Effectively Writing and Presenting Science

1. Effectively Writing and Presenting Science Steve Midway Genetics Lab

2. Part I — Scientific writing

3. Parts of a Scientific Paper • Title • Author • Abstract • Introduction • Materials and Methods • Results • Discussion • References

4. Title • Keep them as short as possible • Don’t lose your audience before you begin • Can be lengthy only when necessary

5. Author(s) • Full name • Affiliation(s) • See lab manual for style

6. Abstract • 100–250 word summary • Highlights introduction and results • Only include what’s in the paper • No citations • Often the last thing you write

7. Introduction Big picture of environment, subject, etc. What’s known about your subject?(citations) Why the research is needed (citations) Objectives of this study; hypothesis

8. (Materials and) Methods • Describes the design and execution of study • Enough pertinent details to be replicated • Exclude obvious methods • E.g., Then we drove to the next study site in our Ford F150 primarily in 2nd gear. • Cite other methods if you didn’t start from scratch

9. Results • Only include what you found (no interpretation) • Begin to use table and figures, but let them complement the text—neither should be dependent on the other • Present tables and figures at the end of the document

10. A note on tables: Table 2.—Statistical comparisons of Carolina madtom microhabitat use and availability and microhabitat availability between the Tar and Neuse river basins. Continuous variables were tested using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test, and categorical variables were tested with a log-likelihood ratio G-test.

11. A note on figures: Figure 5.—Plots of Carolina madtom microhabitat use and available habitat principal component scores for Tar 1 and Tar 2 study reaches. Component loadings appear in Table 4, and statistical comparisons appear in Table 5.

12. Discussion • Interprets results; compare to hypotheses • Reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis • Don’t refer to any tables or figures • Expand out to bigger picture • Where does this work fit into other work? • Think: reverse triangle

13. Literature Cited/References • List ALL references cited in text • Use citation format dictated by course, journal, etc. • If no citation format required, use what you like just remain consistent

14. In-text Citation • At the best or most obvious spot, include author(s), date with semicolon for multiple citations • Some examples • (Meyer, 2008) • (Meyer and Jones, 2008) • (Meyer et al., 2008) • (Meyer, 2008; Hiltz, 2009) • (Meyer et al., 2008; Hiltz, 2009; Jacobs and Jones 2010)

15. In-text Citation • Alternately, refer to the author(s) and cite the date • Meyer (2008) discovered the specific gene, while Hiltz (2009) expanded on it’s sequence.

16. Abbreviations • et al. = and others; used for 3rd and beyond authors • e.g. = for example • i.e. = that is; in other words • Use commas

17. Citation Format • See lab manual for specific examples and what to use for this course • Many things can vary • Authors’ names • Sentence capitalization • Location of date • Italics • Etc.

18. Citation Format • Updated format: Last, F.M., F.M. Last, F.M. Last, and F.M. Last. 2009. Title of the report. Journal 4:9–10.

19. Citation Format • Updated format: Last, F.M., F.M. Last, F.M. Last, and F.M. Last. 2009. Title of the report. Journal 4:9–10.

20. Citation Format • Updated format: Last, F.M., F.M. Last, F.M. Last, and F.M. Last. 2009. Title of the report. Journal 4:9–10.

21. Citation Format • Updated format: Last, F.M., F.M. Last, F.M. Last, and F.M. Last. 2009. Title of the report. Journal 4:9–10.

22. Pinckney J. L., D. F. Millie, B. T. Vinyard, and H. W. Paerl. 1997. Environmental controls of phytoplankton bloom dynamics in the Neuse River estuary, North Carolina, USA. Canadian Journal of Aquatic Science 54:2491-2501. Pine, W. E, III, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Rice. 2007. Modeling management scenarios and the effects of an introduced apex predator on a coastal riverine fish community. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 136:105–120.

23. Citation Confusion Squadrito, A. 2010. My research project I did all by myself. Journal of Bad Research 3:5–10. Squadrito, A. 2010. My research project I did all by myself. Journal of Bad Research 3:5–10. Squadrito, A. 2010. My research project I did all by myself. J of Bad Res 3:5–10. Squadrito, A. 2010. My research project I did all by myself. J of Bad Res 3:5–10. Squadrito, A. 2010. My research project I did all by myself. Journal of Bad Research 3:5–10.

24. A note on tense • While it’s a good rule to write in past tense (assuming you have done the work), the lab manual encourages you to avoid first person. This is traditional, although many journals now accept “I” and “we” where appropriate. If you did the work, why not say so?

25. Part II — Presentations

26. Using Powerpoint • Start off with a title slide • Your name • Title of your paper (not verbatim), authors, journal, year • Don’t apologize (minus points)

27. Using Powerpoint • Keep a solid background; nothing distracting • Use block-style fonts (e.g., arial) • Not calibri or times Roman • Minimize colors and maintain contrast • Present enough, but not too much per slide • Don’t go smaller than 24-pt font • Use bold if need to

28. Using Powerpoint (2) • Don’t read slides • Mix slides and text • Use custom animation only if you know what you are doing

29. Use a transition slide • Or at least know where the transitions are • now I’ll show an example of a bad slide

30. Matrials and Methods First the authors did this Then they did this Finally they did this. Below is the text of the methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods Methods

31. Materials and Methods First the authors did this Then they did this Finally, they did this

32. Remember • You are graded as much on presentation as the material • i.e., Sound good, look good, make eye contact, speak at a comprehendible pace • Bad slides or bad presentation both take the attention away from the science and leave the audience wondering (Does he always talk this fast? Did she even read the paper?)