cmput603 - fall 2005

CMPUT 603 - Teaching and Research Methods

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CMPUT603 - Fall 2005

Topic1: Common Abbreviations + Writing Pet Peeves

José Nelson Amaral et al.http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~c603


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Common Abbreviations in Academic Writing

Abbreviation

Latin English Follow the abbreviation with:

i.e. id est that is an alternative way of saying the same thing

e.g. exempli gratia for example an example, not an explanation

viz. videlicet namely the specifics


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Common Abbreviations in Academic Writing

Abbreviation Latin English

etc. et cetera and so forth

et al. et alii and others

et seq. et sequentes and the following

q.v. quod vide (for) which see

v. vide see

q.e.d. quod erat demonstrandum which was to be demonstrated

cf. confer compare

vs. versus against


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Writing References

The Elements of StyleBy William Strunk Jr., E.B. White, and Roger Angell, Fourth Edition, Longman, 2000


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Writing References

Writing for Computer ScienceBy Justin Zobel, Springer, 2004.


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Writing References

Handbook of Writing forThe Mathematical SciencesBy Nicholas J. Higham, Siam,1993.


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Document Preparation References

LATEX A Document Preparation SystemUser’s Guide and Reference Manual, By Leslie Lamport, Addison Wesley, 1994.


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Document Preparation References

The LATEX Companion,By Michel Goossens, Frank Mittelbachand Alexander Samarin, Addison Wesley, 1994,(second edition: 2004).


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Robert Holte’s Issues with Poor Writing

Bad organizationRamblingLack of argument developmentLack of motivation or explanation about why something is being said.


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Use of “This”

Avoid using “This” to refer to the meaning of theprevious sentence:

Poor Usage:The data is written into the outer cylinders of the hard disk. This reduces the access time.

Better Usage:The data is written into the outer cylinders of the hard disk. This data distribution reduces the access time.


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Another “This” Example(From Strunk and White)

Visiting dignitaries watched yesterday as ground wasbroken for the new high-energy physics laboratory with a blowout safety wall. This is the first visibleevidence of the university’s plans for modernization and expansion.

Visiting dignitaries watched yesterday as ground wasbroken for the new high-energy physics laboratory with a blowout safety wall. The ceremony afforded the first visible evidence of the university’s plans for modernization and expansion.


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“which” instead of “that”

(After Strunk and White)

that: defining or restrictive.

which: nondefining or nonrestrictive.

“The iPod that is broken is on my desk.”

“The iPod, which is broken, is on my desk.”

We only have one iPod, “which” adds thefact that it is broken.

Let us know that we are talking about the iPodthat is broken, and not about the other one.


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“which” instead of “that”

(From Strunk and White)

“The careful writer, watchful for small conveniences, goes which-hunting, removes the defining whiches, and by so doing improves his work.”


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Proper use of hyphen

run timerun-timeruntime ?The run time of an application is reportedby the run-time system through instrumentationthat is collected at runtime.

The run-time measurement, taken at runtime, reveals that the run time of the program is 3 seconds.


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Proper use of hyphen

What is the difference between:

External-memory runandExternal memory run?

External-memory run: A run that is storedin external memory.

External memory run: A memory run that isexternal.


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Proper use of hyphen(another example)

What is the difference between:

Single-address registerandSingle address register?

Single-address register: A register that has onlyone address.

Single address register: Indicates that there is onlyone address register.


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Excessive, gratuitous, use of “We” and “our”.

Poor usage:We designed an experimental framework. The results of our experiments demonstrated speed improvements of 18.2 on 16 processing nodes.

Better usage:Experimental results demonstrate speed improvements of 18.2 on 16 processing nodes.


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Use of past or future tense

Poor usage:The algorithm will read a file from external memory.

Better usage:The algorithm reads a file from external memory.


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Use of past or future tense

Poor usage:Feldmeier demonstrated that a routing-table cache could reduce the lookup time in network gateways by 65\%~\cite{feldmeierINFOCOM88}.

Better usage:Feldmeier demonstrates that a routing-table cache may reduce the lookup time in network gateways by 65\%~\cite{feldmeierINFOCOM88}.


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Place citation at the end of the sentence.

Better usage:Feldmeier demonstrates that a routing-table cache may reduce the lookup time in network gateways by 65\%~\cite{feldmeierINFOCOM88}.

Poor usage:Feldmeier~\cite{feldmeierINFOCOM88} demonstrates that a routing-table cache may reduce the lookup time in network gateways by 65\%.


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Correct use of et al.

Poor usage:Chiueh et al. designs a CPU-style IP caching scheme and demonstrates that general-purpose processors can serve as a powerful platform for high-performance IP routing~\cite{chiueh1999}.

Better usage:Chiueh et al. design a CPU-style IP caching scheme and demonstrates that general-purpose processors can serve as a powerful platform for high-performance IP routing~\cite{chiueh1999}.


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I think…, It is my opinion…, I believe...,

etc

Poor usage:I believe that optimizing compilers can reorder data accesses to improve locality.

Better usage:Optimizing compilers can reorder data accesses to improve locality.

Unless there is a citation at the end of the sentence, or you explicitly stated otherwise, everything that you write is your opinion, your belief, and your thought.


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Don’t, doesn’t, isn’t

Poor usage:This framework doesn’t address dynamic compilation.

Better usage:This framework does not address dynamic compilation.

Avoid contractions in technical writing.


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Avoid negation

Poor usage:This framework does not address dynamic compilation.

Better usage:This framework applies to static compilation.

Make your sentences affirmative.


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So

Poor usage:Cache memories are built with expensive technology, so they are small.

Better usage:Cache memories are built with expensive technology, therefore they are small.

Avoid all colloquialisms in technical writing.


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Wasted wordsThe following expressions (and many others that you would use where these appear) often do not add anything to your writing. They waste valuable space in your paper and annoy some of your readers.

As a matter of factGenerallyIt is common knowledge thatAs we mentioned in Section 3.2*As we stated before

It is very important to note that Observe that

In order to Note

“just”, “very” * Use cross-section references sparingly. When possible, replace them with references to specific definitions, theorems, equations, graphs, etc.


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Salavatipour’s State-Your-Intuition Advice

Before a formal proof or a series of equations, give your intuitive reasoning, and an outline of your proof or derivation, in plain English.


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Sutton’s Plausible Opposite Test

Look at your sentence.In your mind, construct its negative.Is that opposite sentence also plausible? If it is, you should probably say something different.


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Sutton’s Writing Advice

Do not use “since” when you mean “because”.

Avoid convoluted, indirect sentences.No double negatives please.Be direct, honest, and plain. You will get rid of lots of words. Your ideas will be more clearly exposed.

Expect to rewrite and edit extensively!

cmput603 - fall 2005

Documents

research methodswhich

research methodsanother

access time

examplefrom strunk

academic writingcmput

ground wasbroken

poor usage

addison wesley