How To Write A STEM Paper – Illustrated With A Simple Experiment
Author: Thor May Date: February 2023
A STEM paper usually contains these sections: a) an Abstract; b) an Introduction; c) Methods and Materials; d) Results; e) a Discussion; f) a Conclusion; g) References.
This presentation will contain all of those sections in a basic form. In this way we can demonstrate how a STEM paper works.
The STEM paper here will also report on a simple experiment. The experiment is only an illustration. In fact everyone is invited to repeat the experiment. Repeating experiments is the best way to test them.
Some sections in this presentation will contain extra explanations to help new researchers and students. You might not find such explanations in a normal STEM paper.
On the Internet there is an excellent short summary of STEM writing from Indiana University, USA. It is called “Writing a Scientific Paper” (the link is in the Reference section of this paper). I am going to quote from that summary at the beginning of each section here.
Abstract
Indiana U. summary:
· “Abstracts are a summary of the research as a whole and should familiarize the reader with the purpose of the research.
· Abstracts will always be written last, even though they are the first paragraph of a scientific paper.
· Unlike a lab. report, all scientific papers will have an abstract.
· When writing an abstract, try to answer these questions:
o Why was the research done?
o What problem is being addressed?
o What results were found?
o What is the meaning of the results?
o How is the problem better understood now than before, if at all?”
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Abstract: A simple experiment of hand grip strengthening was conducted to illustrate principles of scientific research. The experiment addressed other research findings that eccentric muscle contraction is superior to concentric muscle contraction in terms of duration and frequency in increasing muscle strength. The experiment was conducted over 46 days by a single subject using his left hand to measure strength changes from using concentric contraction, and his right hand to measure strength changes from using eccentric contraction. The experiment failed to demonstrate any significant change in grip strength using either eccentric or concentric muscle contraction. However, as an illustration of process, the experiment served its purpose.
Introduction
Indiana U. summary:
· “The introduction of a scientific paper discusses the problem being studied and other theory that is relevant to understanding the findings.
· The hypothesis of the experiment and the motivation for the research are stated in this section.
· Write the introduction in your own words. Try not to copy from a lab manual or other guidelines. Instead, show comprehension of the research by briefly explaining the problem”.
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In this introduction, section 1 – What is Scientific Research?, section 2 – Scientific Method, and section 3 – Explanation, will not be found in a normal STEM paper. However, it is essential to understand them.
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1.What is Scientific Research?
Scientific research is a process of testing ideas to see if they work reliably in the real world or in a model. Most scientific research is done following standard rules of procedure. It is also reported in a standard way.
Some testing is easy, but much testing is very difficult:
a) It might be easy to see if a simple machine works, and how well it works.
b) It is more difficult to test a complex machine like a computer because problems may be hidden, and also one problem may cause other, unexpected problems.
c) It is often extremely difficult to test ideas about very complicated systems in nature. Examples might be i) the weather; ii) climate change; iii) the human body.
d) Human beings have themselves created many systems. Some of these systems are very big and complicated. Examples might be i) the economies of modern countries; ii) the public health system of a developed country.
2. Scientific Method
a) The most direct kind of scientific method (often called ‘classical scientific method’ is to :
i) exactly identify all the parts of a system which can change;
ii) hold all those parts (variables) constant EXCEPT one variable;
iii) change this ONE variable and see what happens. An example might be changing one ingredient in a cooking recipe.
b) The kind of scientific method used to study very complex systems usually cannot give a certain result. It can only give a PROBABLE result. Why?
i) It is usually not possible to study the whole of a very complex system. Only one section of this system will be studied. An example might be medical research: the human body has about 34 trillion cells + about 100 trillion other organisms like bacteria, viruses etc in residence. Nobody can control all the variables in such a system for research.
ii) Researchers studying big, complicated or invisible systems often create a simplified model to test how they might work. Examples might be models of the universe, the human brain, or even engineers creating a scale model of a bridge
ii) The methods used to study such very complex systems always require quite sophisticated data analysis, statistical procedures and sometimes AI (artificial intelligence). Even then the results might be contradicted by more research.
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3. The Purpose of This Presentation : to show how to write a STEM PAPER
a) The remainder of this presentation will report on a simple experiment. The result of the experiment doesn’t matter much here. Instead, the experimental report will show one example of writing a STEM paper. In the future you will probably write much longer and more complicated papers. However the pattern of writing will be similar to the report here.
b) Even simple experiments take time and use resources. Both the experiment then later reporting it will flow more smoothly if all records, information and materials are carefully organized first. For example, it is a very good idea to keep a Project Diary, a Project Timeline, a List of Resources, a List of Contacts, a List of References, and a Directory of Data Files. Above all, always back up everything in case of accidents.
4. The Sample Experiment Used In This Study
Research Question: Does Eccentric Muscle Release Strengthen Muscles More Efficiently Than Concentric Muscle Contraction?
