Transcript PowerPoint 演示文稿

How to write
a scientific paper
Advice from Prof. P. v. R. Schleyer
Dr. Zhongfang Chen
May 8, 2004
May 8, 2004
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Paul v. R. Schleyer, a great
chemist and a writing artist
More than 1070 papers
Third most cited chemist during 1986-1997
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Beginning Research (or any project)
Define and understand the problem. Even if suggested by your
mentor, the project is now your responsibility.
Find and read the literature. The problem may have been solved already!
1.
2.
Search CAS-on line; Web of Science; SCIFinder.
QCLDB (Quantum Chemistry Literature Database online
in CCQC as “QCLDB99”-through 2000, hard copy in Theochem)
3. Check ECC,
4. Look for reviews, monographs, texts;
Follow up references in the literatures you find.
Learn more about the area than you “need” to know.
If desirable, redefine the project based on the literature (consult with
mentor).
How best to undertake the project? Computational level?
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React to Unexpected Results
Good research is often not routine. Unanticipated
findings may be more interesting and important
than the original project.
Explore such sidelines, but do not lose light of the
original objectives.
Consult with mentor.
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How to Organize a Scientific Talk
(also may apply to writing a paper)
Pick a good topic (or make a poor topic interesting.)
It is not sufficient merely to describe what you have
done.
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1. Introduction/Background/Context
You are expected to be completely familiar not only with the
problem, but also its general context and experimental
techniques.* Read the literature thoroughly and broadly.
Be prepared to answer questions on any aspect of your
presentation – not just the main theme.
A. Why was the problem undertaken? Historical and current
relevance.
B. What is its significance?
C. What is known or has been done before? Be selective and
critical. Give credit to the intellectual pioneer as well as to the
best prior work.
D. How were the experimental data obtained? What are likely
sources and magnitudes of errors?
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II. Presentation of Results
a.
The historical/detective novel approach, i.e. how the problem actually was
solved, seldom is best
b.
Use a logical development based on your final perspective.
c.
Do not give details of unproductive trials.
d.
Compare your findings with analogies as well as earlier results.
e.
Construct your talk to interest the audience. Avoid boring details. Graphs
are better than tables. (papers similarly)
f.
Use good visual aids. ( But these should not distract. Many Power Point
Images are cluttered with decorations.
g. Use color effectively.
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A Call for Better Artwork from ACS
What Will Reproduce Poorly?
This figure will not reproduce well.
The formatting choices here would
result in possible loss of critical
information or production delays.
The following are the highlights of
the problems with this figure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
At final reduction, this lettering is too small to be readable.
This line is too thin. At final reduction, this line may not show up at all.
These symbols are too small. Different symbols of this size will look the same on
the printed page.
This lettering is too large when compared with that of point 1. All of the lettering
should be of similar size.
This line is too broad. Lines of this size will merge when reduced for publication.
The patterns that simulate grays will appear blotched when printed.
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A Call for Better Artwork from ACS
What Will Reproduce Well?
A figure like the one above will
reproduce well, especially if the
original is submitted at a size that
will fit the single-column format
(8.25 cm, 3.25 in.) without further
reduction. The following are the
highlights of changes made:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Larger lettering is used.
A thicker line of 1 point is used. This line is thick enough to be effectively
picked up by the scanner.
Larger symbols are used. Symbols and lettering are of similar size.
Smaller lettering is used.
A thinner line is used. This line will not easily merge with the other data.
The shading is eliminated.
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III. Conclusions – What Was Learned
By the end of the talk, the main scientific
contributions should be clear.
A. To the specific problem.
B. To the general area; principles
C. Point out relationships, as broad as possible.
D. How this knowledge might be applied to
other problems, applications
E. Suggest ideas for further work.
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Signatures of a Professional Attitude
Membership in a professional society
Subscription to at least one scientific journal (Journals are available on
the web, but do you browse regularly, as you would with a hard copy
issue?)
Familiarity with literature not directly related to research.
Continually enlarging library with basis reference books, e.g. physical,
inorganic, theoretical, etc.
Attendance at seminars, scientific meetings; discussion with colleagues;
helpfulness. Presentation of research results.
Eagerness to publish findings.
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Scientific Facts of Life
How many papers do you read every day?
a) Related to your project?
b) Unrelated to your project?
