ADVT Assessment

Coinbox exercise

An apologyI am really sorry about the bug in the feedback web pagesInexcusableYour feedback is most valuable

SpecificationYou are to write a paper according to the instructions below. The paper must be a literature review, informed by one or more of the classes in this module. The title of the paper will be of your choice, but will have to be approved by Alistair Edwards.

Four phasesPhase Task Deadline

1 Choose a title and have it approved

25 February

2 Extended abstract 11 March

3 Feedback on abstract 15 March

4 Paper 24 April

TitleThe title must relate to one or more of the classes in this module. It should be sufficiently specific to be realistic to be addressed in a paper written under these constraints. The paper must be based on existing work – as presented in the classes and in the literature. It must not require any original research.

Extended abstractThe purpose of the abstract is to set out the structure and outline content of the eventual paper. Feedback will be provided on the abstract. The Extended Abstract must be no more than 2 pages. It does not have to conform to any page formatting rules, but must be in PDF electronic format and must be submitted electronically.

PaperThe paper must address the title. It is expected that it will follow the outline of the extended abstract, but it is permissible to introduce new material. In particular, there may be topics covered in greater depth towards the end of term, which you may wish to include.Your paper must be in PDF format, formatted according to the published specification requirements (http://www-course.cs.york.ac.uk/hcit/Sample.docx or http://www-course.cs.york.ac.uk/hcit/Sample.doctx) ) and must not exceed 8 A4 pages. You must use the IEEE style of referencing. (See http://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf).

Marking1 Has the Extended Abstract been

submitted and approved? (0.5)2 Does the paper address the topic

implied by its title? (0.5)

3 Does the paper show evidence of the author having read more widely around the topics? (1.0)

4 Does the paper show evidence of input from one or more of the ADVT classes? (0.5)

5 Does the author show original and critical thinking? (1.0)

6 Does the paper show awareness of the diversity of potential users of interactive technology? (1.0)

7 Are references used appropriately? (1.0)

8 Does the paper meet the formatting requirements? (0.5)

9 Is the abstract appropriate? (1.0)

10 Quality of the introduction. (1.0)11 Does the paper present

appropriate conclusions? (1.0)12 Quality of presentation and

writing. (2.0) This includes clarity of meaning, English style and grammar and formatting.

Questions?Any subsequent questions will be answered via the on-line forum:http://www.cs.york.ac.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=63&sid=84ed8f0e3bbff1cdd17c37d67db26025

A gentle introduction to writing research papersAlistair Edwards…but drawing heavily on slides from Chris Power

ObjectivesTo give a brief introduction to scientific writing in generalTo help you prepare for the specific writing task for the assessment of this module

Why do we publish?‘Publish or perish’

Organizing your research (paper)

Organizing your research (paper)

Choosing a topicChoosing your audienceWhat is your hypothesis?What is your story?Doing your literature reviewFinding your evidence

Choosing a topicOne key to success is – What are you going to research?…but in the context of this assessment

must be related to one or more of the classesmust have a significant literaturemust be of the right sizemust require no original research

Choosing your audienceAfter you have chosen your topic (and done the work!) you need to know how to target your paperAgain, for this assessment:

think of the second markeris an HCI expertbut has not been to the classes

What is your hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a propositionYour objective is to prove – or falsify – that hypothesis(Remember QUAN?)

Example hypothesesAnimation makes web advertising more effective

Fast-tempo music increases game players’ sense of immersion

Perceived ease-of-use is positively related to flow experience of playing of an on-line game

Data entry by older users is easier when the pocket computer has a keyboard, albeit a small one

The null hypothesisThe negation of the hypothesisSeek to prove it

Fail and you have proved the hypothesis

e.g. Perceived ease-of-use is not positively related to flow experience of playing an on-line game

Even a review paper should have a

hypothesisFind a point to argueand do so with reference to the literature

What is your story?Every paper has a storyFinding it can be hard

but once you are clear you can write a clearer paper

‘No tale is so good that it can’t be spoiled in the telling’ (Proverb)