There are three known ways to make a muscle stronger :
i) Isometric contraction means putting a muscle under stress without moving it. For example, just standing still in the street means that many body muscles are tensed to keep balance.
ii) Concentric contraction means that a muscle shortens when it moves to do work, like picking up a weight.
iii) Eccentric release means that a muscle lengthens gradually when it is released, like putting down a weight.
Some research in sports science (Nosaka 2022) has suggested that eccentric release strengthens muscles more quickly than concentric or isometric contraction. If that is true it is important because many people trying to get fit only concentrate on concentric contraction.
The demonstration experiment in this paper proposes an hypothesis :
Hypothesis : It is hypothesized that hand grip strength can be increased a) more quickly, and b) to a greater degree by concentrating on eccentric muscle release rather than concentric muscle contraction.
In much research a negative hypothesis is used rather a positive hypothesis. This is because it is often easier or more reliable to show that something is NOT the case, rather than it definitely IS the case. In this demonstration experiment, a negative hypothesis might look like the following:
Negative Hypothesis: It is hypothesized that an improvement in hand grip strength is not differently affected by whether work done by a muscle is in a concentric phase or in an eccentric phase.
For the purposes of this experiment, over 46 days, twice a day (mostly) the researcher used one hand to squeeze a grip exerciser slowly then release it quickly (concentric focus). He used his other hand to squeeze the exerciser quickly then release it slowly (eccentric focus). The results were tabulated daily using an electronic hand dynamometer to measure grip strength.
Methods and Materials
Indiana U. summary:
· “The methods and materials section provides an overview of any equipment, apparatus, or other substances used in the experiment, as well as the steps taken during the experiment. If using any specific amounts of materials, make sure the amount is listed.
o Ex: pipette, graduated cylinder, 1.13mg of Na, 0.67mg Ag
· List the steps taken as they actually happened during the experiment, not as they were supposed to happen.
· If written correctly, another researcher should be able to duplicate the experiment and get the same or very similar results.
· In a scientific paper, most often the steps taken during the research are discussed more in length and with more detail than they are in lab reports”.
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The materials used in the demonstration experiment comprised a hand grip exerciser, an electronic hand dynamometer, and a spreadsheet for tracking grip changes.
Table 1 – Sample spreadsheet extract
Figure 1 Hand grip exerciser & hand
dynamometer
The points of hand grip exercised in this experiment were as follows:
a) A hand grip using only the finger sections from the finger tip to the first joint on each hand.
b) A hand grip using only the finger sections between the second and third joints on each hand.
c) A hand grip using only the thumb section from the thumb tip to the first joint on each hand
d) A hand grip using only the thumb section below the first joint on each hand.
The daily procedure of the experiment was as follows:
a) Exercise each grip position on each hand 10 times, twice per day.
b) The left hand grip exercise involved squeezing each grip position slowly to the maximum, then releasing the grip quickly.
c) The right hand grip exercise involved squeezing each grip position quickly to the maximum, then releasing the grip slowly.
d) After all grip exercises had been completed using the grip exerciser device, all grip positions on each hand were tested once using the electronic hand dynamometer. Hand dynamometer tests were completed using a slow squeeze for the left hand, and a fast squeeze for the right hand.
e) Hand dynamometer results for all hand grip positions were recorded twice daily on a spreadsheet and any changes noted.
Results
Indiana U. summary:
· “The results show the data that was collected or found during the research.
· Explain in words the data that was collected.
· If using graphs, charts, or other figures, present them in the results section of the lab report.
o Tables should be labeled numerically, as "Table 1", "Table 2", etc. Other figures should be labeled numerically as "Figure 1", "Figure 2", etc.
· Calculations to understand the data can also be presented in the results”.
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The results of the simple hand grip experiment are shown in Figures 1&2. The raw dynamometer grip readings were entered on a spreadsheet, Appendix 3. The tabulation was then converted to a graph showing changes in strength for the eight grip positions over 46 days (Figures 2 & 3).
Figure 2. Grip strength changes in left (dominant) and right hands and fingers over 46 days
Figure 3. Grip strength changes in left and right thumbs over 46 days
After a slight initial increase, all grip positions in either hand showed no significant change in grip strength over the 46 day period of the experiment. Thus the hypothesis that hand grip strength can be increased a) more quickly, and b) to a greater degree by concentrating on eccentric muscle release rather than concentric muscle contraction was not demonstrated in this experiment.
Discussion
Indiana U. summary:
· “The discussion section is one of the most important parts of a scientific paper. It analyzes the results of the research and is a discussion of the data.
· If any results are unexpected, explain why they are unexpected and how they did or did not effect the data obtained.
· Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the design of the research and compare your results to similar research.
· If there are any experimental errors, analyze them.
· Explain your results and discuss them using relevant terms and theories.
· When writing a discussion, try to answer these questions:
o What do the results indicate?
o What is the significance of the results?
o Are there any gaps in knowledge?
o Are there any new questions that have been raised?”
