as follows:

COMMON WRITING ERRORS AND CORRECTIONS


Avoid starting sentences with the words it and there
One key difference between writing at the high school level and graduate level is the number of words students use. High school students try to fill up the paper with as many words as possible because teachers tell them they must have at least 500 words for a writing project. Emphasizing quantity instead of quality hurts technical writing. Technical writers emphasize their ideas, instead of their words, by making their sentences as clear and short as possible. Technical writers dont want to fill up paper; instead, they want their paper to be filled with simply structured research. Your sentences are too long, especially your methods section! Try cutting them into individual units of complete thought instead of stringing together thoughts without stopping for breath. Reviewer, Journal of Water Resource Management

Look up the rules on using it. This word should no appear at the beginning of every sentence. 2nd Reviewer, Journal of Usability Studies

Original It is possible that all the participants between the ages of 18 and 19 responded differently than those between the ages of 20 and 21. Modified All participants between the ages of 18 and 19 may have responded differently than participants between the ages of 20 and 21. Original There is a need for implementation of the policy on a larger scale by the president of the association. Modified The association president must implement policy on larger scale. Original It could happen that a decision to modify the model is made by the researcher. Modified The researcher may decide to modify the model. Original There is a necessity for a semi-structured approach to be chosen. Modified A semi-structured approach must be chosen. Original It was vital that quantitative measures would usefully supplement and extend the qualitative analysis. Modified Quantitative measures must usefully supplement and extend qualitative analysis. Original It is necessary that the best method to adopt for this investigation is determined by the committee.

Modified The committee must decide the best method to adopt for this investigation.

PUNCTUATION POINT
Overuse of It Structures (Anticipatory It)
In conversation and informal writing, the pronoun it can be the sentence subject. The impersonal it can refer to time, the weather, or temperature. For example, It is 9:25, or It is hot today. In formal writing, another kind of it, the anticipatory it, should not be used. This is also called a fake subject because the it appears to be the subject of the sentence, but the subject is actually in the sentence. Here are some examples: It was important for the government to intervene. It is essential that the model be revised. It will be necessary to rebuild the economy. The anticipatory it in each of these sentences is acting only as a fake subject. Since the anticipatory it is really meaningless, good writers will rewrite these sentences. Students often overuse this structure in their writing, but removing it is simple. Just move the subject of the sentence and drop the needless it. Consider the revised sentences below: The government must intervene. The model must be revised. Rebuilding the economy is necessary. These sentences allow the true subject to be placed in a clear position, while creating more direct action. Avoid using these wordy phrases beginning with it. It is known that It demonstrates that It follows that It is considered that It could be said that

THE WRITING PROCESS WRITING GROUPS What Is the Purpose of Writing Groups?
Being a productive, motivated writer can be difficult when working alone. Writers need the supportive and competitive energy of other writers. Writing support groups can help you develop your academic writing and editing skills for class papers, proposals, dissertations, and publications. Working with a group of other writers encourages you to set goals and deadlines for your writing, revising, and project completion. You are responsible to the group to complete and share your writing. You are not just responsible to yourself; you are responsible to others. Writing support groups also help you develop skills in offering feedback on the ideas and writing of others. Writing groups let you know you are not it the writing effort alone.

What Are the Mechanics of Writing Support Groups?


Your group can meet every two weeks, once a month, or on any schedule the members choose. The more time between meetings, the bigger your goals should be. Each members agrees to e-mail their writing to the other members several days before the next meeting. The papers are then read by one or more members who offer feedback, questions, comments, and editing. The group can choose one or two writing samples for everyone to read at each meeting or can assign a sample to each member beforehand so that everyones work is read and everyone receives feedback. The group should continue to meet as long as its members receive a benefit. New and replacement members can be added a time passes.

TIPS FOR JOURNAL SUBMISSION


Create One Or Two Papers From Your Masters Thesis You invested two or more years writing your thesis. Try to create a couple of papers from the most important chapters of your thesis. This is easier than writing a totally new paper from the beginning. Work with your advisor to help submit your papers. Graduate students who publish their research report that companies give them preference when getting a job. Publishing a paper also shows that you can write well in English and that your ideas are valued by the academic community.

Constantly Have Papers Under Review If the acceptance rate of journal is 15%, you need about 7 papers under review at all times to have one paper accepted per year. This does not mean that you should write 7 new papers each year. It means that, like a juggler, you must keep more than one paper in the air if you want to get several papers accepted. If you spend two years writing a paper and wait a year before receiving a rejection, you have no emergency plan in the form of another paper under review. It is better to have several papers under review, looking at slightly different aspects of your problem.

INAPPROPRIATE VOCABULARY AND IMPROVEMENTS


As technical writers, we must use clear vocabulary and avoid unnecessary phrases or strings of words which can easily be replaced with a single word. The following phrases are examples of complicated word strings which should be replaced with shorter, one word substitutes. is found to be A better alternative would be: Is

is capable of A better alternative would be: Can

in view of the fact that A better alternative would be: because / since

in this case A better alternative would be: Here in some cases A better alternative would be: occasionally

in no case A better alternative would be: never

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen