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Mechanics of writing a paper in
MS Word
Alexander MamishevSensors, Energy, and Automation Laboratory
Department of Electrical EngineeringUniversity of Washington
email: [email protected]://www.ee.washington.edu/research/seal
Sensors
, Ene
rgy,
and Automation Laboratory
SE A L
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Outline Introduction (segment 1) Elements of Electronic Manuscript
Headings (segment 2)Equations (segment 3)Figures and Tables (segment 4)References (segment 5)
Miscellaneous (segment 6)
Introduction(segment 1)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
What to expectThis presentation is about
Computer typesetting skills Engineering standards Mechanics of writing
This presentation is not about Research skills Art of writing Philosophy of writing
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Motivation Compatibility
Internal (re-use, sharing)External (extraction, sharing)
Streamlining of data processing Automation Rigor in writing and in typesetting
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Selection of software Latex:
Pluses: helps proper typesetting, reliable, stable, fairly simple, beautiful output, low machine memory and speed requirements
Minuses: not used in industry, does not have “clueless user” mode, somewhat cumbersome to maintain
MS Word: Pluses: widely used, WYSIWYG, convenient spell check,
track changes, manuscript marking system Minuses: poor figure positioning, does not program well,
less reliable, less stable, much easier to mess up
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Needed Software MS Word Corel Draw (for figures) – v. 7 to 11 MathType (for equations) – v. 4 or 5 Reference Manager (for references) –
v. 10 Excel, Matlab, etc (for data
manipulation and supplementing Corel)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
General approach Everything has to be automated (numbering,
referencing, cross-referencing, positioning) Everything has to be compatible (copy/pasting,
emailing, re-using, working internally, working externally)
Everything has to be failure proof (version upgrades, font embedding, colors vs. black and white, change of format)
It takes effort to understand and master this approach
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Elements of manuscriptHeadingsEquationsFigures and TablesReferencesMiscellaneous
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common misconceptions Only LaTeX can be used for scientific
writing (this presentation will prove otherwise)
Word is very easy to use, just turn it on and start typing away (not for our purposes)
It is possible to skim through this presentation in fast-forward and be ok (this rarely proven to be the case)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common mistakes
Failing to learn these techniques early on Taking instructions literally, without
thinking Assuming that your existing techniques
are acceptable Assigning wrong importance to this issue
The end of segment 1
Headings(segment 2)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Templates
Where to get the template?SEAL internal website files, e.g.
Generic report.docRecently created document from
the same class (conference paper, journal paper, report, thesis, etc.)
Ctrl-A, F9 for global update
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
How to make headings
Two methods (either one is fine):Create a new oneCopy the template
Updating styleChange and update, orFormat/Styles
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common mistakes Incorrect or inconsistent capitalization
University Of Washington (“Of should be of)1.1 Experimental results, 1.2 Theoretical
Analysis Not using proper style, just changing the
font (as a result, incorrect table of contents) Orphan headings (1.1 without 1.2; 3.1.1
without 3.1)
The end of segment 2
Equations(segment 3)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
How to make equations
Two methods (second method is preferred):Create a new oneCopy the template
Ctrl-A, F9 for global update
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Format Numbering
(1) – short documents (conference and journal papers)
(1.1) – long documents (theses, large reports)
Positioning Tab-Equation-Tab-Number (NO SPACES!!!!!) Switching the column width Using format brush
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Cross-referencing Add a bookmark, do not include
parentheses Give it a good name, starting with eq
good example: eqMagneticField (notice capitalization)
bad example: eq4 Insert-CrossReference-Bookmark,
unselect “Hyperlink,” add your own parentheses
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common misconceptions
Equations are much easier to write in LaTeX than in Word (not true if you know MathType and Word shortcuts)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common mistakes Writing “equation (6) instead of (6);
(exception: beginning of sentence) Bookmarking parentheses Copying equation number instead
of cross-referencing it Putting “space bars” in equation
line Incorrect mathematical signs
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common mistakes
Using different font in equation and in text, for example using W in equation and W in text to denote the same variable
Using subscripts and superscripts incorrectly
The end of segment 3
Figures and Tables(segment 4)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
How to make figures
Two methods (second method is preferred):Create a new oneCopy the template
Ctrl-A, F9 for global update
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Templates
Where to get the template?SEAL internal website files, e.g.
Generic report.docRecently created document from
the same class (conference paper, journal paper, report, thesis, etc.)