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Possible limitations of the demonstration experiment:
a) A single experimental subject (participant) is a weak base for any scientific conclusion.
b) The amount of daily exercise for muscle strengthening may not have been optimum. The 46 day experimental period may also have been too brief to show useful changes.
c) The age of the experimental subject (77 y.o.) may have influenced the degree of muscle strengthening (although there is evidence that muscle can be built at any age).
d) The experimenter may have misinterpreted existing experimental evidence on concentric muscle contraction and eccentric muscle release. Indeed some existing experimental reports seem to have conflicting conclusions. This is common in research.
e) The statistical analysis of outcomes may have been flawed.
f) There may have been weaknesses in the experimental design overlooked by the researcher. It is likely that the actual hand movements did not properly exploit the differences between concentric and eccentric contraction (Casturo 2021).
Conclusion
Indiana U. summary:
· “The conclusion is a summation of the experiment. It should clearly and concisely state what was learned and its importance.
· If there is future work that needs to be done, it can be explained in the conclusion”.
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The experiment was a simple demonstration of research method. The simplicity itself meant that many problems which arise in the method and interpretation of more complex problems did not arise in this experiment. However as a demonstration, it has served its purpose.
The hand grip strengthening experiment in its own terms did not establish the positive hypothesis that eccentric muscle contraction is more efficient than concentric muscle contraction in strengthening muscles. It weakly established a negative hypothesis that neither eccentric nor concentric muscle contraction had an advantage over the other for muscle strengthening. That was a weak conclusion because little significant muscle strengthening of any kind occurred.
A future repetition of the handgrip experiment could be more rigorous by a) increasing the number of daily repetitions, b) increasing the number of experimental participants, and c) extending the duration of the experiment. d) controlling hand movements more carefully to distinguish concentric & eccentric contraction, e) A more sophisticated statistical analysis of changes would also be beneficial.
References
Indiana U. summary:
· “When any outside sources to support a claim or explain background information, those sources must be cited in the references section of the lab report.
· Scientific papers will always use outside references”.
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Comment: The references quoted in this paper are not properly comparable to the references found in regular research papers. Normally a research paper would quote other research only from refereed papers in recognized specialist journals, as well as other specialist publications.
The materials referenced here are deliberately chosen from open Internet sources, and with no particular attention to their quality. The aim has been to make some background information and ideas available to the widest possible group of non-specialist readers.
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a) References on how to write a STEM paper
Google searches used: (how to) write a STEM paper / STEM paper lesson plan / university STEM paper lesson plan / STEM in Vietnam / hand grip strengthening experiment /
British Council (2017) “STEM Education Programme - Vietnam”. British Council @ https://www.britishcouncil.vn/en/programmes/education/science-innovation/newton-programme-vietnam/stem
Indiana University (Nov 28, 2022) "Writing a Scientific Paper" IU Library Research Guides [USA] @ https://guides.libraries.indiana.edu/c.php?g=992698&p=7182656
Minogue, Chelsea and Dana Bagshaw, Giordana Inniello, Teegan Neill, Tegan Morgan (2019) “Stem Unit Plan - Sa Produce Markets”. University of South Australia @ https://www.unisa.edu.au/contentassets/a0cf262cde8747098c20ab4a41bf2c4a/saproducemarketsunitplan.pdf
Lam Thi Bich, LeaToan Thai, Tran Ngoc HaiTran (2021) "Challenges to STEM education in Vietnamese high school contexts". Heliyon, Volume 7, Issue 12, December 2021, e08649 @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021027523
Linh Ha (13/01/2020 ) "STEM education to be applied in Vietnam’s schools". VietnamNet @ https://vietnamnet.vn/en/stem-education-to-be-applied-in-vietnams-schools-607959.html
Phan Thi Tinh, Nguyen Mau Duc, Chokchai Yuenyong, Nguyen Thi Kieu and Tien-Trung Nguyen (2019) "Development of STEM education learning unit in context of Vietnam Tan Cuong Tea village". Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 1835, 2nd International Annual Meeting on STEM education (I AM STEM) 2019 27-29 September 2019, Thái Nguyên, Vietnam Citation Phan Thi Tinh et al 2021 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1835 012060 DOI 10.1088/1742-6596/1835/1/012060 . IOP Science @ https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1835/1/012060/meta
Vuong, Quan-Hoang & Pham, Thanh-Hang & Tran, Trung & Vuong, Thu-Trang & Cuong, Nguyen & Nguyen, Phuc & La, Viet-Phuong & Ho, Toan. (2020). “STEM Education and Outcomes in Vietnam: Views From the Social Gap and Gender Issues”. SSRN Electronic Journal. 10.2139/ssrn.3543346. ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340076075_STEM_Education_and_Outcomes_in_Vietnam_Views_From_the_Social_Gap_and_Gender_Issues
b) References for the demonstration experiment (eccentric versus concentric muscle strengthening)
Casturo, Matt (31 August 2021) "What is Eccentric Overload Training? | Is Eccentric Training Good for Athletes?". The Movement System @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8uPSGoHfD8 [7 minutes]
Chadwick, Pat (January 6, 2022) "Concentric vs Eccentric vs Isometric Contraction". Gymless blog @ https://www.gymless.org/concentric-vs-eccentric-vs-isometric-contraction/
Gods Of Grip (Apr 17, 2021) "Using Hand Grippers Everyday For A Month - Does using hand grippers everyday work? We experimented with this challenge. Documenting every day's training. Will it build strength? Develop muscle?" Gods of Grip blog @ https://godsofgrip.com/blogs/all-things-grip/using-hand-grippers-everyday-for-a-month
Labott B.K. et al. (2019) "Effects of Exercise Training on Handgrip Strength in Older Adults: A Meta-Analytical Review". Gerontology Journal 2019;65:686–698 @ https://doi.org/10.1159/000501203 accessed at https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/501203
Nosaka, Ken (Kazunori) [Edith Cowan University, Western Australia] (November 3, 2022) "Less gym time, same results: Why 'lowering' weights is all you need to do - New research has shown one type of muscle contraction is most effective at increasing muscle strength and size -- meaning we may able to cut our weights routine in half and still see the same results". Science Daily @ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221103105002.htm [The article contains links to the original research]
Robbie Durand (June 01, 2016) "12 Weeks of Sustained vs. Explosive Exercise: Which is Better for Muscle Mass?" Infinite Labs @ https://www.infinitelabs.com/blogs/training/12-weeks-of-sustained-vs-explosive-contraction-for-muscle-mass-which-is-better
Row (n.d.) "Is there a stronger correlation between hand span and grip strength, or height and grip strength?" MLC School (Methodist Ladies College, Australia), Sports, exercise and health science teacher support material @ https://www.gomlc.com/uploads/5/0/0/7/5007896/example_7_-_student_ib_sample.pdf
Sato, S., Yoshida, R., Murakoshi, F. et al. (2022) Comparison between concentric-only, eccentric-only, and concentric–eccentric resistance training of the elbow flexors for their effects on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Eur J Appl Physiol 122, 2607–2614 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-022-05035 ; link on Springer @ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-022-05035-w
Figure 4 Hand grip strength by Age (Ying-Chih Wang 2018)
Ying-Chih Wang et al.
(August 2018) "Hand-Grip Strength: Normative Reference Values and Equations
for Individuals 18 to 85 Years of Age Residing in the United States".
Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Volume 48 Issue 9 Pages
685-693 @ https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2018.7851 
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Appendices
Appendix 1 – Writing a STEM paper in a second language
This talk is about how to write a STEM paper. Some kinds of advice apply to writing anything. Some kinds of advice are special to writing about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We will have a quick look at both a) general writing technique and b) STEM writing technique. You cannot do b) well unless you can also do a).
Part A – General Writing Technique
a) Writing ability is a psychological habit. If you write often in any language your writing will become easier and more fluent. A famous journalist once advised me to write 1000 words per day on any topic for 100 days. He said the first 100,000 words would be trash, but after that I would be a writer. He was correct.
b) Your readers can not read your mind. State your purpose clearly. Explain briefly what your article will discuss, and what it will not discuss.
c) Make your writing clear and interesting. “Clear” and “interesting” will be different for different kinds of readers. Therefore know who you are writing for. For example, are they colleagues in your profession? Are they the general public? … and so on.
d) i) Organize any ideas you have before you write. ii) Continue to reorganize your ideas as your writing progresses. This includes adding in new ideas which you are sure to get. iii) When you think you have finished writing, put the paper away for a few days. Forget about it. Then later come back and look at the organization of ideas again. There will be things you want to change!
e) The best way to get ideas, and to organize ideas is to make lists of questions, and sub-questions. This applies at every stage of research and writing. The answers you get will depend upon the questions you ask. A few people are very good at asking complex questions. Most people need a lot of practice. What is your questioning skill level?
f) Writing is a formal process. Writing is durable – it lasts, unlike speech. Formal language mistakes become obvious. Language mistakes make your writing look less credible, even if the ideas are good. Therefore always check your writing for grammar and style. Then recheck it. Ask a friend to check it. Maybe hire a native English speaker to check it.
