When explaining how to write journal papers I mention simple pop songs as a model. The old song by F. R. David called Words. You may remember it:
"Words don't come easy to me
I've got to find a way
To make you see, I love you
Cause words don't come easy"
Well that's my recollection of it. The point is, it is a very simple song that did well at the time. It is memorable, maybe not in this case for being high quality, but at least it is memorable.
A research paper should be easy to follow. Sometimes researchers try to make it all too complex. There should be a simple message behind the paper just as there is with each pop song. Don't try to have multiple competing messages in the one paper otherwise people get confused.
If you can stick to the pop song formula then people should actually read your paper, follow it and also remember it. "Words ......."
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The other point to remember about writing is that it only has value if / when someone reads it. So, other questions to ask about your paper are: does the title appeal? Does the abstract give a fair overview of the content of the paper? And does the introduction set the scene appropriately and justify the relevance of what you are writing?
ReplyDeleteWith so many stimuli competing for the attention of the reader, writers need to make sure that they stand out from the crowd and signal to the reader that this particular paper is worth reading.
Agreed!! My supervisors *love* summary tables... 'What's the take home message? Can we put it in a table so it stands out?'
ReplyDeleteIsabel, you make a great point as well. Having now done my first 'systematic' literature review, I can see how critical it is to write a title, abstract and key words that will get the paper picked up quickly in a database search. I'm in studying in health, so am now learning the key MESH terms for Medline to make sure my papers can be easily found.
I like the idea of summary tables - thank you, notmensa!!
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