Questions tagged [scientific-publishing]
This tag should be used for style guides, ethics and common practices relating to publishing of papers in a scientific context.
65
questions
1
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1answer
17 views
How to include figures and images in body text
I am writing a text (following MHRA style if that makes a difference) which refers to several images throughout, but am unsure how to include them in my body text in terms of writing style.
Does it ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
Question about the title of my thesis [closed]
I am preparing my doctoral thesis in the field of forensic toxicology. I was wondering if you can tell whether the following title is correct and appropriate:
"Establishment of analytical methods for ...
0
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0answers
27 views
Is it appropriate to add a new reference in revising a manuscript?
Is it appropriate to add a new reference in the revised version of a manuscript?
0
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2answers
54 views
Past or present tense when describing a well-known method in the description of an experiment?
I am describing an experiment for a scientific paper. In this experiment, I use a very well-known technique which I briefly describe, similar to the following variant (#1):
In this experiment, we ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
Should I re-introduce acronyms in important section and write them out in the section's title?
I am writing a paper about a super machine (SM). In the introduction section I am briefly introducing the concept and also the acronym. Then, later in the text, I have a full section which explains SM ...
2
votes
2answers
61 views
Republishing a poem from a lost journal
I am not a professional poet. A few years a poem of mine was published and reviewed by the South Asian Ensemble journal. This journal no longer exists, I cannot find it online and neither in print. I ...
1
vote
1answer
30 views
In an academic Paper, should you mention/reference stuff like Definitions or Theorems? Or are they part of the “text flow”?
I'm not sure if my question is entirely subjective or not. I'm asking because maybe there is a "standard" way of doing it. I haven't found anything about this because it's kind of difficult to search ...
1
vote
0answers
42 views
Explicit scientific syntax for academic writing (like a programming language but for scientific reports and publishing)?
This is a project I am thinking of working on in the future.
Is anyone familiar with attempts to codify and create an explicit syntax for reporting science?
E.g. like you would have specific ...
4
votes
2answers
41 views
Subfigures in a figure, how to label?
So if I later refer to figure 2 (i) or figure 2 (ii) would it be better for the figure to be labelled as is Figure 2: Figure (i) shows cycle C? or
Figure 2: (i) shows cycle C or
Figure 2: ...
3
votes
1answer
84 views
Computer science academic conference paper using “randvar” instead of “random variable”
I am reviewing a computer science submission to an academic conference. The authors use "randvar" instead of "random variable" (as well as "logvar" instead of "logical variable").
I am wondering if, ...
6
votes
1answer
93 views
In scientific writing, what is the protocol for shortening nouns?
I often see place or species names shortened in scientific journal articles and would like to know what the correct protocol is.
Can I shorten "Gough Island" to just "Gough"? Or "leatherback turtle" ...
4
votes
3answers
165 views
Scientific Reports - Significant Figures
I'm currently writing a report where I have a table stating certain parameter values and their errors. Obviously I want the report to look nice, but since the errors of certain parameters vary by ...
5
votes
1answer
63 views
en dash with space for non-integer?
I have a simple question. What's the correct writing style?
1.1–8.4%
or
1.1 – 8.4%
Without space around an en dash looks much better for my eyes. But I read somewhere that if it is a decimal number (...
13
votes
1answer
1k views
How to respond to overenthusiastic copy-editing
I was approached by a science magazine to write a long-form critical essay, and I gave them a 6000-word piece with extensive endnotes. After two months of being with the editorial team it comes back ...
6
votes
5answers
85 views
Should I cite a source that cites an older source?
I am writing a scientific research paper and one of the sources I am using introduced a concept which I am using within the paper. The source I read (published in 1969) credits this concept as being ...
1
vote
2answers
49 views
What means of publishing yields best reputation in scientific community?
If a post-graduate student has three unpublished studies, one of which is expected to have a high impact index, and the rest low impact, what should the student reserve his/her best work for, in order ...
2
votes
2answers
69 views
Should an academic paper contain all text at the same structuring depth?
I'm not sure whether or not this is standard practice, but I've been taught that between two different-level headings, there shouldn't be any text. For example, the following would not be permitted (...
2
votes
2answers
142 views
equation referencing in parentheses
My PhD examiners have asked me to refer to equations using Eq. (6) rather than Eq. 6. This seems simple enough, but often I have sentences of the form:
"This is a fact related to an equation you ...
3
votes
0answers
118 views
How can I help a friend self-publish an incorrect scientific paper? [closed]
I have a friend who for various reasons does not have access to the Internet. We communicate by snail mail.
He has written a paper about a scientific topic. His paper claims that the mainstream view ...
3
votes
2answers
175 views
Cite a book in general and then a chapter in particular
The question is in the context of a paper and a thesis in the area of computational science, computer science and chemistry. I manage my references with Mendeley, and import them into a LaTeX file ...
3
votes
4answers
100 views
How to improve a “dry” scientific review article?
I am seeking suggestions to improve my "dry" writing style.
I recently submitted a manuscript that was intended to be a review article on a particular scientific topic in the field of biomedical ...
6
votes
1answer
75 views
If I quote part of an article that itself contains a quote, what do I cite?
In an article I'm writing, for a conference in engineering education, I would like to quote the following:
They do so “freely, with a full sense of volition and without the necessity of
material ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
How do I express that others and I were unable to find literature about a topic?
Given this question of mine I wondered: If one wants to publish a new result which
one couldn't find any information where the result could have possibly been covered (and neither could one's ...
2
votes
1answer
41 views
What is the best way to take a theorem from another paper?
I would like to include a theorem from a paper, say Alice et al. [12], in my own manuscript.
Which option is the most readable one?
Theorem 6 [[12]]. Every even number can be divided by two ...