Part B – STEM Writing Technique
a) A STEM writer is always neutral about the topic. A STEM writer is like a sports referee. A writer about religion, or politics or social events will usually have a personal opinion. These writers use personal language which supports their feelings. A STEM writer will have personal feelings of course, but these feelings will not be part of his or her writing. A STEM writer writes neutrally about facts, ideas, methods and theories.
b) Every branch of science, technology, engineering and mathematics has its own special conventions for writing about professional topics. Read as many papers in your field as possible. Ask yourself questions about how these papers are organized and what style of language they use. Do some practice writing to imitate these patterns.
c) Many STEM papers are written as part of a team rather than simply by one individual. If this applies to your field, try to find researchers who have done writing as part of a team. Ask how they went about it.
d) i) The Internet is your friend. Somewhere on the Internet is most human knowledge. The Internet cannot write for you. The Internet cannot do research for you. However the Internet can HELP you to write and research. You just have to ask the right questions. If you ask the Internet stupid questions, then you will get stupid answers. If you ask smart questions, then you will usually get many answers. Some of the answers will be useful and some will not be useful for you. You must become skilled at finding useful answers.
ii) For example, here is a general topic: “Writing a STEM paper”. Google gives 144 million results for that. Most of the results will be useless. However some results are very useful. Thus Indiana University (USA) offers very useful information about how to organize scientific writing. See https://guides.libraries.indiana.edu/c.php?g=992698&p=7182656 . Don’t be lazy! Check it for yourself. Check other links too. I won’t repeat all that information here.
iii) Some people steal other people’s writing from the Internet. This is called plagiarism. Plagiarism is a crime. It can get you expelled from university. It can lose you a job, sometimes years later, and ruin your reputation.
iv) Some criminal companies on the Internet will for a fee write your essays, write your research papers, or even get you a university degree. As with plagiarism, this can lose you a job and ruin your reputation. Also only fools use these companies. If you leave college without learning anything yourself, then you know no more than a labourer and will be useless in any job.
Appendix 2 – A mention of some problems affecting real life scientific research
1. Research which does not prove what a research sponsor hoped to prove is just as valuable for science as research which does prove an effect. It is important to learn what does not work so that time and money is not wasted making the same mistakes again. Unfortunately, in real life such “failed” research might not be published, especially if the sponsor is a commercial organization.
2. It is rare in science to prove something absolutely. Research findings can only be really trusted when they are repeated again and again in identical experiments. However, perhaps because repeated experiments do not have the same glamour as original research it is often harder to obtain funding for them, and harder to have them published in leading journals.
