Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- people:etanter:writing-tips [2025/10/27 14:06] – etanter
+++ people:etanter:writing-tips [2025/10/27 14:08] (current) – etanter
@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 Writing papers is an art, it requires practice and dedication. Unfortunately, we were not taught about it when we studied at school. As a researcher though, it is vital to master it. Don't forget, a good idea badly explained is not worth a penny (at least not a publication). So as a wanna-be researcher, you should consider this dimension of the work seriously, and be willing to dedicate yourself to it up to the point where you enjoy it (and others do too!).
-   - **Polish your English.** International research uses the English language. Nothing is more annoying for a native speaker to read a paper written in bad English (even for non-native speakers, it hurts). The first step to getting your paper accepted, is to produce an "acceptable" paper. Of course, "readable" is a good starting point! Check basic things: tense (use present tense), grammar, be sure that verbs and subjects match, that each verb has a subject (¡no es castellano!), etc. Use a spell-checker. Don't hesitate to frequently consult a good dictionary, thesaurus, and grammar book (if your English is sufficiently advanced, monolingual books are a good idea). Go on the web, buy books, read, learn. [Btw, thanks to Ren Cerro for correcting my own English in this page!]
+   - **Polish your English.** International research uses the English language. Nothing is more annoying for a native speaker to read a paper written in bad English (even for non-native speakers, it hurts). The first step to getting your paper accepted, is to produce an "acceptable" paper. Of course, "readable" is a good starting point! Check basic things: tense (use present tense), grammar, be sure that verbs and subjects match, that each verb has a subject (¡no es castellano!), etc. Use a spell-checker. Don't hesitate to frequently consult a good dictionary, thesaurus, and grammar book (if your English is sufficiently advanced, monolingual books are a good idea). Go on the web, buy books, read, learn.
    - **No more than one idea per sentence.** An idea may require several sentences to be properly spelled out. But never mix several ideas in the same sentence. Use short, direct style, concise sentences.
    - **One word (expression) per concept.** Do not refer to the same 'thing' in different ways. Be minimalistic in the vocabulary. Introduce new terms only (only) when necessary. In that case, make your best effort to give a positive definition of the concept, rather than explaining a concept through what it is not or how it differs from others.
    - **Do not assume anything from the reader,** beyond the fact that he/she knows how to read, and is reading your paper in isolation. You can't even necessarily assume that it is being read sequentially, so when you use crucial elements presented upfront in the paper, include a back reference. Include tables/figures/lists that help the "browsing reader" to get a feel of what you're doing. Properly explain figures in the text. This also means that you need to precisely define all the terms you use. Even a paper on aspects at AOSD starts with explaining what aspects are (one paragraph is enough). Define the terms you use the //first time// you use them.
-   - **Reference appropriately.** If the topic is old and well known, reference either the seminal paper or a classical textbook. Be careful about making mistakes in the bib references. They propagate fast. Do not trust the way others cite papers. Go and find genuine information on digital libraries, the authors pages, etc. (Do not commit a bib entry on the svn unless you're sure that it is complete and correct.)
+   - **Reference appropriately.** If the topic is old and well known, reference either the seminal paper or a classical textbook. Be careful about making mistakes in the bib references. They propagate fast. Do not trust the way others cite papers. Go and find genuine information on digital libraries, the authors pages, etc.
    - **Capture the interest of the reader as quickly as possible.** ([[http://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/|Shriram Krishnamurthi]]) In a paper, you have 3-4 pages to convince/provoke enthusiasm in the reader. You have the remaining pages to explain, justify, illustrate, prove, etc. If at page 3-4 the reader is not excited about the contribution, bad news is coming. (Note that this is for a 12-page paper approx, so if you are writing a short paper, reduce the allowed space for excitement proportionally.)
    - **Clearly identify the reusable brain stuff.** ([[http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/people/simonpj/|Simon Peyton-Jones]]) Most probably, people are not interested in the actual prototype you are building. Rather, you should make clear what the "intellectual added value" (aka. reusable brain stuff) of your work is. What do I learn from this work, that can be applied and reused in other contexts? For this you must make a specific effort to filter out the details from the essence.