0
votes
1answer
75 views
How to write a scientific journal?
For a long time I've been searching for some reference on how to write a scientific journal but failed to find one. I specifically want to write a scientific journal to be used as my personal ...
2
votes
1answer
54 views
What is a DF manuscript? [closed]
I apologize if this is obvious, but what is a D.F. manuscript? See this link for an example of the term's use.
3
votes
2answers
85 views
How do I include two prerequisite ideas without a non-sequitur?
This question is about scientific writing. Scientific projects often bring together a problem from one field and an approach from another. When it comes time for me to write about the project, the ...
4
votes
1answer
96 views
Scientific article: How to say that with our result something could be done but hasn't
I am writing something similar to a review article about a scientific insight that connects and streamlines a number of seemingly different previous results.
In the introduction, I give an example of ...
0
votes
1answer
333 views
Which citation format do I use when multiple style options apply to the same source?
I want to cite the following pdf in Turabian style, but I have no idea how to cite it because it is technically multiple things at once. It looks like a paper, but its extension is a pdf, and its ...
3
votes
2answers
230 views
Is active or passive voice more common in scientific writing?
I am choosing between two sentences:
We display the values of X in Table 1.
The values of X are displayed in Table 1.
The first is more action-oriented, the second is more passive but focuses on the ...
1
vote
1answer
58 views
presenting a plethora of technical parameters in a thesis
I'm writing my masters thesis at the moment. The topic of my thesis is the evaluation of one classification algorithm. Due to its technical nature I have to give a lot of context for each experimental ...
4
votes
2answers
53 views
Are citations the same as references in IEEE?
It appears that the word citation and references are use interchangeably. Are they the same thing?
https://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf
6
votes
3answers
4k views
Single author scientific paper, 'we' or 'I'?
I am authoring a single author paper. Usually when referring to oneself in a paper, 'we' is used. In single author papers I found both 'we' and 'I' (e.g., 'here we/I report xyz').
Which one is ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
For publishing negotations I would like to know what a publishing company makes in profit?
I did a little research but blogs are never enough. I would like expert advice or even sample contracts which spell out everything if possible.
0
votes
3answers
67 views
Overusing “with the aim of…” in a scientific paper
I'm currently writing a scientific report and repeatedly found myself sneaking sentences like "with the aim of..." or "with the purpose of" in my text. Despite how trivial this problem may seem, it ...
3
votes
2answers
197 views
Bachelor thesis indentation
Are there any rules for proper indentation in thesis?
I am physicist so my thesis includes number of images and equations.
Now I think you should not indent first paragraph after:
Title of chapter,...
2
votes
2answers
9k views
What is the image size in scientific paper if indicated as “a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image”?
I would like to submit my manuscript in ecology, containing Figures. However, in Author guidelines, I found that I have to
Indicate per figure if it is a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image.
...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
Writing a scientific name in an italized phrase?
If I use a scientific name (Python regius) in a phrase that is already in italics, should the scientific name then be written normally or underlined? Does anybody know the rule?
1
vote
1answer
2k views
Gracefully state novelty of a thesis in the introduction
I'm being asked to 'clearly state the novelty' in my thesis. I suspect my supervisor would love to actually have a section titled 'Novelty' in big, black letters.
Personally, I think this is against ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views
What are the appropriate first steps to writing a scientific paper concerning a physical constant? [closed]
We are looking to write a scientific paper in the topic of measurement physics, that includes experimental data and dimensional analysis. How do we begin the process of writing a paper for a journal, ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
Master's Thesis Structure: Separate-Page Chapters or Same-Page Sections?
I start my master's thesis the coming fall, and I have started planning how to structure and set up the document (in LaTeX). My thesis is in essence one large laboratory experiment (as analytical ...
1
vote
1answer
81 views
“In order to” vs “To”
Can I always replace "In order to" with the shorter "To" in scientific writing?
Example
In order to prevent corrupting the data, regular updates are required.
To prevent corrupting the data, regular ...
3
votes
1answer
806 views
Preventing units from being “broken” to the next line
I'm having trouble with keeping "units" on the same line, or together. For example, g C m-2 (grams of carbon per square meter) often gets broken between the "-" and "2". I realize it's possible to use ...
7
votes
3answers
15k views
When should I use italics in scientific writing?
I noticed that proper nouns, such as names of theorems or techniques are often set in italics in scientific writing but not always. Are there rules about it, for example each proper noun should be set ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
Should programmers/DBAs be co-authored on papers for their contributions?
I'm taking a CITI course and one of the sections dealt with authoring on manuscripts. The gist is that you don't add authors when no work has been done (such as adding a notable person for their ...
0
votes
3answers
885 views
Citing authors already cited in a paper
I am writing my undergraduate thesis paper on a topic in which a lot of work has been done. So, it is important to maintain the flow of progress of my subject of interest through out the years. As, a ...
2
votes
1answer
73 views
State the method of how random data are produced in scientific paper?
For my research I produced random normally distributed data. The data is necessary for a statistical analysis which I describe in my paper. Is it recommended to state in the paper what tool I used to ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
Order of references
Suppose I have the following references to literature:
Miller, H. (1999): … Referred to as: Miller
(1999)
Miller, F., & Smith, J. (2002): … Referred to as: ...
2
votes
1answer
78 views
Which sections to cover for my graduation thesis on BSS?
I'm not sure if I'm on right place to ask a simple suggestion, so please be kind and don't downvote my question. I'm not asking someone to do it for me, I just need short guidance how should I proceed....
5
votes
4answers
439 views
How can I consistently distinguish among tables, fields, and records in a database?
I am describing a database for a scientific publication. The database has many tables, and each table has fields (spreadsheet columns) and records (rows).
I spend a lot of time discussing tables and ...