3. Researchers, like any other group of people, come with all kinds of personalities and suffer from all kinds of pressures. Some publish faked research or even plagiarized (stolen) research. This can cause major problems for society. Also when such dishonesty becomes known, the researcher’s own career is permanently ruined.
For example: “The publishing arm of the Institute of Physics, a society founded in London in 1874, has been forced to retract nearly 900 papers so far this year. At least 497 of them were claimed to have been written by Chinese researchers, on topics ranging from chemical engineering to artificial intelligence. Others were meant to be from scientists in India and Iran. In reality, the papers had been churned out by “paper mills”, shadowy operations that produce falsified research to order and arrange to have it published in western journals. Springer Nature, a German-British academic publisher, is another victim. It said it had retracted 749 studies in the past nine months which it now believed came from paper mills”. (Rhys Blakely (October 1, 2022) The Times via The Australian @ https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/british-journals-forced-to-retract-fake-chinese-science-papers/news-story/7266f45086a34228fdbc4bdc4f285d86 )
Appendix 3 – Table of results for the Sample Experiment (raw data)
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Eccentric Vs Concentric Muscle Development - Experiment -Thor May |
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Date |
Left 1st |
Left 2nd |
Right 1st |
Right 2nd |
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slow in - fast out x10 |
fast in - slow out x10 |
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8-Dec-22 |
10.7 |
26.1 |
9.9 |
17.5 |
pm |
|
|
9-Dec-22 |
9.5 |
21.8 |
11 |
15.4 |
pm |
|
|
10-Dec-22 |
10.3 |
24.1 |
10 |
16 |
am |
|
|
10-Dec-22 |
15.5 |
22.1 |
11.4 |
18 |
pm |
|
|
11-Dec-22 |
12.8 |
24.2 |
11.5 |
17.4 |
am |
|
|
11-Dec-22 |
13.6 |
25.5 |
15.8 |
20.4 |
pm |
|
|
12-Dec-22 |
12.6 |
27.7 |
11.3 |
21.9 |
am |
|
|
12-Dec-22 |
14.4 |
25.4 |
13.5 |
21.5 |
pm |
|
|
13-Dec-22 |
15.3 |
31.6 |
15 |
21.3 |
am |
|
|
13-Dec-22 |
12.4 |
27.1 |
14.2 |
22.1 |
pm |
|
|
14-Dec-22 |
13.4 |
30.3 |
16.3 |
22.1 |
am |
|
|
15-Dec-22 |
13.1 |
31.8 |
13.1 |
24.8 |
am |
|
|
15-Dec-22 |
11.2 |
30.6 |
12.7 |
23.7 |
pm |
|
|
16-Dec-22 |
13 |
30.7 |
13 |
25 |
am |
|
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17-Dec-22 |
14 |
33.6 |
15.6 |
25.7 |
am |
|
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17-Dec-22 |
12.4 |
33.1 |
15.7 |
25 |
pm |
|
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18-Dec-22 |
12.3 |
29.9 |
15.9 |
21.9 |
am |
|
|
18-Dec-22 |
13.7 |
33.2 |
14.9 |
22.8 |
pm |
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|
19-Dec-22 |
15.6 |
36 |
14.7 |
23.7 |
am |
|
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20-Dec-22 |
14.7 |
32.2 |
15.2 |
24.3 |
pm |
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21-Dec-22 |
15,5 |
33.4 |
16.7 |
25.4 |
am |
|
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21-Dec-22 |
12.7 |
31.1 |
15.3 |
21.5 |
pm |
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22-Dec-22 |
12.3 |
35.2 |
13 |
24.3 |
am |
|
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22-Dec-22 |
15.7 |
34.6 |
15.4 |
25.2 |
pm |
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23-Dec-22 |
13.3 |
32.9 |
15 |
23.8 |
am |
|
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23-Dec-22 |
15.8 |
33.6 |
17.4 |
