CBA Writeshop

Feb. 19-20, 2016

Sanctuario
Disclosure of Conflict of
Interest
At the end of this session, we will
learn:
1. Some reasons and advantages of scientific writing;
2. Types and basic structure of scientific writing
3. The purpose of the INTRODUCTION within the
perspective of the whole paper;
4. The components of the INTRODUCTION
5. How to write the INTRODUCTION
“Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery”

-Henry Miller
Why Write?
The Author (YOU)

Personal Motivation:
Enjoyment
Personal Growth
The need to share
Fame and fortune
Why Write?
 Professional Motivation
 Academic Advancement
 Contribute to the knowledge of the discipline
 Build and develop the professional skill base
Why Write?
 Other practical reasons???
Common Barriers to Writing
 I don’t have time
 I have nothing important to say
 I can’t write
 It is too hard
 I am not interested
Why Write?
Tips for Reducing Barriers
1. The “nibble technique”
2. Keep an ideas “book” handy
3. Keep pieces of writing in a scrap book
4. Have a camera (phone?) handy
5. Discuss ideas with colleagues
Why Write?
“If you have an apple and I have an apple
and we exchange these apples
then you and I will each still have an apple.
But, if you have an idea and I have an idea
And we exchange these ideas,
then each of us will have two ideas”.

-George Bernard Shaw

Start where you are:
Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship

Similar to others who wrote,

(historians and poets) scientists
and those involved in business
research need to write…to leave
behind a documented legacy of
their accomplishments.
Start where you are:
Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship

“ A successful researcher is usually a good

communicator who has the ability to maximize the
transmission of research findings in his or her chosen
audience.

-WCG Peh
Start where you are:
Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship

“While ‘doing’ the research is important, writing

about why and how it was done, what
was found, and what it means is far more
important as it serves as a permanent record of scientific
work that has been completed and accepted by peers”.
Start where you are:
Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship

“ In short, research, no matter how ‘good’, is

incomplete, until it has been published.”
Start where you are:
Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship

How do I know what I think,

until I see what I say?

E.M Forster
Start where you are:
Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship
For the rest of us, the advantages that can be
gained from research writing can be classified into:
Career
Professional
Institutional
Practical

?
 A scientific inquiry is not complete
until the results have been published
and understood.

 A scientific paper is a written and

published report describing
original research results.
What is Scientific Writing
 The purpose of scientific writing is to communicate
new scientific findings

 Thus it has to be clear, simple and well ordered

communication to transmit new scientific findings

 Scientific
writing must use proper
English which gives the sense in the
fewest short words.
Types of Scientific Writing:
1. Whole range writing:
a. theses/dissertation
b. books
c. book chapters
d. grant application
2. Journals: many paper types
Each type is specific in nature, serves a
distinct purpose, judged for
publication by different criteria
 Journal,

Authors should
-be clear about type of paper
- construct manuscript
-according to guidelines for specific paper type
 IMRAD
-is the basic structure of scientific papers
 IMRAD Story
(Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion)

 Early journals published descriptive

papers (still used in case reports,
geological surveys etc..)
 By the second half of the 19th
century, reproducibility of
experiments became a fundamental
principle of the philosophy of
science.
IMRAD Story
(Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion)
 The methods section became all important since Louis
Pasteur confirmed the germ theory of disease

 IMRAD organization of a scientific paper started to

develop

 IMRAD format slowly progressed in the latter half of

the 19th century

 Today it is the structure used by almost all journal

publications with very minimal variation as deemed fit by
specific organizations.
 IMRAD Format
 I = Introduction, what question (problem) was
studied and why?
 M = Methods, how was the problem studied?
 R = Results, what are the findings?
 A = and
 D = Discussion, what do these findings
mean?
What is a scientific paper
 A scientific paper is a written and published
report describing original research results.
1. It must be the first publication of original
research results,
2. In a form whereby peers of the author can repeat
the experiments and test the conclusions, and
3. In a journal or other source document
readily available within the scientific
community
 Definition of Scientific paper
 An accepted original scientific publication
containing scientific information to enable
peers:
1. To assess observations
2. To repeat experiments
3. To evaluate intellectual processes
4. Must have an impact
5. Available to scientific community without
restriction
6. Available for regular screening by one or more of
the major recognized institutions
 Some important Language points:

 Poor data gathering cannot be masked by

brilliant writing; however, poor writing can
mask brilliant data collection.
 Avoid complex sentence structure
 Use simple and clear English
 Always keep in mind that the paragraph is the
essential unit of thought.
 Essential Parts of a Scientific paper

 Title: Describe concisely the core contents of the

paper

 Abstract: Summarize the major elements of the

paper

 Introduction: provide context and rationale for the

study

 Methods: Describe the data gathering procedures

Essential Parts of a Scientific paper
 Results: Summarize the findings without
interpretation

 Discussion: Interpret the findings of the study

 Summary: Summarize the findings

 Acknowledgement: Give credit to those who helped

you

 References: List all scientific papers, books and

websites that you cited
 The Title
 A good title is defined as the fewest possible
words that adequately describe the contents of
the paper.

 The title is extremely important and must be

chosen with great care as it will be read by
thousands, whereas few will read the entire paper

 Indexing and abstracting of the paper depends on

the accuracy of the title. An improperly titled
paper will get lost and will never be read.
 The Title
 Titles should neither be too short nor
too long as to be meaningless
 Waste words (studies on, investigations
on, a, an, the etc) should not be used.
 Syntax (word order) must be very
carefully considered
 The Title
 It should contain the keywords that reflect
the contents of the paper.
 It should be meaningful and not general
 It should be concise, specific and
informative
 It should capture the fundamental nature of
the experiments and findings.
 Examples

Influence of Cash Flow to Stock Returns

Interregional Analysis on the Welfare, Distribution

and Poverty in the Philippines.

Market Competitiveness of Selected Major

Telecommunications in the Visayas

Effects of Trade Liberalization on Worker’s Rights

PRME Papers
 Meeting the Unmet Needs of the Rural Poor – The
Marketing Opportunity Identification Process
framework (MOIP) Framework

 Corporate Social Responsibility in Management

Curriculum : Stepping Stone Towards Creating
Responsible Managers
How to Prepare the Title
 Make a list of the most important keywords
 Think of a title that contains these words
 The title could state the conclusion of the paper
 The title NEVER contains abbreviations,
formulas, proprietary names or jargon
How to Prepare the Title
 Think, rethink of the title before
submitting the paper
 Be very careful of the grammatical
errors due to faulty word order
 Avoid the use of the word “using”
Keywords
 Required by most journals

 Aims :
capture main topics of article
assists in indexing
easy location during search

Choose most important concepts

ws
 Writeshop No. 1
Write/Finalize

a. the title of your proposed research

b. the key words of your study

Presentation of writeshop output #1 will be after

___minutes.
 Writing the
Introduction
 The Introduction
IMRAD stands for:

Introduction (Why did we study?)

Methods (Who, what, when , where, and how did we
study?)
Results (What did we find)
And
Discussion (What do the findings mean?)
Writing the Introduction
“ a bad beginning makes a bad ending”

(Euripides)

The reason (why) for the article

Consider a “hook” to gain readers attention
Make the reader want to read on.
Writing the Introduction
 Introduce a specific topic
 What is the study question
 Importance of the problem (Reason)
Writing the Introduction
 Provide a background information about what has
already been done by others, supported by a limited
number of relevant references

 Review uncertainty/controversy in
the literature (Gap)
Writing the Introduction

 Your aim (objectives of your research) must

be clear and focused.