Example stories‘This is my hypothesis and here is the evidence to prove or disprove it’A historySelling

an ideaa product

Teachstart from what the reader knowsand lead them to new knowledge

Doing your literature review

There is always a literature reviewYour assessment paper will be mostly a literature review

Doing your literature review

Doing your literature review

Look for those references that have titles and keywords that seem to match the problem you are solving

If available, read the abstract

Collect papers – either digital or go to *gasp* the library!Do this early because if you need to see a paper and we don’t have it in the University you can order through inter-library loans (ILL)

Doing your literature survey

Read the abstract, introduction and conclusionsIf they are well written these will tell you what the paper is about and whether it is usefulDiscard those that are not useful – may want to keep a file of interesting things to look at for another timeKeep those that are applicable and read methods and results

Doing your literature survey

Read the abstract, introduction and conclusionsThese will also be most important in the paper you write

and are often poor

Doing your literature review

Make notes as you go alongOrganize the papers cleverly – use good tools to store and organize papers

Desktop – Bibtex, Endnote, RefManCloud – Mendeley, Citeulike

Do not keep them in a word document or other basic file type – you will drownWith the above tools you can then generate bibliographies for your own paper in whatever format you want

Exercise: Doing a literature survey in 15 minutes

ExerciseGet into groups of 3 or 4

Each group to have a computer with web access

Choose a topic that is interesting to youDo a Google Scholar search on that topic

http://scholar.google.co.uk/Pick 1 paper that appears to be highly cited

Read the abstract and introductionPick out interesting referencesAfter 10 minutes you will tell the other groups the ‘story’ of research you have found

Choose a topicWhat is Multimodality?Research in PracticeDesign for the web: Frameworks and MetaphorsCross-cultural designCan we do a better mail merge?Using dialogical methods to understanding experience

Are we human or are we children? Research through DesignThe social experience of gamingMultimodalityForms Design: What really matters to users Access to the Web for disabled and older people

What’s your story?

Structuring your paperYou then have to communicate all of the above to your readerBuild constructs of language – sentence to paragraph, paragraphs to sections, sections to papersAll constructs of our paper will have the same structure:

Introduction – orienting the readerContribution – the point of the constructConclusion – sending the reader off

Structuring your paperIntroductionContribution

GenerallyMethodResultsDiscussion

Conclusion

Structuring your paperIntroductionContribution

For the assessment mainly discussion

Conclusion

AbstractAbstract:

State the contribution you are makingState the motivation as to why it is interestingState the methodology you followedState the resultsState the conclusions

You get about 1-2 sentences for each of theseThe abstract will keep people reading your paperExtended abstracts – short paper – you get 1 or 2 paragraphs for each of these

AbstractAbstract:

State the contribution you are makingState the motivation as to why it is interestingState the methodology you followedState the resultsState the conclusions

You get about 1-2 sentences for each of theseThe abstract will keep people reading your paperExtended abstracts – short paper – you get 1 or 2 paragraphs for each of these

AbstractThe abstract and paper should be capable of being read independentlyDon’t assume that the reader reading one of them has read the other

Abstract ExampleThis paper presents the design of a new web browser, the Tree Trailblazer, which allows users to browse the web while maintaining a visual record of their exploration path, or trail, through the information space. This design enhances the backtracking aspects of web browsing over current designs by providing visual cues regarding the pages related to the page being viewed, providing users with an understanding of their position in the trail. This design also helps users blaze new trails off a page by allowing them to open previews of pages off of the currently viewed page. The scenario based design process that was used to construct the browser is discussed in conjunction with the initial prototype implementation. A formative user evaluation of this prototype showed this browser design to be very easy to learn and highly usable, with particular attention being paid to aspects of the tree visualization.

