Writing A Publishable Paper: A Primer

International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 4(6), ISSN: 2394-9333 www.ijtrd.com

Writing A Publishable Paper: A Primer 1

Matthew N. O. Sadiku, 1Sarhan M. Musa and 2S. R. Nelatury, College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, United States 2 School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Pennsylvania State University, Erie, PA, United States 1

Abstract: Engineers in industry have complained again and again that graduating engineers are not well prepared in written and oral communication. Engineers are expected to write a lot. They are required to write specifications, reports, manuals, and other technical documents. Unfortunately, most institutions do not offer writing courses for the undergraduate and graduate programs. Although graduate students are expected to conduct research and publish the results of their work in journal and conference publications, they are not prepared to write publishable papers. As a result, many students go through a lot struggle, difficulty, and frustration. This paper provides some tips on writing a high quality research paper that is publishable. Keywords: Technical Writing, Writing Know-How, Publishing I. INTRODUCTION Writing has always been regarded as an important component of the communication skill engineering students must acquire while in college. Writing for publication is considered essential to the advancement of engineering profession. Getting your paper published can be a satisfying and rewarding experience. Writing and publishing in engineering entails diligence and perseverance and can be just as difficult as the research itself. As an author, your task is to present your research results in a form that can be used by other investigators. It is expected that publishable papers provide readers with new information or new ways to think about a topic. The aim of this paper is to inspire and encourage students in engineering to write and publish their work. The paper is an update of our previous paper written in 1988 [1]. Since then, a lot has changed and those changes are evident in this paper. Writing a research paper involves four main steps: Choosing a topic Collecting relevant information Making an outline, and Doing the actual writing. Following the steps provided here can reduce the daunting task of writing and publishing. CHOOSING A TOPIC. Ideas on topics come from research or education activities such as reading, research, projects, attending seminars or conferences, etc. Choose a topic which interests and challenges you. Make sure is relevant and timely. You must ask yourself: Who will read this paper and why - experts, executives, students, etc.? Your paper must be written for a specific audience of a targeted conference or journal. COLLECTING RELEVANT INFORMATION We live in the age of information overload, meaning that you can get a lot of information about any given topic. Be thorough in your searching. Get as much information as possible from books, magazines, journals, Internet, etc. Use a search engine like Google, Alta Vista, or Lycos: IJTRD | Nov-Dec 2017 Available [email protected]

(1) http://www.google.com (2) http://scholar.google.com (3) http:// www.lycos.com For more information, search databases which are available in most libraries. Examples of the ones that we use often are: 1. ACM Digital Library (http://dl.acm.org/) 2. Computer Source (http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/search/advanced?si d=fc621bc2-e14e-4dd9-b70ed22e9147face%40sessionmgr4009&vid=0&hid=4201 ) 3. EI Compendex or INSPEC (engineering) (https://www.engineeringvillage.com/search/quick.url ) 4. IEEE Explorer (http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/home.jsp) 5. InterScience (Wiley) (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com) 6. MathSci Net (http://www.ams.org/mathscinet) 7. ProQuest (dissertations & theses) (http://search.proquest.com/index?accountid=7062) 8. SAGE Journals Online (http://journals.sagepub.com) 9. Science Direct (http://www.sciencedirect.com) 10. Social Science Journals (http://search.proquest.com/socscijournals/index?acco untid=7062) 11. Taylor & Francis Online(http://www.tandfonline.com) MAKING AN OUTLINE Before the actual writing, it is expedient to have an outline. Divide the paper into segments as follows: Title page Abstract – summary Introduction – may include scope, problem statement Body– may include literature review, previous work, research design, data analysis, and results Conclusion – may include achievements and recommendations Acknowledgements – express appreciation to others References – documenting and acknowledging sources Appendices – providing more details such as derivations, computer programs, bibliography, etc. In the Introduction, you have to convince and impress the readers. It is critical that you attract reader’s attention here. Make it informative, interesting, and compelling. Literature review should state clearly what others have done, what has not been done, and how your paper fills the gap. State why your work is important and relevant. Don’t assume that your equations, data, tables, and figures are obvious to readers. State clearly what you want them to learn from them [2]. Avoid making conclusions that are not supported by facts.