 Short…..Sharp….Swift
Writing the Introduction
 1. What is the problem
 Describe the problem to be investigated
 Summarize relevant research to provide context and
concepts so your reader will understand your research
2. Why is it important
Review relevant research to provide rationale: show
gap
3. What solution do you propose?
Briefly describe your ideas: hypotheses, aim,
and research questions.
Writing the Introduction
3. What solution do you propose?
Briefly describe your ideas: hypotheses, aim,
and research questions.

Example:
When introducing concepts:

‘Emerging evidence suggests that…’

‘It has been hypothesized that…’

Introducing studies
 Examples:

‘Data from these studies show that…’

‘Recent studies indicate that…’

Introducing limitations
 Examples
‘These studies, however, are limited by…’
Introducing uncertainty

‘Whether X
is related to Y is uncertain…’
‘Few studies have been conducted in ( corporations,
business ethics) where the risk factors for Y is unclear…’
 Link
 Problem to your proposed solution
 Unanswered question to your proposed answer
 Prior studies and your current proposal
Be
Selective not exhaustive
Relevant not extravagant
Common Errors
(When writing the Introduction)
 Overlong and rambling introduction
section
 Important previous work missing
 Objectives not clearly stated,
unfocused or too many
 Inclusion of data (results) or
conclusions
 Final notes when writing the
Introduction
 Use the present tense when referring to work
that has already been published, but past tense
when referring to your own study.
 Use the active voice as much as possible
 Avoid lengthy or unfocused reviews of previous
research.
 Cite peer-reviewed scientific literature or
scholarly reviews. Avoid general reference works
such as textbooks.
 Define any specialized terms or abbreviations

x
 INTRODUCTION
(Practical Exercise No. 1)
 Comment on the Title and Introduction of the
manuscript

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIMENSION OF HUMAN

SETTLEMENT IN MALISBOG-IMBANG
RIVER SYSTEM
 Writeshop No.2

Start writing the

INTRODUCTION
of your proposed study.
Writing the
Methods
Writing the Methods
Methods – “How was it studied”

Most important part of the paper

Flaws in this section

-will lead to rejection
Purpose of Methods

 Describe study in sufficient detail

 Other competent researchers are able to complete the
study
 Details are important
 Like a cooking recipe!
Components of Methods
 What was done?
 How was it done?
 How was the data analyzed?
 Do not include data obtained during course of study
(Results)
Writing the Methods

 Write Methods section early

-usually the first section to be written during
manuscript preparation
 Ideally before start of study
 Consult statistician during study design stage
Writing the Methods
 Use past tense
 Sequence: Chronological order in which study was
done:
- Research Plan
- How Participants were recruited (source
population, inclusion & exclusion criteria
-Methods used
Ethical approval is mandatory
Ethical Requirements:
 Institutional Committee approval
 Free and Prior Informed Consent
Information Sheet
 Informed Consent
Writing the Methods
 Reproducibility is vital
-complete details of methods
-precision of measurements
-appropriate statistical analysis
Writing the Methods
Statistical evaluation:
-Which test was used?
-Why was it chosen?
-On what data?
-To determine what?
Common Errors
(When writing the Methods)
 Inappropriate subject population
 Bias not controlled for
 Insufficient number of subjects
 No inclusion/exclusion criteria
 Wrong statistical test used
 Misplaced information
In Summary…
 When writing the Methods
-State what was done
-How it was done
-How the data was collected
-How the data was analyzed

Above all: reproducibility

 INTRODUCTION
(Practical Exercise No. 2)
 Comment on the Methodology of the manuscript

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIMENSION OF HUMAN

SETTLEMENT IN MALISBOG-IMBANG
RIVER SYSTEM
 Writeshop No.3

Write the Methodology

of your proposed study.
Writing the Results
and Discussion
Writing the Results

 Introduction – “Why did we start”

 Methods – “ What did we do”
 Results – What did we find?
 Discussion – What does it mean?
Results
 Purpose:
-To present the main data collected and the
observations made during the research.

Results:
-Present the analyzed data without discussing it.
-Guide the reader through the questions - investigated
in the study
- Set the stage for the discussion (next section)
Writing
 Process
the Results
-Review the analyzed data and determine
which results to present.