25.5 |
pm |
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24-Dec-22 |
15.7 |
33.4 |
16.4 |
25.6 |
am |
|
|
24-Dec-22 |
17.8 |
31.8 |
15.8 |
26.3 |
pm |
|
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25-Dec-22 |
15.6 |
29 |
16.9 |
24.3 |
pm |
|
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26-Dec-22 |
18 |
34.1 |
13.9 |
24 |
am |
|
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27-Dec-22 |
15.1 |
34.7 |
14.9 |
24 |
am |
|
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27-Dec-22 |
15.9 |
32.7 |
17.3 |
22.1 |
pm |
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28-Dec-22 |
17.3 |
29.2 |
14.4 |
20.2 |
am |
|
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28-Dec-22 |
16 |
33.9 |
15.7 |
22 |
pm |
|
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29-Dec-22 |
17.9 |
35.6 |
15.1 |
22 |
am |
|
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29-Dec-22 |
15 |
32.7 |
15.1 |
23.3 |
pm |
|
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30-Dec-22 |
17.5 |
31.1 |
15.2 |
26.3 |
am |
|
|
30-Dec-22 |
14.5 |
32.1 |
15.8 |
26 |
pm |
|
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31-Dec-22 |
14.3 |
34.9 |
14.8 |
28.6 |
am |
|
|
31-Dec-22 |
17.3 |
34.5 |
16.9 |
24 |
pm |
|
|
1-Jan-23 |
17.9 |
35.1 |
16.2 |
22.6 |
pm1 |
|
|
1-Jan-23 |
20.6 |
32.9 |
15.8 |
23 |
pm2 |
|
|
2-Jan-23 |
17 |
37 |
17.7 |
27.5 |
am |
|
|
2-Jan-23 |
16.2 |
36.8 |
15.1 |
26 |
pm |
|
|
3-Jan-23 |
17.9 |
34 |
13.3 |
24.9 |
am |
|
|
4-Jan-23 |
17.6 |
36.2 |
15.3 |
25.5 |
am |
|
|
4-Jan-23 |
15.1 |
37.9 |
15.7 |
27.1 |
pm |
|
|
5-Jan-23 |
19 |
37.3 |
15.7 |
25.3 |
am |
|
|
5-Jan-23 |
17.2 |
35.7 |
14.1 |
26.1 |
pm |
|
|
6-Jan-23 |
17 |
33.9 |
14.3 |
24.6 |
am |
|
|
6-Jan-23 |
18.2 |
35.8 |
14.4 |
26.5 |
pm |
|
|
7-Jan-23 |
23 |
35 |
14.5 |
24.5 |
am |
|
|
8-Jan-23 |
15.6 |
34.6 |
16.2 |
22.8 |
am |
|
|
8-Jan-23 |
15.9 |
35.3 |
16.4 |
22.4 |
pm |
|
|
9-Jan-23 |
17.3 |
37.6 |
14.2 |
26.3 |
am |
|
|
9-Jan-23 |
15.8 |
35.7 |
14.2 |
25.5 |
pm |
|
|
10-Jan-23 |
20 |
40.3 |
19.2 |
27.3 |
am |
|
|
10-Jan-23 |
21.5 |
36.2 |
18.3 |
27.5 |
pm |
|
|
11-Jan-23 |
18.1 |
38.3 |
16.3 |
26.4 |
am |
|
|
11-Jan-23 |
16.5 |
36 |
15.7 |
26.2 |
pm |
|
|
12-Jan-23 |
20.8 |
35 |
16.8 |
25.9 |
am |
|
|
12-Jan-23 |
24.4 |
37 |
17.1 |
26.7 |
pm |
|
|
13-Jan-23 |
18.5 |
32.5 |
14.6 |
23.8 |
pm1 |
|
|
14-Jan-23 |
19.7 |
35 |
15.7 |
24.5 |
pm1 |
|
|
14-Jan-23 |
19 |
36 |
14.2 |
25.7 |
pm2 |
|
|
15-Jan-23 |
18.2 |
32.7 |
14.6 |
27.4 |
am |
|
|
15-Jan-23 |
22.1 |
36.4 |
16.2 |
30.2 |
pm |
|
|
16-Jan-23 |
18 |
38.3 |
15.9 |
25.9 |
pm |
|
|
17-Jan-23 |
19.1 |
37.7 |
17.6 |
28.5 |
||
|
17-Jan-23 |
18.6 |
33.6 |
16.9 |
25.6 |
pm |
|
|
18-Jan-23 |
17.8 |
32.6 |
15.6 |
25 |
am |
|
|
18-Jan-23 |
17 |
32.3 |
17 |
25.2 |
pm |
|
|
19-Jan-23 |
18.5 |
36.7 |
15.4 |
25.3 |
am |
|
|
19-Jan-23 |
16.7 |
35.1 |
16.4 |
26 |
pm |
|
|
20-Jan-23 |
18.1 |
32.5 |
15.8 |
24.7 |
pm |
|
|
21-Jan-23 |
19.3 |
34.1 |
18.2 |
24.5 |
am |
|
|
21-Jan-23 |
19 |
33.6 |
14.6 |
25.5 |
pm |
|
|
22-Jan-23 |
19.7 |
31.8 |
15.8 |
24.8 |
pm |
|
|
22-Jan-23 |
19.6 |
35.7 |
18.8 |
25.7 |
pm |
|
|
23-Jan-23 |
17.3 |
33.5 |
17.3 |
25.2 |
am |
|
|
Eccentric Vs Concentric Muscle Development - Experiment -Thor May |
||||||
|
Date |
L-Thumb1 |
L-Thumb2 |
R-Thumb1 |
R-Thumb2 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8-Dec-22 |
8.8 |
12.1 |
7.2 |
9.9 |
pm |
|
|
9-Dec-22 |
8.3 |
9.5 |
8.9 |
8.3 |
pm |
|
|
10-Dec-22 |
8 |
9.9 |
9.7 |
9.3 |
am |
|
|
10-Dec-22 |
9.2 |
11 |
8.9 |