How may chemistry papers are published every day?
What is the number of citations of an average paper?
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The Goal Is Not Merely to Publish,
But to Publicize Your Work!
Publish in the best (e.g. highest impact, more prestigious,
largest circulation journals).
Conceive and write your paper as generally as possible.
Use an intriguing title
Use attractive illustrations, visual materials.
Write well
Read as style guide first.
Use a dictionary, a thesaurus, a spell checker, and a
grammar program.
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ACS style guide
Writing Style
Short declarative sentences are easier to write and easier to read,
and they are usually clear. However, too many short sentences
in a row can sound abrupt or monotonous. It is easier to start
with simple declarative sentences and then combine some of
them than to start with long rambling sentences and then try to
shorten them.
By all means, you should write in your own personal style, but
keep in mind that scientific writing is not literary writing.
Scientific writing serves a completely different purpose from
literary writing, and it must therefore be much more precise.
Some specific hints follow.
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The Scientific Paper
 Avoid slang and jargon
 Use strong verbs, they are essential to clear, concise
writing.
 Use the active voice whenever possible. It is usually less
wordy and unambiguous.
The fact that such processes are under
strict steroeelectronic control is
demonstrated by our work in this area.
May 8, 2004
Our work in this area demonstrates that
such processes are under strict
steroelectronic control.
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Be brief. Wordiness usually adds nothing but confusion, and
the resulting paper is very expensive to typeset and to print.
First person is perfectly acceptable where it helps keep your
meaning clear.
Jones reported xyz, but we found….
Our recent work demonstrated ..
For these reasons, we began a study of …
However avoid phrases like “we believe”, “we feel”, “we
concluded”, etc.
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Where to Publish ?
- Selection of a Journal
Choose the most appropriate journals with the highest “impact”
(average citations per paper), prestige, and the largest circulation.
(low subscription cost)
How the paper is written depends on the journal, the intended
audiences, and the goal of your presentation.
For example,
Do you wish a more chemical or a more physical orientation?
Are you aiming at specialists or the more general scientific
community?
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Journals by Publishers
Society journals [ACS, J. Chem. Phys. (Am. Inst. Phys.)]
large circulation, good value for libraries, inexpensive for
members.
e.g. JACS $ 180 ($135 for students), hard copy; $ 75 web,
$255 for both.
JCP, $444 print and online, $ 322 online only.
Private publisher journals: expensive (e.g. CPL $ 579);
lower circulation, some offer individual rates (eg. JCC $ 2080)
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Journal Review
Science
Nature
widest circulation, but little chemistry, consider for
the very best papers
JACS
High impact-general chemical journal, large
circulation, privately affordable. But broad coverage
decreases the number of papers of interest to Fritz
and to me.
J. Chem. Phys.
Highest reputation, but requires page charges. Not
generally read by chemists.
Angew Chem
High impact. Two languages. Communications and
reviews, but no full papers.
Chem. Euro. J
Full papers and now competes with JACS
in impact.
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J. Comp. Chem.
Theoretical/computational/physical. High
impact, but specialized with low (<1000)
circulation. Computational method orientation.
Much better quality than Theochem which
seems to accept everything submitted.
Chem. Phys. Lett
Fast publication time. No proofs. Many editors.
Good reputation, but uneven quality.
J. Phys. Chem
Good quality journal-more specialized than
JACS. Papers rejected by JACS may be
accepted rapidly in other ACS journal. Same
format.
Inorg. Chem.
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As above. Higher quality than J. Organomet.
Chem.
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Organometallics
Affordable, higher quality than JOMC,
J. Org. Chem.
Org. Lett.
Chem. Rev
Now an excellent review journal
Acc. Chem. Res.
Chem.Soc. Rev.
ChemPhysChem
New J. Chem.
Chem. Comm.
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The Technical Parts of a Paper
(unimportant, except that much human effort is involved!)
Follow journal style
Reference style for all ACS Journals:
Papers: (1) People, J. A.; Hehre, W. J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
1977, 99, 9900-9909.
Books: (2) Sandstrom, J. Dynamica NMR Spectroscopy;
Academic Press, New York, 1982, p. 331-333.
Give first and last page of papers
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References style for J. Chem. Phys.:
1
J. A. People, W. J. Hehre, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 99,
9900 (1977).
