OPT 6122 - Optometry Project I Literature review instructions and guidelines November 1, 2011 I. Paper overview • Title page and abstract (one page) • Introduction • Main body organized with key topical headings o One-person project: ~2,000 words o Two-person project: ~3,000 words • Figures and tables with captions if applicable • Conclusion • References cited in your paper (OVS format) • Bibliography of all references whether cited or not o One-person project: 30+ references o Two-person project: 50+ references II. Formatting A. Overall style and quality • Write for an optometric audience (i.e. fellow 3rd-year students). • Summarize your knowledge of the field with a clear, logical, organized presentation, • It must be well written in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. • It must be adequately supported by your references. • Integrate what you learn from many sources into a logical whole. It is not simple a string of paragraphs, each summarizing a different article. • Follow the OVS format for the abstract, keywords, main body, topical sub-headings, Figure and Table titles and captions, and references. • Font: Use Arial, Helvetica or another plain-looking font, size 10-12 • Exceptions to OVS format: no columns, double-spaced B Required components of the paper 1. Title page with the following information centered • Course number and title • Title • Authors - student authors first, then faculty advisor • Don't list degrees with names, but as footnotes, in OVS format • Word count for the main body • Number of figures and tables • Date submitted to faculty for initial review • Date submitted to faculty for final review • Abstract - single spaced • Key words 2. Introduction • Give a brief overview of your paper • No heading • Opening paragraphs with no heading • < 300 words or less • No page break. Continue with the main body 3. Main body • Margins: 1.25" top, bottom, left, right • Don't need line numbers • Header - upper right with abbreviated title—author's last names • Page numbers, page numbers • Headings in 12 point; main text in 10 point. • Organize with topical headings in bold for main parts of the paper4. References cited and bibliography • Use the OVS style unless otherwise directed by your faculty advisor • Same font as main body. • Single spaced • Journal titles must be abbreviated according to National Library of Medicine standard. (Don't just make up your abbreviations!) • List of abbreviations: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/linkout/journals/jourlists.fcgi? 5. Figures and tables • Required if necessary to improve clarity • Label and write captions according to the OVS format. • Format tables like OVS tables. • Don't embed figures or tables. Include in separate sections after main body. III. Refer to Dr. Arthur Bradley's paper writing advise (on web page) IV. Writing standards A. Clarity • Direct, active wording. "Smith reported that ... • Passive is acceptable if used sparingly. "The experiment was done ..." • Use fewer rather than many words. • Be clear and specific, not vague or general. • Avoid, "... was involved in ..." • A reader should be able to completely understand what you mean with one pass. If many sentences or paragraphs in the paper require re-reading to understand, it will be down-graded. B. Pronouns • Singular/plural agreement. "The patient used their his or her..." OR "patients who use their ..." • Humans versus things. "Patients that who..." C. Colloquialisms • Scientific, formal writing • No casual expressions • Avoid "very" D. Paragraphs • Each topical sections should have an introductory paragraph. • Paragraphs should have introductory sentences. • Introductory paragraphs or sentences should "Tell them what you're going to tell them." • In subsequent paragraphs, tell them what you want to say about that topic. • Every sentence must fit into a logical sequence of thoughts that fits the overall purpose of the paper. • The last paragraph or sentence should make a logical link to the next one. • Use paragraph headings if it will improve clarity. E. Citations • Don't need citations for common knowledge. • Cite statements that are not your own idea. • Not necessary to re-cite in the next or nearby sentence if it's obvious that it came from the same citation. • Can include one citation at the end of a section of several citations from the same source. F. Numbers • When numbers are between zero and nine, write it out. • For larger numbers, use numbers rather than words.• When starting a sentence with a number, write it out. • Hyphenate numbers when used as adjectives. • For example, “4.0-mm diameter pupil.” G. Proper spelling, grammar and punctuation • Use the spelling and grammar checker! • NSU writing center • No excuses for poor grammar or writing! H. Define acronyms on their first appearance and separated re-occurrences. V. Submission A. Feel free to alter or update your references B. Work closely with you faculty advisor. Submit draft to him 1-2 weeks before the final deadline. C. Submit final documents via email to your advisor and Dr. Salmon in Microsoft Word (.doc) format. Don't use .docx. D. Final submission deadline: December 5, 201 • Literature review • Research