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Great Research, Great Publications – What’s the secret?. Graham H. Pyke School of the Environment University of Technology Sydney. Initial Questions. Why be a researcher? Great research? Great publications?. Initial Questions. Why be a researcher? Great research?
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Great Research, Great Publications – What’s the secret? Graham H. Pyke School of the Environment University of Technology Sydney
Initial Questions • Why be a researcher? • Great research? • Great publications?
Initial Questions • Why be a researcher? • Great research? • Great publications? • Fun • Curiosity • Inform
Being a Researcher is about … … discovering/ learning cool stuff and telling the world about it & having fun in the process
Research has stages • Preparation inclplanning • Implementation • Informing the world
Informing the world • Demonstration • Presentation • Oral e.g., lecture, talk at conf • Written (i.e., publication) e.g., journal article, book chapter, book, report
Publication process • Prepare ms • Submit ms • Review • Acceptance & publication End of story?
Post-publication • Readers = Audience • Applications = Consequences • Citations = Influence
Publication goals • Article (or other kind of presentation) that presents your research results in such a way that the audience, consequences and influence are all reasonably large How do you do it? Answer => SIP
Approach/ Mindset:“SIP” • SIGNIFICANCE • INFLUENCE • PRESENTATION
SIGNIFICANCEre issue or question Choose an issue or question (planning) or set your work within a context (informing) of highsignificance(i.e., importance, relevance, usefulness) … the higher the better … but need to credible
Significance - Example Question: Why do animals (& other organisms) forage (or feed) the way they do?
Significance - Example Significant because … • All organisms ‘forage’; • Foraging is important to individual organisms; • Foraging often a major activity re time & energy; • Including foraging is necessary for understanding other phenomena & patterns (e.g., other aspects of behaviour, population dynamics, inter-species interactions, structure of communities, patterns of co-evolution).
INFLUENCEof publication or presentation Seek to have as much influence as possible, through changing how people think, what they say, and what they do. (Planning or Informing)
Influence - Example • Question: Why do animals (& other organisms) forage the way they do? • Approach advocated: Optimal Foraging Theory • Influence sought: Adopt the approach
PRESENTATIONS (Informing stage) Publications (& other presentations) that are captivating, compelling & memorable.
Presentation - Example This lecture?
Implementing the principles • SIP … • Significance max • Influence max • Presentation is captivating, compelling & memorable • Really … Approach or Mindset • What else …. Tools Feedback
Tools: Significance • Identify questions &/or issues • Hierarchy • Evaluate • Fundamental significance • Relevance
Hierarchy of questions - Example • Why do animals forage the way they do? • Do animals forage in ways that are consistent with Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT)? • Do bumblebees forage in ways that maximise Net Rate of Energy Intake? • Is the foraging behaviour of bumblebee species X, while taking nectar from flowers of plant sp Y, in location Z, consistent with this hypothesis?
Tools: Influence • Audience size • Influence level • Context
Tools: Presentation • Standard approach … • KISS • Concise • Logical • Clear • Plus extras … • Captivating • Compelling • Memorable
Writing:My Approach • Logical order of simple points • These are lead sentences of separate paragraphs • One point per paragraph • Applies to articles, reviews, grant proposals, reports etc • Test & Consequences
Writing: Test • Combine lead sentences of each paragraph into single body of text. • Convey ‘story’ simply & completely • Understandable to almost anyone => Feedback
Writing:Consequences • Basis for abstract or summary (Emphasise introduction, discussion & conclusion) • Basis for being captivating, compelling & memorable
Writing: Captivating • Focus on reader (or other audience) • Attention • Read on • Progression • Title • Abstract/ Summary • Introduction
Writing: Compelling & Memorable Feedback
Great Research? Great publications? Research of (relatively) high significance & influence Publication (or other presentation) that is captivating, compelling and memorable, while being simple, concise, logical and clear.