2 J. Sandstrom, Dynamica NMR Spectroscopy
(Academic Press, New York, 1982), p. 331.
Note punctuation and abbreviation used.
CAS Source Index (e.g. Not JACS, or J. Amer.
Chem. Soc., but J. Am. Chem. Soc.)
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Guidelines from ACS
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Any author who is not fully fluent in idiomatic English is
urged to obtain assistance with manuscript preparation from a
fluent colleague. Manuscripts with grammar or vocabulary
deficiencies are handicapped during the scientific review process and
may be returned to the author before peer review and/or before
acceptance for rewriting in idiomatic English.
Title. The title should accurately, clearly, and concisely reflect
the emphasis and content of the paper. The title must be brief
and grammatically correct. Series numbers should not be used.
Abstract. All manuscripts (Communications and Articles)
must contain an abstract, which should briefly state the reason
for the work, the significant results, and the conclusions.
Abstracts for Communications will not appear in the print
edition but will be available in html format in the Web edition.
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Graphics and Illustrations
Remove all color from graphics, except those graphics
to be considered for publication in color.
Illustrations must fit a one- or two-column format on
the Journal page: For efficient use of Journal space,
single column illustrations are preferred.
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Computations. When computational results are an essential part of a
manuscript, sufficient detail must be given, either within the paper or in
Supporting Information, to enable readers to reproduce the calculations.
This includes, e.g., force field parameters and equations defining the
model or references to where such material is available in the open
literature. Authors who report the results of electronic structure
calculations are requested to provide as Supporting Information the
geometries (either as Cartesian coordinates or Z matrices) of all the
stationary points whose relative energies are given in the manuscript. The
absolute energies in hartrees that are computed at these geometries should
not be given in the manuscript but should be provided as Supporting
Information. For Web submissions, the atomic coordinate data should be
furnished separately from other data as a text-only (plain ASCII with
a .txt extension) file, so that reviewers and readers can use the
coordinates as input to other programs. Where applicable, the number of
imaginary frequencies should be reported to identify stable structures and
transition states.
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General Considerations.
Authors should present their materials with the utmost
conciseness consistent with clarity. Articles should be
written in a style that addresses a wider audience than for
papers prepared for more specialized journals. Manuscripts
that exceed the norm of 8-10 Journal pages for Articles often
contain a level of detail that is not appropriate for a broad
audience. Overlong manuscripts may be returned to the
authors for shortening.
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Importance of Proof Correction
k
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This abstract is almost useless. It doesn’t say which
May 8, 2004 formulation is better and is too wordy.
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My edited version
Results with the B3LYP calculations are not consistent, due
to different implementations of the VWN local correlation
term. Either of the two formulations can give more accurate
results, depending on the application.
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A Quick Test of Your
“Proof-Reading Accuracy”
There are no tricks in this test.
Read the sentence below only once, counting the number of F’s.
Count them only once (as you would if you were proofreading).
Be honest. Do not go back and count them again or the test will
be no fun.
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FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF
YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY
COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE
OF YEARS.
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Answer
There are
six F’s in the sentence !
GRADES
If you found three, you are of average intelligence.
If you found four, you are above average.
If you found five, you can turn your nose at most
anybody.
If you found six, you are a genius.
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Partial Explanation
There is no catch. Many people forget the “OF”’s.
The human brain tends to see them as V’s and not
F’s. Pretty weird, huh?
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MORAL
Proofreading is similar. “Unimportant” details tend
to be overlooked.
Exmaple : Inetrsteinig
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy,
it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod
are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat
ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total
mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
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Systematic Investigation of Electronic and Molecular Structures for the First Transition Metal
Series Metallocenes M(C5H5)2 (M = V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni).