-Do not present ALL results obtained or

observed.

-Decide which results are relevant to the

question(s) presented in the introduction
whether or not they support the hypothesis

- Do not include details on methods, discussion

and conclusions
Writing the Results
 Process:
-Do not report results for items that are not
listed in methods
-Summarize data, especially numbers and
statistics
-Do not report raw data
-Supplement with illustrative tables and
figures
-If you show, don’t tell
Methods of presenting the data
1. Directly in the text
2. In a table
3. In a figure
 All figures and tables must be accompanied by a
textual presentation of the key findings
 Never have a table or figure that is not mentioned in
the text
Writing the Results
 Common Errors
- Illogical sequence of data presentation
- Inaccurate data
- Repetition of data
- Expected data from the Methods section not
reported
 Common Errors:
-Misplaced information between the
Methods and Results section.

-Inappropriate presentation of data- overuse

and abuse of tables or figures

-Attempts to draw conclusions- should be

covered in the discussion section
 Common Errors:
Avoid the squid technique

“the author is doubtful about his facts or

reasoning and retreats behind a protective
cloud or ink”
Doug Saville
 Writing the Results
Results section is written in the
past tense
It is the core or heart of the
paper
It needs to be clearly and simply
stated since it constitutes the
new knowledge contributed to
the world
Writing the Results
 The purpose of this section is to
summarize and illustrate the findings
in an orderly and logical sequence,
without interpretation
 The text should guide the reader
through the findings, stressing the
major points
 Do not describe methods that have
already been described in the Methods
section or that have been inadvertently
omitted
 Tables and Figures
 Tables are appropriate for large or
complicated data sets that would be
difficult to explain clearly in text.
 Figures are appropriate for data sets
that exhibit trends, patterns, or
relationships that are best conveyed
visually.
 Tables and Figures
 Any table or figure must be sufficiently
described by its title and caption or legend,
to be understandable without reading the
main text of the results section.
 Do not include both a table and a figure
showing the same information
In Summary…
1. Present relevant data collected from the field of
study.
2. Present the main results without going into the
discussion and conclusion.
3. Prepare the analyzed data in the form of a table,
figure or in text form.
4. Write in past tense.
 Writing the
DISCUSSION
Perspective: Putting it together

INTRODUCTION- Why did we study? (Tell them what

we are going to say)
BODY – Say it
Methods, Results & Discussion
CONCLUSION – Tell them what you said
Writing the Discussion
 It is the hardest section to write.
 Its primary purpose is to show the relationships among
observed facts
 It should end with a short summary or conclusion
regarding the significance of the work.
Writing the Discussion

Components of the discussion

 Try to present the principles, relationships, and
generalizations shown by the Results
 Point out any exceptions or any lack of correlation
and define unsettled points
 Show how your results and interpretations agree or
contrast with previously published work
Writing the Discussion
 Show comparison to and consistency with other
studies.

Example; The study shows that there are

differences…

Possible reasons for the differences are…

The study is consistent with studies X, Y, Z in

the findings of…
Writing the Discussion
 Discuss the theoretical implications of your work, and
any possible practical applications.

 Discuss industry implications and research

applications

 State your conclusions as clearly as possible

 Summarize your evidence for each conclusion

c
Writing the Conclusion
Conclusions
 Summarize the most important findings
 What conclusions can you draw
 What patterns, principles, relationships do the results
show?
 How do results relate to expectations and to literature
cited in Introduction (agreement, contradiction,
exceptions)
Conclusions
 Do you have plausible explanation(s)

 What additional research might resolve

contradictions, explain exceptions?

R
References
 Robert Day (1995): How to write and publish a
scientific paper. 4th Edition, Cambridge University
Press
 University of Queensland (2009)
References/Bibliography Harvard Style
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/training/citation/harvard
_6.pdf
 4rth National Medical Writing Workshop Notes, July
2013, Iloilo City
Thank you!