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International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 4(6), ISSN: 2394-9333 www.ijtrd.com TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE WRITING Writing may be referred to as “wordcrafting.” In writing the paper as outlined above, follow the following tips [3, 4]. Use precise words and expressions. Use active rather than passive voice in writing. Avoid pretentious or verbose terminology. Learn the rules of punctuations (using comma, period, colon, etc) and use them appropriately [5]. Make the paper clear, simple, and easy to read. Avoid using technical jargons. For example, the word “attenuation” is only familiar with few experts. Instead, use the word “reduction”. Avoid being wordy or verbose. You should not say in one page what can be said in one paragraph. If you must include math, equations, tables, and graphs, make sure they are readable. Be honest and ethical in your writing. You should avoid copying other people’s work. This may regarded as plagiarism and violation of the copyright law. If you have to include tables, figures, long quotations or algorithms from other people’s work, you should obtain permission to do so. Make sure you cite sources throughout your paper. If you do not know in advance which conference or journal will be publishing your paper, follow the guidelines in [6,7] when writing it. Tools for effective writing include dictionaries, synonym finders, specialized handbooks, and grammar and composition guides. After you have edited and revised your first draft, go over it at least once, checking for grammar, punctuations, and other errors. Then give it to someone else, such as your advisor or mate, for comments and criticism. There is no excuse for a paper with spelling errors PUBLISHING YOUR PAPER One can be an unpublished author. If you write a report on an experiment, you are just an author. You do not become a published author until you publish your work. Publishing your work is the foremost way of joining the engineering discourse community. The ability to write effectively and be published is invaluable and can contribute to one’s success. For example, all universities lay emphasis on scholarly publications as requirements for promotion and career development of professors. Publication helps to promote the author, the engineering profession, and the university one is affiliated with. For a paper to be publishable, it is required that is original, meaning that most of the information is not in other works. It also means that it not previously published or submitted to other journals. To be published, submit your paper to an appropriate conference, magazine, or journal. Write your paper with their style in mind. Check their guidelines on such matters as paper size, word limits, reference style, margins, etc. If you are not bound by any particular style, the APA manual is recommended [7]. Most papers are peer-reviewed by two or three experts in the field before publication (causing some delay). The reviewers decide on the originality of the paper, i.e. does the author add enough to what is already in the published literature?

charter. Publishing your paper on this open platform is the most rewarding mission and is the recommended option in the current modern era [8]. Submit your work to the conference chairman or journal editor. Information about them is available online. CONCLUSION Research is incomplete until the results are shared with others. The traditional way of doing this is through conferences and journals. Writing and publishing your work disseminates knowledge. A writer feels the sense of achievement coming from seeing his/her ideas in print and is often regarded to be an authority in the field. Writing skill should be regarded as a crucial element in engineering success [9]. Like other engineering skills, writing skill is developed with time. Therefore, students should begin early in their graduate careers to improve writing skills. So practice, practice, practice. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Dr. Pamela Obiomon for suggesting the idea for this paper. References [1] M. N. O. Sadiku and C. Y. Sadiku, "Writing a Research Report", IEEE Potentials, May 1988, pp. 41-44. [2] H. S. James, “From the editor,” Agriculture and Human Values, vol. 30, 2013, pp. 155–157. [3] M. Nikdast, “Research papers: Writing tips and top-tier targets,” IEEE Potentials, May/June 2017, pp. 26-29. [4] D. M. Wink, “Writing to get published,” Nephrology Nursing Journal, vol. 29, October 2002, pp. 461-467. [5] D. Beer and D. McMurrey, A guide to writing as an Engineer. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005, pp. 43-73. [6] D. G. Riordan, Technical Report Writing Today. Cengage Learning, 10th edition, 2013. [7] Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, 2009. [8] V. B. Shidham, M. B. Pitman, and R. M. DeMay, “How to write an article: preparing a publishable manuscript!” CytoJournal, vol. 9, no. 1, 2012, pp. 1-12. [9] D. F. Beer (ed.), Writing and Speaking in the Technology Professions: A Practical Guide. New York: IEEE Press, 1992. About the authors Matthew N.O. Sadiku ( [email protected]) is a professor at Prairie View A&M University, Texas. He is the author of several books and papers. He is an IEEE fellow. His research interests include computational electromagnetics and computer networks. Sarhan M. Musa ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Engineering Technology at Prairie View A&M University, Texas. He has been the director of Prairie View Networking Academy, Texas, since 2004. He is an LTD Sprint and Boeing Welliver Fellow. Sudarshan R. Nelatury ([email protected]) is an associate professor at Penn State University, The Behrend College, Erie, Pennsylvania. His teaching and research interests lie in electromagnetics and signal processing.

Some journals are online, while others are traditional. Newly emerging journals offer to publish under an open access IJTRD | Nov-Dec 2017 Available [email protected]

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