Zhen-Feng, Xu,1,2 Yaoming Xie,1 Wen-Lin Feng,2 Henry F. Schaefer III1
1
2
Center for computational Quantum Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
Department of Applied Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
J. Phys. Chem. A 2003, 107, 2716
Abstract
The electronic structures of the first-row transition-metal metallocenes, MCp2 (M = V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni),
have been studied using a broad range of d. functional methods with flexible double-z plus polarization (DZP)
basis sets. Geometrical parameters of the D5h and D5d conformations (and structures of lower symmetry for
CrCp2 and CoCp2) were fully optimized. For the ferrocene system, best characterized experimentally, the
B3LYP, BLYP, and BP86 methods give structures in good agreement with experiments. For the D5h-D5d energy
difference, the same three methods predict 0.75 kcal/mol (B3LYP), 0.99 kcal/mol (BLYP), and 1.13 kcal/mol
(BP86). The cyclopentadienyl rings are very nearly planar; the angles of the C-H bond out of the Cp ring are
less than 1° for all metallocenes except ferrocene. The C-H bonds are bent slightly away from the metal for
V and Mn, slightly toward the metal for Fe and Ni, and virtually not at all from chromocene. According to the
energetic and vibrational analyses, the D5h conformations are the global min., leaving open the possibility that
the D5d conformations may exist under certain conditions. However, MnCp 2 probably exists as a mixture of
both D5h and D5d conformations, because both are genuine min. with only a small energy difference. The
predicted B3LYP energy differences (D5h-D5d) for the six metallocenes are 0.29 (V), 0.28 (Cr), 0.13 (Mn), 0.75
(Fe), 0.38 (Co), and 0.23 kcal/mol (Ni). A number of reassignments of experimental vibrational bands are
suggested. The MO energy level diagrams and the electron configurations for the metallocenes are compared.
This information, obtained in a consistent manner across the first transition metal series, is helpful for
discussion of the bonding characters and the chem. reactivities of these metallocenes.
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The Most Important Parts
of a Scientific Paper
The quality and originality of the science!
PRESENT YOUR CONTRIBUTION
MOST EFFECTIVELY
TITLE - Summarize what is in the paper.
DIFFICULT. Try several versions.
AUTHORS – Generally in order of the importance
of the contributions. The first author wrote the paper.
“*” means the correspondence author.
Who to include? Generosity will be rewarded.
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ABSTRACT – Include as much details
as possible. Will appear in Chem. Abstracts.
Do NOT use a vague, uninformative style, e.g.,
“Computations on the isomers of CH5+ were
carried out ab initio. Attention was paid to the
question of the relative energies of the C2v and the
Cs forms.”
“Ab initio (QCISD(T)/6-311+G**// MP2(FULL)/631G**+ZPE) computations indicated the C2v and
the two Cs isomers of CH5+ to have nearly the same
energy”
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FIRST SENTENCE – The most important!
Must be well-written and informative. Like the Title,
should state what is in the paper.
Try many versions. Capture the reader’s interest!
Too many papers begin with the following sentence
In recent years ….. has received great attention/
interest
PLEASE DO NOT
DO THIS !
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INTRODUCTION – Concise statement of the
purpose of the paper and the relevant background.
Must be well, and critically referenced.
Pople states the problems specifically;
“The questions we wish to answer in this paper are:
(1) Is there a man on the moon?
(2) If so, what does he eat for breakfast?”
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METHOD – For a computational paper, Pople’s book
and Gaussian 98 ( or 03) manual can be cited for the
standard methods used in Gaussian. But many referees
demand details we take for granted (e.g. what the
notation means)
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – Use attractive
compound formulas, figures, short tables, schemes, etc.
to break the monotony of printed pages. All such illustrative
material MUST be self-explanatory (adequate captions,
footnotes, etc). Readers do NOT want to refer to the text!
Facilitate informative scanning.
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CONCLUSION – Should NOT be another
abstract, but Pople-type questions may be answered.
Give major findings, implications.
By hybrid density-functional computations, we confirm that
there is a man named Henry F. Schaefer III living on the
moon, and he survives by drinking German beer sent by
Paul Scheleyer from Erlangen.
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Guides to Writing Theoretical Papers
B3LYP/6-31G* or B3LYP/6-311+G** is the “entry” level for
geometries and frequencies (where possible)
Discuss only the best (highest level) results in the text.
Avoid writing details like: “ In going from the HF/6-31G* to the
MP2(FULL)/6-31G* level, the CB bond distance lengthens by
0.013 A; the relative energy also improves, but only slightly (0.25
kcal/mol).”
Such trivial comparisons are boring to read and hard to remember.
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Restrict the text to essential, important information of
general interest. Keep the text as short as possible. The
expert can interpret the find details by himself.
Instead, present energies, geometries, populations, etc. In
Tables, Graphs, and Figures.
