Appendix – Key points of each chapter

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Chapter 2 

  • To tell a good story, interpret the data objectively, do not hold a view ahead and try to fit the data in. (Be open minded) 
  • Ultimate goal: the understanding we get from the data 
  • Elaborate and then slash 
  • Use questions & large issues as lead, and use data to support 

Chapter 3 

  • Capture the essence of a problem 
  • Use a schema that is closely related to the audience 
  • Unexpected 
    • Novel, highlight the unknown / knowledge gap 
  • Concrete 
    • Concrete data vs. abstract ideas 
    • Linking concepts to concrete examples (schema) 
  • Credible 
    • Concrete 
  • Emotional 
    • Curiosity, engaging questions 
    • Unexpected 
    • Excitement 
  • Stories 
    • A collection of smaller story units 
    • Internal structure and  integration 

Chapter 4 

  • OCAR structure: Slow to develop, targeting patient audience (paper / specialist) 
    • Opening / Background (large problem) 
    • Challenge 
    • Action 
    • Resolution / Ending (Back to large problem, how our understanding has changed) 
  • LDR/LD: More suitable for grant / proposal to catch the audience at the beginning 
    • Lead -> Development -> Resolution 

Opening 

  • Identify the topic and characters 
    • Is it clear what the paper is about? 
    • Does it frame the problem? 
    • Does it introduce the critical characters? 
  • Bad opening: Misdirection / No direction 
    • Need to be straight to the key point / topic 
    • No need to explain a widely held schema 
  • 2 steps: Connect the audience’s interests with your work 
    • Broader issue to engage the audience 
    • Narrow to / frame the specific issue 

Funnel: From large problem to specific question (Challenge) 

  • Highlight the knowledge gap 
    • What we don’t know & Why it is important 
    • Boundaries of existing knowledge 
    • Focus on the findings on existing literatures 
  • Fail: 
    • Identify the problem 
      • Do not say “little is known on topic X” 
      • Needs to be very concrete: What specifically do we not know? 
    • Offer a solution before defining a problem 
      • Correct order: Concerns / problems -> Solution 

Challenge 

  • State the question implicitly 
  • After the question, lay out the research approach / objective 
    • “To learn X, we did Y” 
    • If to test a hypothesis, state it clearly 

Action 

  • Method 
    • Mini-story with its own OCAR elements 
    • Why you did something, What you did, What came out of it 
  • Results 
    • LD: Initial overview + details 
    • What you find (data / inference) vs. What you think (interpretation) 
    • Fit the data into the story to produce context 
    • The story is in the amount, interpret the data 
  • Discussion: 
    • LD or OCAR to tell a mini-story of its own 
      • LD: 1st sentence states the challenges and results, or main contributions, then elaborate 
      • OCAR: Reiterate the challenge, then to the reuslts 

Resolution 

  • “In conclusion” (flag) -> Key results -> Interpretation (simple) -> Back to the wide/big opening issue 
  • A story by itself 
  • Provide the “take home message” and need to be simple and concrete 
  • Focus on the key results, do not simply put textbook materials 
  • No new idea at the resolution 
  • Don’t focus on what we haven’t accomplish 
    • Questions grew from the work √ 
    • Questions about the work × 

Internal structure 

  • Break the big story arc into smaller sub arcs (internally complete) 

Paragraph 

  • Point first 
    • TS (topic sentence) – D 
    • LD: the lead takes several sentences 
  • Point last 
    • LDR, wraps up with a synthesis, strong at both beginning and closing 
    • OCAR 

Sentence: clear elements and right places 

  • OCAR structure within a sentence 
    • O: Subject 
    • C/A: Verb 
    • R: Object 
  • Emphasis: 2-3-1 
    • Start with something the reader is familiar with. Readers treat the beginning as old information and ending as new information. 
    • Subject and verb should be connected, no comma or additional information in between 
    • Remove the words after the stress point 
  • Long sentence: LD structure 

Flow 

  • All the sentences are dealing with a coherent theme and working together for a common goal 
  • Relay – each sentence passes a baton at the transition, allowing an idea to flow clearly from start to finish 
  • Linking stress to topic, resolution to opening 
    • Not repeat the exact word, but grab the idea 
  • Top-down process: If not fit in this paragraph, put the sentence somewhere else (or just delete it), don’t squeeze it in. 

Verbs 

  • Cautious 
    • Passive voice 
      • Weaken story 
      • Can be used to control perspective or hide the actor 
    • Fuzzy verbs -> Need to be concrete 
      • Examples: occur, facilitate, conduct, implement, affect, perform 
    • Nominalizations (using n. rather than v.) 
      • Turn n. and adj. into v. 

Words 

  • Select what works for the audience 
  • Over defining rather than unclear 
  • Common word is more powerful 
  • Usually compound noun (2 n.) is better than prepositional phrases 
    • If more than 2 n., break them up into pieces instead of forming a noun train 
    • Also consider the complexity of words 
    • Consider v. vs n. to create clear flow and stress position 

Condensing 

  • Figure out your story 
  • Clean up the arcs and eliminate unnecessary material 
  • Delete: 
    • Redundancies (words, sentences) 
    • Obvious 
    • Modifiers (e.g. adv. & adj.) -> concrete information 

Editing 

  • Principles: 
    • Structure 
    • Clarity 
    • Flow 
    • Language 

Limitations: Striking for a balance between the limitations and the insights 

  • Problems 
    • Mismatch between research questions and method 
      • Refine the question 
    • Limitation of methods 
      • Immediately discuss the limitations after introducing the methods 
  • “But, yes” 
  • Separate the negatives and the positives, so it is easier to focus on the positives   

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