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| papers [2011/06/03 10:56] – tate | papers [2012/03/27 12:08] – tate |
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| ====== FAQ ====== | ====== FAQ ====== |
| === Audience === | === Audience === |
| You are writing a scientific article for an audience of your peers, say incoming PH575. You and your peers are highly educated, technically savvy people, but you do not know everything about every material that has ever been discovered. You are educating your peers about a particular material that is of scientific interest or technological importance and you want to convey what is interesting or important about that material from the point of view of a scientist. You are all capable of reading and understanding articles in any of the journals on solid state physics or materials. | You are writing a scientific article for an audience of your peers, say incoming PH575 students. You and your peers are highly educated, technically savvy people, but you do not know everything about every material that has ever been discovered. You are educating your peers about a particular material that is of scientific interest or technological importance and you want to convey what is interesting or important about that material from the point of view of a scientist. You are all capable of reading and understanding articles in any of the journals on solid state physics or materials. |
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| === Expansion? What does that mean? === | === Expansion? What does that mean? === |
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| === Collaboration or no? === | === Collaboration or no? === |
| Teach each other to use Wien. Share tips on how to use the software, especially on how to get to the DoS and the E(k) plots.I do not want access to Wien to be a barrier. This just like being in a lab where you show someone how to use a tool. This kind of collaboration is healthy. But don't do all thework for the other person. In a lab, you show someone a tool and he or she decides what experiment to do with it. | Teach each other to use the Wien basics. Share tips on how to use the software, especially on how to get to the DoS and the //E(k)// plots. This just like being in a lab where you show someone how to use a piece of equipment. This kind of collaboration is healthy, but don't do the work for the other person. In a lab, you show someone a tool and he or she decides what experiment to do with it. |
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| Talk to others to help point you to information, but don't let the other person do all the legwork for you, and likewise, don't do the legwork for others. | Talk to others to help point you to information, but don't let the other person do all the legwork for you, and likewise, don't do the legwork for others. |
| Don't work together to construct your posters - the temptation to produce the same format is very strong. This is your poster. But critique someone's poster and offer advice if asked. Tell each where to buy poster materials or how to get access to good printing //etc//. | Don't work together to construct your posters - the temptation to produce the same format is very strong. This is your poster. But critique someone's poster and offer advice if asked. Tell each where to buy poster materials or how to get access to good printing //etc//. |
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| === Length, etc. === | === Length, //etc//. === |
| Depends somewhat on the choice of topic and how many figures you include. Typical papers in the past have been about 8 pages including figures and references. | Depends somewhat on the choice of topic and how many figures you include. Typical papers in the past have been about 8 pages including figures and references. |
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| Don't write a technical manual (“go to this menu, and click this button”). | Don't write a technical manual (“go to this menu, and click this button”). |
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| Beware of the "true statements" trap. Just because you say true things does not mean a paper is well constructed or a valuable learning tool. You may have gleaned a piece of information from a well-respected paper in a reputable journal, but quoting that authority without integrating the information into the flow and design of your paper is not helpful (looks just like name dropping!). Also, don’t consider me in particular as a target reader (in the sense that I know what you have been taught). I may well give the paper (with no name) to a faculty colleague or a senior grad student as a check to see whether that person thinks the paper is well constructed. | Beware of the "true statements" trap. Just because you say true things does not mean a paper is well constructed or a valuable learning tool. You may have gleaned a piece of information from a well-respected paper in a reputable journal, but quoting that authority without integrating the information into the flow and design of your paper is not helpful (looks just like name dropping!). Also, don’t consider the PH575 instructor as a target reader (in the sense that she knows what you have been taught). She may well give the paper (with no name) to a faculty colleague or a senior grad student as a check to see whether that person thinks the paper is well constructed. |
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| ===== Questions from class re the project ===== | ===== Questions from class re the project ===== |