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Graphs and small Tables bring out comparisons and
variations most effectively. Important data should not
be hidden in large Tables. Figures are best for geometries.
Give more attention to comparisons with related systems,
topics, molecules, properties, etc. from the literature.
Broad concerns and generalizations are more important
than specialized discussions. State how your findings
contribute to chemical knowledge.
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Bad Introduction
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PLEASE DO NOT
DO THIS !
In his book A Step to Man, John Platt1 suggests that certain fields of
science such as biotechnology and organic chemistry have made rapid
progress by virtue of practicing a particular version of the scientific
method which he dubs "strong inference". The recipe for strong
inference is the postulation of multiple hypotheses followed by critical
experiments designed to test each with the elimination of those which
do not meet the test. The process is to be iterated until a satisfactory
solution is found. Mechanistic organic chemistry is replete with
examples of the application of the strong inference mode of thinking.
However, there are cases where the best of efforts have failed to
produce a complete story. Such cases often become submerged in
history, assume the attributes of solved problems, and disappear from
textbooks and reviews. Such is the case for the formation of isobornyl
chloride by the rearrangement of camphene hydrochloride.
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Here a Good One
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Since the systematic classification of Huisgen1 in the early sixties,
the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (referred to hereafter as 13DC)
emerged as a general and powerful method for the synthesis of fivemembered rings.2 Owing to the large number of possible
combinations of several heteroatoms to form either the dipoles or the
dipolarophiles, the potential of the 13DC in heterocyclic syntheses is
enormous. As a result, several theoretical studies using molecular
orbital methods3-5 have been devoted to its mechanism. Although
most of the ab initio calculations assumed or favored a concerted
mechanism, some other studies have suggested a stepwise biradical
mechanism (for a comprehensive review, see ref 5). That is in fact
the case for the addition of fulminic acid to acetylene (HCNO +
HCCH), which is a prototypical 13DC.6-9
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May 8, 2004
Example of a page
you do not want to read
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Informative and attractive
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Informative and attractive
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An Apology from PvRS
I must peruse several manuscripts every day, from you,
private communications, as JCC Editor, and as reviewer.
And what about all the new journals!
“I know this paper needs rewriting, but I just want you
to react to the science”
Unfortunately, this is not possible for me. Better manuscripts
get faster attention from me at least you have an opportunity
to improve your English (and your English style).
Tables, Figures, and other summaries of results you give me
should include complete information, eg. Theoretical level,
point group, etc. At the time the context may be clear, but
a year later the summary is useless without full information.
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Writing Concisely
Omit needless words. Make every word count!
Example – a good advertising slogan:
“Burpee’s seeds grow”
“好空调，格力造”
Three words state who makes the product and its
(claimed) advantages.
A Schaefer title
“Is Dodecahedral P20 Special”
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Delete phrases which do not contribute
to the meaning of a sentence.
“It is apparent from the foregoing that …”
“In particular, it should be noted that ….”
, or just “Note that ”
“We will now discuss …”
“Owing to the fact that …”
May 8, 2004
Since …
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Avoid Wordiness – Delete
Unnecessary Words
Original: We plan additional studies in the future
in order to confirm previous experiments where
replicate determinations consistently showed the pool
sizes to essentially increase.
Improved. We plan studies to confirm experiments
where replicate determinations showed an increase in
pool size
Better we plan to confirm the experiments that
repeatedly showed an increase in pool size.
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Another Example
Original:
It has been reported (ref.) that
hydroxyurea selectively decreases porine
deoxynucleotide pools.
Improved:
Hydroxyurea was reported (ref.) to
selectively decrease purine
deoxynucleotide pools.
Better:
Hydroxyurea selectively decreases
purine deoxynucleotide pools. (ref.)
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Verb Tense
1. Use the present tense to describe experiments and
data that have been established and exist in the
literature, e.g.
Compound 6 is inefficient degraded by guanosine
hydrolase (ref.).
2. Use the past tense to describe experiments and data
of your present manuscript, e.g.
Compound 6 was inefficiently degraded by
guanosine hydrolase (ref.).
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Writing a Scientific Paper
Highlights for success
Thomas Spector, Journal of Chemical Education, 1994, 71, 47
Use succinct sentences
Well-constructed sentences are succinct. They are
easy to read and to understand. Succinct sentences
unambiguously relay content and meaning.
