学术论文写作技巧.doc

Dr. Daniel McGowan 论文写作系列第五讲
Good study design and forward planning
如何做好研究设计和预先规划工作
Rejection following peer review can mean a considerable amount of additional work for many authors to get their studies published. In the worst cases, their studies may be simply un-publishable. Much heartbreak and hard work can be avoided by simply planning and designing your study properly in advance. In the long run, this will save you time, allowing you to get on with the research for your next big paper.
No-one wants to have to repeat experiments because the controls were inappropriate or the case/sample numbers were insufficient to provide enough statistical power. Frequently though, researchers rush into experiments without making all the proper considerations, and this can result in delays when their manuscripts reach the peer review stage. Remembering a few basic principles of study design can help to reduce the risk of outright rejection and repeated experimentation.
1. Have a hypothesis or research question
Having a hypothesis or appropriate research question enables you to ‘frame’ your research within an appropriate context, which in turn will help you apply the appropriate controls. It will also help you describe the rationale for your study when it is time to write it up. Having a hypothesis also means that the objectives of the study are clearly defined, thus reducing the chance that your study will be open-ended and possibly criticised for being plete. You can then logically work through these objectives and, importantly, present your results in a logical manner rather than haphazardly.
2. Ensure that the appropriate methods are used
Once you have a clear idea of the aims of your study, and the specific research question you are setting out to answer, you will need able to determine what methods would be appropriate to achieve these. Important considerations include deciding whether subjective, qualitative data will be sufficient to address your question, or w