Power, C.; McQuillan, I.; Petrie, H.; Kennaugh, P.; Daley, M.; Wozniak, G.; , "No Going Back: An Interactive Visualization Application for Trailblazing on the Web," Information Visualisation, 2008. IV '08. 12th International Conference , vol., no., pp.133-142, 9-11 July 2008doi: 10.1109/IV.2008.64URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4577938&isnumber=4577908

IntroductionIntroduce the topic

‘This paper is about…’ very early on‘No one reads the second paragraph’

Journalists’ dogma

Introduce the backgroundIntroduce the paper

Literature reviewIn this section you will convince the reader that what you are doing is new and interestingHit on major themes within the research communityLook for problem areas such as common disagreements or ‘dogma’ that is in the field so that you reference them clearly

This is particularly important in your assessmentYou have not simply read the literature, you have analysed it criticallyDiscussion section?

ConclusionsSimple rule

Introduce nothing new in the conclusionsIt is a distillation of what has gone before

ConclusionsState – or re-iterate – succinctly:

The contribution you have madeThe motivation as to why it is interesting to your audience and how it applies to themThe methodology you already describedThe key resultsWhat the findings mean to the field and how it is original and important

Scientific Writing Style

Scientific writingEverything you say must be backed by evidence

From the literatureFrom your results

There is no place for opinion

Finding your scientific voice

It’s not a highly personal narrative“I studied different sources in the library. I attended the class on…”It doesn’t have to be very convoluted, full of complex terms“If skin deformation is a critical factor for roughness perception (Taylor and Lederman, 1975), then it would seem reasonable to argue that roughness perception in virtual reality might be more similar to roughness perception in the physical world via a probe, than via a bare finger.”

46-word sentence - I have to draw breath, that’s not a good sign

Keep it as plain and simple as you can

Try to find a way of writing that is somewhere in the middle, that you are comfortable withA certain amount of use of the first person is fineKeep words short and simple as possible - except for technical termsKeep sentences short always (break the argument down into its logical parts for the reader to understand)

Sentences building to paragraphs

‘Skin deformation may be a critical factor for roughness perception (Taylor and Lederman, 1975). Roughness perception in the physical world is usually undertaken with the bare fingers and thus involves skin deformation; sometimes it may be undertaken with a probe or other device, and no skin deformation is involved. Therefore it is reasonable to argue that roughness perception in virtual reality, which inevitably uses a probe, is more similar to roughness perception in the physical world via a probe than via a bare finger.’

ReadabilityOriginal sentence: Flesch Ease of Reading Index 13%Chris’s (initial) re-write: Flesch 33.4%

These reading indices are not very good, but can occasionally be a useful tool

Don’t go all literary, darling

Don’t feel that you are expected to write in some very literary style Don’t vary terms for interest (see defining terms later)Don’t suddenly vary topic Don’t intentionally create suspense

Don’t be too informal, either

Contractions such as don’t, can’t and wasn’t have no place in a formal document

do not, cannot and was not

They are a way of documenting the way we speak- and signalling informality(which is why they are used in these slides)

Precision and rigor!A scientific style is usually as precise as possible

Avoid vague terms ‘the web users tended to…’Make sure you know the meaning of complex words you use ( e.g. sequencing attribute grammar)Avoid colloquial/culturally specific expressions e.g. ‘training wheels interfaces …’

Chris had no idea what this meant

Think about your reader(s)!

You need to persuade your reader that this is an important document/project and lead them through the information

The storyDon’t discuss a concept for three pages and then define it - reader needs a definition at the beginning of a discussion of the conceptProvide introductory/bridging sentences/phrases

“The next section will introduce concepts of web accessibility and usability in order to establish the criteria for evaluations of websites by users”

Define terms (and abbrevs) and stick to them!

Early in your paper, define any technical terms you need to, set up abbreviations and then stick to them In the case of technical terms, if you vary them, the reader may think you mean something different

‘web user’, ‘evaluator’, ‘participant’, ‘tester’

are these all the same lot of people?