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Use a tangible noun as subject of the sentence
(A tangible noun represents something
that is touchable or concrete)
1.Original: In the rat, the metabolism of yeast is
characterized by the formation of polar compounds.
Succinct:: Rats metabolize yeast to polar compounds.
2. Original: Another issue that concerns the authors
focuses on the interpretation of the ab initio data.
Succinct: The authors are also concerned with the
interpretation of the ab initio data.
More succinct: The authors also interpret their ab initio data.
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3. Original: The modification of the method of
Smith (ref.) led to the generation of acceptable data.
Succinct: Acceptable data were generated by modifying
the method of Smith (ref).
Or A modification of Smith’s method (ref) generated
acceptable data.
4. Original: Elevation of intracellular ATP was observed
following administration of compound Q.
Succinct: Intracellular ATP was elevated following
administration of compound Q.
Or: Compound Q elevated intracellular ATP upon
administration.
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Reread What You Have Written
Critically
Correct grammar, spelling, obvious errors
(use WP speller to check)
Many mistakes in references, authors’ names are common – correct!
Absolute scientific accuracy is required – check
data in tables, etc.
Improve clarity – ask opinion of others
Avoid repetition. Do not use the same word more than once (except for
intentional emphasis) in the same paragraph ( use Thesaurus in WP to
find synonyms)
Recast sentences – use direct style, simple words
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Some Common Problems
“a”
“the”
indefinite – “A chemical was used”
definite – “the chemical was used”
(which one?)
Do NOT use “works”, “received”, “predict”, “extract”,
eg. “… in these theoretical works …” (papers)
“We received computational results” ; use “obtained”,
“received” implies that someone sent them
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English prepositions are a problem, but are easy for me to edit!
“it ”, etc – one of the worst problem for clarity, e.g.
“The CC bond angle in acetone is larger than that in propane. It
is 112.4.” what is “it”?
Much better to write “The 116.5 CC bond angle in acetone is
larger than that in propane 112.4)”
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“DATA” is plural.
H. F. Schaefer, III
Use “computations” not “calculations”for scientific
investigations.
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Real Predictions
In current scientific literature, the word “predict” is often used
rather curiously as a synonym for “explain” or “rationalize”
rather than for “foretell, tell beforehand, prophecy”, as favored
by dictionaries. It is impossible to “predict” something when
that fact is known beforehand. An aphorism, original source
unknown, stresses this point: “Predictions are risky, especially
if they deal with the future.” True quantitative predictions, in
organic chemistry at least, are quite rare.
Gleicher and Schleyer, JACS 1967, 89, 582, footnote 68.
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The Importance of Punctuation
Dear John,
I want a man to know what love is all about. You are generous,
kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being
useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for
you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be
forever happy- will you let me be yours?
Gloria
May 8, 2004
71-84
Dear John,
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous,
kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being
useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn.
For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be
forever happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Gloria
May 8, 2004
72-84
How to Reference
Usually very poorly done!
Review the literature completely, check
CAS online
QCLDB (2000 now installed, 2001 free on web)
Web of Science
SCIFinder
Textbooks – read but do not cite
Monographs – may be very important e.g. Hehre, Radom,
Schleyer and People as standard ref. For Gaussian methods.
Reviews – but always read original references!
Do not depend on the reviewers’ summary.
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- Primary literature – USE JUDGEMENT IN
SELECTION
Who first lad the basic idea?
Who did the most important work before ?
Who else contributed significantly?
Cite, but do not depend only on reviews.
Give credit to originators.
SEEK RELATIONSHIPS!
What is the general relevance of your work?
How does it further chemical knowledge?
Go beyond, far beyond what you have found!
