Writing: Progress and StyleSourcesQuestionsOverviewProgressThe Writing ProcessPublishing PapersWrite as You WorkProcrastinationThesis StructureA Minor QuibbleA Few End Game TipsStyleRobert’s Words of WisdomZobel in a NutshellDon’t Be ObscureCut It OutSlide 18Slide 19Writing with ClarityResponding to CriticismRevisiting ParaphrasingOn Self-PlagiarismSpecificsAvoid Slang and IdiomsAvoid Qualifiers and AdverbsAvoid FluffParallel ConstructionNonsexist WritingProper ReferencesSome of My Personal NitsSeptember1999Writing: Progress and StyleCMSC 691BFebruary 11, 2004Prof. Marie desJardinsSeptember1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 2SourcesRobert L. Peters, Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student’s Guide to Earning a Master’s or Ph.D. (Revised Edition). NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997.Justin Zobel, Writing for Computer Science: The Art of Effective Communication. Singapore: Springer-Verlag, 1997.Also useful: Lyn Dupré, BUGS in Writing. Addison Wesley, 1995.September1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 3QuestionsHow many of you like to write [in English]?How many of you think you’re good at writing [in English]?How many of you are worried about writing [for this class, for your thesis/dissertation]?September1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 4OverviewProgress: -Organizing yourself and your thoughtsWriting: -General stylistic guidelines-Specific (but important) suggestionsSeptember1999ProgressSeptember1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 6The Writing ProcessWriting should be part of the research process-It’s really hard to “Do The Work” and then “Write It Up”-For one thing, The Work is never done, and It is constantly changing-Writing helps to pin down the details, and helps to focus your ongoing researchSeptember1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 7Publishing PapersYou should publish papers along the way to getting your degree (definitely true for Ph.D. students; ideally true for M.S. students)Peters says (p. 217):-“When deciding whether to use the paper publication strategy, be aware that you may have to put in more total work than if you do not publish.”BUT:-In CS, you are expected to have publications when you graduate-Publications are part of the ongoing department evaluation process-The “extra work” more than repays itself in the long term, by focusing your research, and by helping you learn how to write (and how to do publishable research)September1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 8Write as You WorkWriting about papers you read:-... makes writing the related-work part of your dissertation that much easier-...creates a record of your understanding of the paper (because you will forget the details)-...helps you to organize and synthesize the threads of the related work-...encourages you to analyze and think about previous work and its limitationsSeptember1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 9ProcrastinationDe Quincey, quoted by Roberts:-“If once a man indulge himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he next comes to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination.”Procrastination-busters:-Write something every day, even if it’s scribbles, an outline, a paper summary, or a trivial bit of commentary-Reward yourself -Write sloppy (sloppily?) and fix it later. (But organize well. Bad organization is much harder to fix later.)September1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 10Thesis StructureSpecific structure varies, but in CS you should always:-Describe the problem-Explain why it’s important-State how you solved the problem-Make explicit claims about your approach-Support these claims experimentally and/or analytically-Place your approach in the context of current and past related work-Give directions for future workApplies in smaller scale and with variations to proposals and technical papersSeptember1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 11A Minor QuibbleRoberts suggests (p. 215):-“Incidentally, don’t make substantial revisions based on input from only a single committee member, since their instructions will often be contradictory and you should resolve contradictions before extensive rewriting.”The exception is your advisor! As a general rule, you shouldn’t circulate a draft paper/dissertation to your committee until your advisor has OK’d it. -Their reputation is on the line-The other committee members shouldn’t have to read a half-baked draft. Your advisor will help you bake it.September1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 12A Few End Game TipsBe very wary of taking a job before you finish your Ph.D.*Get your journal papers into draft form before you leaveThink about what you want to do next before you go out on interviews.-Preferably not “extend my dissertation in six different ways.”*Anecdote alert!September1999StyleSeptember1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 14Robert’s Words of WisdomKeep it brief.Break it up.Don’t be self-important.Start your paragraphs with topic sentences. Don’t write a detective novel.Don’t try to handle too many ideas at once.Use key words.Signpost with transitional phrases.Repeatedly summarize.Avoid passive constructions.Avoid adverbs.Delete double negatives.Chop off your first paragraph.Read it out loud.Read it again cold.Move back and forth between word processor and paper.Quoted from Roberts pp. 231─233September1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 15Zobel in a NutshellSimplicity is key.September1999February 12, 2004 CMSC 691B: Writing 16Don’t Be ObscureExample from Roberts (p. 229/230):-“[The Environmental Protection Agency] has developed an industry-specific cross-media pollution-abatement model that also etimates the reduction in human health risks attributable to adopting various sets of abatement measures. The model has been applied to the iron and steel industry.”Rewrite:-“In order to understand how to reduce pollution in some specific industries, the [EPA] has developed a computer model which examines how pollutants in air, water, and other environmental media interact. In addition, the model can estimate how selected measures to reduce pollution would also reduce human health risks. As a trial run, the EPA has used this model to examine pollution reduction in the iron and steel industry.”September1999February 12,
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