Great Research, Great Publications – What’s the secret?

Graham H. PykeSchool of the Environment

University of Technology Sydney

Initial Questions

• Why be a researcher?

• Great research?

• Great publications?

Initial Questions

• Why be a researcher?

• Great research?

• Great publications?

• Fun• Curiosity• Inform

Being a Researcher is about …

… discovering/ learning cool stuff and telling the world about it

& having fun in the process

Research has stages

• Preparationincl planning

• Implementation

• Informing the world

Informing the world

• Demonstration• Presentation

Orale.g., lecture, talk at conf

Written (i.e., publication)e.g., journal article, book

chapter, book, report

Publication process

• Prepare ms• Submit ms• Review• Acceptance & publication

End of story?

Post-publication

• Readers= Audience

• Applications= Consequences

• Citations= Influence

Publication goals

• Article (or other kind of presentation) that presents your research results in such a way that the audience, consequences and influence are all reasonably large

How do you do it? Answer => SIP

Approach/ Mindset:“SIP”

• SIGNIFICANCE

• INFLUENCE

• PRESENTATION

SIGNIFICANCE re issue or question

Choose an issue or question (planning) or set your work within a context (informing) of high significance (i.e., importance, relevance, usefulness)

… the higher the better

… but need to credible

Significance - Example

Question:

Why do animals (& other organisms) forage (or feed) the way they do?

Significance - Example

Significant because …All organisms ‘forage’;Foraging is important to individual organisms;Foraging often a major activity re time & energy;Including foraging is necessary for understanding

other phenomena & patterns (e.g., other aspects of behaviour, population dynamics, inter-species interactions, structure of communities, patterns of co-evolution).

INFLUENCE of publication or presentation

Seek to have as much influence as possible, through changing how people think, what they say, and what they do.

(Planning or Informing)

Influence - Example• Question:

Why do animals (& other organisms) forage the way they do?

• Approach advocated:

Optimal Foraging Theory

• Influence sought:

Adopt the approach

PRESENTATIONS

(Informing stage)

Publications (& other presentations) that are captivating, compelling & memorable.

Presentation - Example

This lecture?

Implementing the principles

• SIP …Significance maxInfluence max Presentation is captivating, compelling &

memorable

• Really …Approach or Mindset

• What else ….ToolsFeedback

Tools: Significance

• Identify questions &/or issues

• Hierarchy

• EvaluateFundamental significanceRelevance

Hierarchy of questions - Example

• Why do animals forage the way they do?• Do animals forage in ways that are consistent

with Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT)?• Do bumblebees forage in ways that maximise

Net Rate of Energy Intake?• Is the foraging behaviour of bumblebee

species X, while taking nectar from flowers of plant sp Y, in location Z, consistent with this hypothesis?

Tools: Influence

• Audience size

• Influence level

• Context

Tools: Presentation

• Standard approach …KISSConciseLogicalClear

• Plus extras …CaptivatingCompellingMemorable

Writing:My Approach

• Logical order of simple points• These are lead sentences of separate

paragraphs• One point per paragraphÞ Applies to articles, reviews, grant

proposals, reports etcÞ Test & Consequences

Writing: Test

Combine lead sentences of each paragraph into single body of text.

Convey ‘story’ simply & completely

Understandable to almost anyone

=> Feedback

Writing: Consequences

Basis for abstract or summary(Emphasise introduction, discussion & conclusion)

Basis for being captivating, compelling & memorable

Writing: Captivating

• Focus on reader (or other audience)

Attention

Read on

• Progression

Title

Abstract/ Summary

Introduction

Writing: Compelling & Memorable

Feedback

Great Research? Great publications?

Research of (relatively) high significance & influence

Publication (or other presentation) that is captivating, compelling and memorable, while being simple, concise, logical and clear.