May 8, 2004
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English Articles for Russians ( and others)
The title refers not to scientific papers in English, but to the parts of speech: “a” and
“the”. My Russian visitors in particular have fits trying to master these little words,
and have much trouble in getting them right. Understandably so, since definite and
indefinite articles do not exist in the Russian language. There are five variations to
contend with in German: der, die, das, ein, eine. One has to remember that a spoon is
“he”, a fork “she”, and a knife “it”. Referring to wine, German will say (in literal
translation), “He tastes good.” At least English has gotten rid of sexes. The Germans
did start to simplify their language; there are only two indefinite articles, “ein” and
“eine”. The English language evolved further as we only have “a” (“an” before a
vowel). Pronounced the English way, “the” sound like “die” and the parallels
between the two languages do not end there. Germans seldom have difficulties in
using English articles, but there is an exception. The simplification of the English
language went further, and in many constructions no article is needed at all: One
would say “Did Chemie ist eine noble Wissenschaft”, but the definite article in the
English sentence sounds stupid. “The Chemistry is a noble science”.
To summarize, one is faced with three choices in using English: a, the or no article at
all.
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The rules of English usage are generally only
approximate, but the following set may be helpful. The
first rule is strict, and is the simplest to understand.
Rule 1
The indefinite article “a”, like “ein” is always singular.
Thus, “a scientist” is fine, but “a scientists” is not.
One can say, “a team of scientists“, instead.
May 8, 2004
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Rule 2
“A” really is indefinite. Use “a” when you can not or do not
wish to be specific. For example, “ The runs were done on an
Indigo”. This implies either that you do not know which
specific Indigo was used (eg. Of the ten networked together
in our Institute) or that it does not matter which one actually
ran the job. This is the more suitable form for a scientific
paper, but expressed more pompously, eg. “the computations
were carried out on an Indigo work station”.
May 8, 2004
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Rule 3
“The” can be singular or plural, but it must be definite. Thus,
“the scientist”, “the scientists”, or “the team of scientist” are
all fine. But “the” requires you to be definite, you must
make sure that the reader knows which one is meant. To
write, “the runs were done on the Indigo” leaves the reader
hanging. You have to specify which Indigio, eg. “the runs
were done on the Indigio in my office” (or, more simply, “on
my Indigo”).
To summarize, whenever, “ the” is used, a definite context
must be clear. There may only be one possibility, eg. “the
university”, but if there are more than one, specification is
necessary. However, also consider leaving out the article
completely. This gets us the next rule, which is not simple to
carry out.
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Rule 4
Omit the article when it is not needed. To decide, try the
sentence with and then without the article. A few examples
may help. My Russian visitors might write, “ The ethanol was
used as solvent”. Since there is only one “ethanol”, omit the
“the”. Do not write, “We studied the compound 1”; leave out
“the”. But “ We studied 1”, suffices.
General, unspecified nouns often require no article, eg. “the
mixture was separated by chromatography”. In, “The mixture
was separated by the chromatography”. “chromatography”
already is indefinite and the “a” should not be included. “The
mixture was separated by the chromatography” sound peculiar
and requires specification. What method was used? The
simplest would be, “The mixture was separated by gas
chromatography”. This is now definite, but again there is no
Mayarticle.
8, 2004
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Rule 5
The definite article may be used for emphasis, eg., “The
ethanol in the sample you gave me was contaminated”. Note
that both “the’s” refer to specified nouns. Not all ethanol
samples are contaminated. (But, “your ethanol sample was
contaminated”, would be better wording.)
Consider: “NMR spectra were determined.”
vs
“The NMR spectra were determined.”
The latter requires specification (what spectra actually were
measure?), but calls more attention to what was done.
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Rule 6
Sentences starting with a noun need an article in the
singular, but not always in the plural: “The computation
revealed…” and “Computations revealed … ” are fine.
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Examples
... in a good accordance with
experiment…
.. in a good accordance with
the experiment…
Oscillation barrier is…
The oscillation barrier is…
For B9H10-, C2v structure is …
For B9H10-, a C2v structure is …
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This Dissertation is composed in
a style which an American, even though he has lived in Germany
for fifteen years and has become familiar with the convoluted
grammatical constructions, which in the last century were greatly
admired when used by true poets and are still quite often
encountered here and also as a boy on the other side of the
Atlantic whose mother taught both English and German in high
school loved to read among others James Fenimore Cooper (the
ante-bellum American author whose Indians and early frontier
heroes must have been a model for Winnetou) who was noted for
sentences full of descriptions with consumed whole paragraphs if
not whole papges, finds unnecessarily hard to understand and
inappropriate for clear scientific writing which should convey- in
any language – information as directly and simply as possible.
Who can understand such writing? The science equivalent is even
worse!
May 8, 2004
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May 8, 2004
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