Basic English

Basic English

  • Submitted By: Hannah_mr
  • Date Submitted: 05/21/2016 5:48 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 8340
  • Page: 34

How to Write a Paper
Mike Ashby
Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
6rd Edition, April 2005

Mike Ashby

How to Write a Paper
6th Edition, February 2005
Introduction
This brief manual gives guidance in writing a paper about your
research. Most of the advice applies equally to your thesis or to
writing a research proposal. The content of the paper reflects the
kind of work you have done: experimental, theoretical,
computational. I have used, as a model, a typical Materials project:
one combining experiment with modeling and computation to
explain some aspect of material behaviour.

Sections 1 to 8 give guidelines for clear writing with brief
examples. The Appendix contains longer examples of effective
and ineffective writing. The manual is prescriptive—it has to be, if it
is to be short. It is designed to help those struggling with their first
paper, or those who have written several but find it difficult. Certain
sections may seem to you to be elementary; they are there
because, to others, they are not. Section 8, on Style, is openended, the starting point for more exciting things.

How to write a paper, 6th edition

1

MFA, 20/02/05

Contents
1 The Design p 3

2 The Market—Who are your readers? p 4

3 The Concept—Making a Concept-sheet p 5

4 Embodiment—The first draft p 9

5 Detail I—Grammar p 16

6 Detail II—Spelling p 20

7 Detail III—Punctuation p 21

8 Detail IV—Style p 26

9 Further Reading p 34

Appendix p 37

How to write a paper, 6th edition

2

MFA, 20/02/05

1 THE DESIGN
Well-written papers are read, remembered, cited. Poorly written
papers are not.
To write well, you need a design. Like any design activity, there
are a number of steps (Figure 1). I’ve used the language of
engineering design here—it fits well.
The Market Need. What is the purpose of the document? Who
will read it? How will the reader use it? The answers help you
decide the length, the level of...

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