Writing a scientific thesis/article¶
This page covers useful information related to writing a good scientific thesis or article.
How to write a good thesis/article¶
The four principles¶
This is the first video on general presentation skills: outlining four important principles to think about. The principles are generic, and valid for all sorts of interactions and communications, including e.g. scientific presentations, teaching, writing of theses, scientific papers, and even such mundane things as conversations and emails.
The components of a thesis¶
In this second video, we outline the basic components to include in a thesis, such as a M.Sc. or Batchelor's thesis. This is also the generic structure of a scientific paper, at least in the natural sciences, so it serves as an introduction also to such. The video just gives a brief overview: future videos will go into details on all of the different sections.
Background and Aims¶
In this video we go through the Background/Introduction part of an oral presentation and of a Scientific paper/thesis. The material is exemplified using a systems biology project, but we think it could be useful also for a more general audience. In the end some specific details regarding the initial phase of the course TBMT33 are given (Presentation 1, and Report vs 1).
Structure and paragraphs¶
In this video, we go through how one can analyse and construct texts in a structural fashion, centered around the paragraph. we illustrate how the logical structure can be deduced from an existing text, but the objective is of course equally much to allow you to do the opposite: to create the structure first, so that you can more easily write a good text. It contains several general writing tips, even though the specific example is taken from a systems biology method paper.
More on structured writing and paragraphs¶
In this video, we expand further on the issue of structured writing. We go through more in detail how to use the paragraph to argue for specific sub-arguments, which are supported by the individual sentences in the paragraph. In particular, we go through how such argumentative paragraphs can be structured. We also end by stressing the importance of using figures.
Methods, Results and Discussion¶
In this video, we go through the essence of three important chapters in a report: the Method, Results, and the Discussion chapters. We explain what the purpose of these chapters are in relation to the overall report, and what to think about when writing them. More detailed tips regarding some of these chapters follow in future videos.
Abstract¶
In this video, we go through the basics of writing the perhaps most intricate and demanding piece of text in a thesis/article: the abstract. The abstract is a mini-version of the entire report, and it should summarize and explain what the main content are, including why it is important - but using only 150-300 words.
Discussion: Conclusions and Future Work¶
In this presentation, we go through more details of what can be included in a Discussion chapter, in a thesis or in a paper. We go through how these possible components can and should not be structured. We end by discussion two optional chapters: Conclusions and Future Work.
Discussion: ethical and societal issues¶
In this video, we zoom in even more on the Discussion chapter, to the parts that deal with ethical and societal issues. These issues are important, because they show that you can relate your findings to the bigger picture - something that is needed to get a passing grade. We also give some food for thoughts regarding what you can put into these paragraphs/sub-sections, exemplified on the writing of a systems biology project.
References and Appendix¶
In this video we go through the last components of a thesis/paper: the references and the appendix/supplementary material.
Technical aspects of writing¶
Picking a word processor¶
In short, writing reports are often done in a program like Microsoft Word, or Google Docs. For more technical writing, alternatives like LaTeX are often a good option. LaTeX processors can be run both locally on a computer, or in the cloud using e.g. Overleaf.
One final, more in depth, alternative is to use a Markdown based tool, which can convert the Markdown files to e.g. a PDF file. Such alternatives include Pandoc, Quarto and R Markdown.
Using a reference manager¶
When writing a document that contains more than a few references, it is often a good idea to use a reference manager. There are many such applications, where the proprietary non-free version EndNote is very common in academia. One great free open-source alternative to EndNote is Zotero, which we in ISB group use frequently. Other alternatives include Mendeley, Papers and many more.