Abbreviations and acronyms

Spell out all abbreviations and acronyms the first time you use them

Even ‘common’ onese.g.‘A long standing controversy within human-computer interaction (HCI) is…’

Abbreviations and acronyms

Specifying an abbreviation (abbrev) and then not using it is just irritating for the reader - last thing you wantMake a list of abbreviations as you go along, at the end check that you have introduced them on the first instance of their useMake sure that any acronyms, abbreviations that you use without explanation really are understood in the fieldDon’t use too many abbreviations - again, think of the mental load on the poor reader

If there is disagreement about terminology, key concepts?

Do discuss different researchers’ definitions, concepts if appropriateBut make it clear where you stand - you are now an expert!

‘According to Jones (2001), web accessibility is… However, Smith (2004) defined web accessibility as… In this thesis, I will follow Jones…’ Or: ‘In this thesis, accessibility will be defined as…’Or: In this thesis, I will define accessibility as…’

Conceptual analysis and definition of new terms may well be an important part of your contribution to the field

Politically correct interlude

If writing about human beings, use non-sexist terminology

Not: ‘The web user was shown a scale on which to rate the usability of each site. He was asked to study this…’

Easy way out - use the plural!But: ‘Web users were shown a scale on which to rate the usability of each site. They were …’

If writing about particular groups of humans, personalize them

Not: ‘The elderly cannot see colours with the accuracy…’But ‘Many elderly people cannot see colours…’

Political correctnessLanguage is powerfulIt is easy to cause offenseSo, try to avoid it

but not at the expense of claritye.g. what is a ‘visually challenged person’?

How do I start?See

Thimbleby, H (2008) Write now!, (in) Cairns. P & Cox, A. (eds.) Research Methods for Human-Computer Interaction, Cambridge University press, pp.196-211

Using other people’s words

This might be something about plagarism, but let’s think of this in another wayIf you literally use the words of other authors, it isn’t your own voice, and will lead inevitably to a very uneven style - a bit from one author, a bit from another, or worse, a bit from X, a bit from you, a bit from XOne thing you are being assessed on is the ability to explain other people’s work in your words

QuotationsSo… keep quotations fairly rare and keep them briefSave them for really key pointsParticularly where the original author’s words are criticalOf course, always acknowledge the source of material (Petrie, 2008)

HeadingsUse them (they help the reader), make them informative“Background research” - not very informative!“Previous research on web accessibility and usability”(Some readers like only the standard headings like ‘Introduction’, ‘Methodology’)BUT don’t assume the reader has read them on the way through (may seem odd, but it’s definitely true)

HeadingsSo, do not follow a headingResearch on Web accessibility and usabilitywith

This area of research received little attention until the late 1990s.

Must be:Web accessibility and usability received little research attention…

Figure and tablesThey can help a reader enormouslyIt is OK to use a figure/table from a published source, if it’s acknowledged (usually in the title)Each figure/table should have a clear, stand-alone captionEach figure/table must be referred to in the text (otherwise how will the reader know when to study it?)

Designing figures and tables

Make sure they are sufficiently rich in information (would it be simpler to give some words - an error I often make!) but not too clutteredAre axes, objects all clear?Zobel has a good section on good and poor design

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Computer-Science-Justin-Zobel/dp/1852338024

Give figures/tables to a colleague and ask them what they mean

Allow (as much time as possible) for checking, proofing

Use spell checks, but remember they are dumb, dumb, dumbRead yourself, out loud if at all possibleHave someone else proof read if possible Remember, you won’t fail for the odd spelling mistake, but you want your report to look as professional as possible

Sources of informationZobel Writing for Computer Sciencehttp://www.amazon.com/Writing-Computer-Science-Justin-Zobel/dp/1852338024

Strunk and White - Elements of Style

For the specifics of constructions etc (if you are not confident) - Fowler’s Modern English Usage

Mander K. (1994) Writing for Humanshttp://www.cs.york.ac.uk/tutorials/writingforhumans.html

Thimbleby, H (2008) Write now!, (in) Cairns. P & Cox, A. (eds.) Research Methods for Human-Computer Interaction, Cambridge University press, pp.196-211

Read literature critically for style - re-read papers, chapters that you found easy to read