Ctrl-A, F9 for global update
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Sequence I Copy/Paste the figure template with figure
and caption Copy the new figure Paste Special as Picture Right-click, Format Picture, Layout, In line
with Text (little rectangles change from outline to black)
Center the figure
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Sequence II Adjust figure size to use the maximum
amount of available spaceEither pull by the corner, orRight-click/Format Picture/Size/Type in
exact size (good for multiple similar figures)
Type in a new caption preserving figure number
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Captions Make sure caption is distinct
e.g. indented, italicized, smaller font, etc. short captions should normally be centered (you
should not have short captions though) Orphan control: use sensibly
Right-click/Paragraph, Widow/Orphan control (check), Keep lines together (check), Keep with next (check with figure)
May need an override with subdocuments in a thesis Learn to write informative and concise captions
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Cross-referencing Insert/Cross-reference/Figure/Only
Label and Number/Uncheck hyperlink/Pick the right one
If figure is far away, you may want to cross-reference the page in addition: “Figure 3 on page 12”
Remove or add bold as necessary manually.
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Tables The same procedures as for figures
to make captions and cross-referencing
Make leftmost and uppermost columns distinct (typically bold)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
CorelDraw Use CorelDraw to touch-up the figures Use “Ungroup” to change part of the figure Create equations and vertical text in separate
software (Word, Mathtype), and copy to CorelDraw as graphical elements
Remember that vertically oriented text from Excel usually fails to port to other applications, touch-up with CorelDraw
CorelDraw has two .eps filters, use the .PS, .PRN, .EPS, not the other one (.EPS only)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Appearance of figures I All elements must be visible when the figure is
shrunk to double-column paper format (in this case it works for PowerPoint to) Large enough fonts (Excel and Matlab default
settings are way too small) Thick enough lines Clear identifier signs (squares, triangles, dashes, etc.) Adequate comments
Use Arial (sans serif) for figure text, not Times New Roman (serif)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Appearance of figures II
Be sensible about color. Use it for PowerPoint, but remember that publications are black and white
Line art must be crisp Use WMF not Bitmap, whenever possible. Paste
Special as Picture preserves postscript/wmf.
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common misconceptions
After this presentation I know everything (this presentation is not intended to replace the entire philosophy of graphics for science and engineering)
It’s ok to create figures randomly, without thinking about this presentation, after all, it worked for me for many years (will not work in SEAL)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common mistakes
Writing “as shown in Figure 1,” instead of “Figure 1 shows”
Writing text “Figure 1” instead of cross-referencing the figure
Being inconsistent with “Fig. 1,” “Figure 1,” “figure 1,” etc.
Forgetting to reference the figure at all before it appears in text
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common mistakes
Meaningless or repetitive captions, e.g. caption “Temperature vs. Humidity”
Having a second caption inside the figure (above the graph)
Fonts too small, lines too thin Fuzzy image, lines, fonts (use line art) Figure only works in color
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common mistakes
3D graph is shown from bad angle Inconsistent capitalization Corrupted fonts Poor caption explanations Forgetting about PASTE SPECIAL Pulling by the side when changing
figure size (pull by the corner)
The end of segment 4
References(segment 5)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Reference Manager Install properly
Sometimes needs initialization in Word Needs database files sealmasterdb.rmd and
sealmasterdb.rmx Needs format file (IEEE9.os as of April 2004), place it
in the directory Program Files/Reference Manager 10/Styles.
The riched32.dll file is for handling subscripts. Place it under the directory Program Files/Reference Manager 10
Set column display, make sure to include UserDef2 Pick your preferences in word (e.g. instant formatting)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Usage Blocks, updating sealmasterdb UserDef1, UserDef2 Internet search Procedure If you make a mistake, sometimes
you need to repeat the insertion of the reference
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Adding references Using blocks, Manual RefID Internet search Search of other databases Making sure records are displayed
properly Working with Term Manager Modifying style file
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Common mistakes Incorrect database name Adding new entries incorrectly Wrong capitalization Creating unnecessary duplicates Misspelling Mistakes in unusual foreign names Forgetting to use a correct block Forgetting to insert UserDef2 Incorrect journal names
The end of segment 5
Miscellaneous(segment 6)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Saving files Save often (every few minutes) Make backup copies of previous
intermediate versions (every couple of days) Back up on external drives, such as CD or
tape (every week or more)
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
File settings
Make sure file settings are correct; e.g. if the language setting is Portuguese, your spell check will fail
Alexander Mamishev SEAL, EE Department, University of Washington
Paragraph text Recommended setting
both sides justified no extra space before and after
paragraphfirst line indented by 0.3 in
Learn to use highlighting and track changes
Use hidden text to remind yourself of important details
The end of segment 6