11.7 |
pm |
|
|
11-Dec-22 |
10,5 |
11.5 |
9.1 |
10.4 |
am |
|
|
11-Dec-22 |
8.7 |
11.6 |
8.4 |
11 |
pm |
|
|
12-Dec-22 |
8.7 |
11.4 |
9.3 |
10.9 |
am |
|
|
12-Dec-22 |
9,5 |
10 |
10.6 |
11.4 |
pm |
|
|
13-Dec-22 |
9.9 |
11.9 |
10.4 |
10.2 |
am |
|
|
13-Dec-22 |
9.2 |
9.6 |
9.1 |
10.3 |
pm |
|
|
14-Dec-22 |
10.1 |
11.7 |
9.3 |
11.9 |
am |
|
|
15-Dec-22 |
9.2 |
10.3 |
10.1 |
11.1 |
am |
|
|
15-Dec-22 |
9.4 |
11.9 |
10.6 |
10.8 |
pm |
|
|
16-Dec-22 |
9.2 |
12.5 |
10.4 |
11.4 |
am |
|
|
17-Dec-22 |
9 |
11.5 |
9.6 |
11 |
am |
|
|
17-Dec-22 |
10.3 |
12.4 |
10.1 |
12 |
pm |
|
|
18-Dec-22 |
9.9 |
11,7 |
9.6 |
10.9 |
am |
|
|
18-Dec-22 |
10 |
12.5 |
10.7 |
11.6 |
pm |
|
|
19-Dec-22 |
10.5 |
12.5 |
11.5 |
12.3 |
am |
|
|
20-Dec-22 |
11.6 |
12 |
10.8 |
11.9 |
pm |
|
|
21-Dec-22 |
11.2 |
11.6 |
10.1 |
12 |
am |
|
|
21-Dec-22 |
9.9 |
10,4 |
11.1 |
12.4 |
pm |
|
|
22-Dec-22 |
10.6 |
12.2 |
10.5 |
11,4 |
am |
|
|
22-Dec-22 |
10.1 |
10 |
10.1 |
11.5 |
pm |
|
|
23-Dec-22 |
10.4 |
11.5 |
10.5 |
12.4 |
am |
|
|
23-Dec-22 |
10.5 |
10,4 |
10.7 |
12.1 |
pm |
|
|
24-Dec-22 |
10.4 |
12.1 |
11.6 |
11.7 |
am |
|
|
24-Dec-22 |
10.5 |
12.4 |
10.6 |
12.1 |
pm |
|
|
25-Dec-22 |
10,7 |
12.6 |
10.5 |
12.4 |
pm |
|
|
26-Dec-22 |
11.3 |
12.8 |
11 |
10.4 |
am |
|
|
27-Dec-22 |
10.6 |
13.7 |
11.1 |
12.1 |
am |
|
|
27-Dec-22 |
10 |
12.7 |
10.7 |
11.6 |
pm |
|
|
28-Dec-22 |
9.4 |
11.9 |
11.1 |
12.2 |
am |
|
|
28-Dec-22 |
11.1 |
11.6 |
10.3 |
11.3 |
pm |
|
|
29-Dec-22 |
11.3 |
13 |
10.4 |
12.4 |
am |
|
|
29-Dec-22 |
10.3 |
11.2 |
9.7 |
12.1 |
pm |
|
|
30-Dec-22 |
10.3 |
11 |
11 |
12.5 |
am |
|
|
30-Dec-22 |
10 |
12 |
10.3 |
11.8 |
pm |
|
|
31-Dec-22 |
10.6 |
12.7 |
9.3 |
12 |
am |
|
|
31-Dec-22 |
9.8 |
12.8 |
10.6 |
12.6 |
pm |
|
|
1-Jan-23 |
9.9 |
13.1 |
10.6 |
12.6 |
pm1 |
|
|
1-Jan-23 |
10.9 |
12 |
10.2 |
11.8 |
pm2 |
|
|
2-Jan-23 |
10.4 |
12.5 |
10.2 |
11.2 |
am |
|
|
2-Jan-23 |
10.7 |
12.3 |
10.6 |
13.3 |
pm |
|
|
3-Jan-23 |
11 |
12.9 |
9.6 |
11 |
am |
|
|
4-Jan-23 |
10.9 |
14.3 |
11.1 |
13.6 |
am |
|
|
4-Jan-23 |
10.7 |
12.9 |
11.9 |
12.9 |
pm |
|
|
5-Jan-23 |
10.7 |
14 |
11 |
13.2 |
am |
|
|
5-Jan-23 |
9.6 |
11.5 |
11.3 |
12.2 |
pm |
|
|
6-Jan-23 |
10.3 |
12.3 |
10.3 |
12.1 |
am |
|
|
6-Jan-23 |
11.5 |
12 |
11.4 |
10.9 |
pm |
|
|
7-Jan-23 |
10.5 |
12 |
11.4 |
12.3 |
am |
|
|
8-Jan-23 |
10.4 |
12.3 |
12 |
11.9 |
am |
|
|
8-Jan-23 |
11.2 |
13.5 |
10.5 |
12.2 |
pm |
|
|
9-Jan-23 |
11.1 |
12.1 |
11.6 |
11.6 |
am |
|
|
9-Jan-23 |
10.2 |
11.2 |
11.1 |
11 |
pm |
|
|
10-Jan-23 |
10.8 |
13.4 |
11 |
11.8 |
am |
|
|
10-Jan-23 |
11 |
12.8 |
12.5 |
12 |
pm |
|
|
11-Jan-23 |
11.4 |
12.2 |
11.4 |
11.5 |
am |
|
|
11-Jan-23 |
10.2 |
12.2 |
11.1 |
11.7 |
pm |
|
|
12-Jan-23 |
11,2 |
12.6 |
11.3 |
13.7 |
am |
|
|
12-Jan-23 |
10.9 |
13.2 |
11.9 |
11.7 |
pm |
|
|
13-Jan-23 |
9.4 |
12.2 |
11.7 |
11.9 |
pm1 |
|
|
14-Jan-23 |
10.6 |
12.3 |
11.8 |
11.9 |
pm1 |
|
|
14-Jan-23 |
11 |
12.2 |
11.2 |
11.7 |
pm2 |
|
|
15-Jan-23 |
11 |
13.1 |
11 |
12.1 |
am |
|
|
15-Jan-23 |
11.4 |
12.9 |
11.3 |
12.2 |
pm |
|
|
16-Jan-23 |
10.7 |
12.7 |
11.8 |
12.3 |
pm |
|
|
17-Jan-23 |
11.3 |
12.7 |
11.7 |
12.2 |
||
|
17-Jan-23 |
10.7 |
13.7 |
12 |
11.5 |
pm |
|
|
18-Jan-23 |
10 |
11.7 |
11.2 |
11.9 |
am |
|
|
18-Jan-23 |
11.4 |
11.9 |
11.3 |
12.8 |
pm |
|
|
19-Jan-23 |
10 |
12.3 |
11.4 |
10.7 |
am |
|
|
19-Jan-23 |
10.3 |
12.9 |
11 |
12.1 |
pm |
|
|
20-Jan-23 |
10.7 |
11.9 |
11.3 |
12.4 |
pm |
|
|
21-Jan-23 |
10.2 |
13.7 |
11.7 |
11.8 |
am |
|
|
21-Jan-23 |
11.2 |
13 |
11.3 |
12.3 |
pm |
|
|
22-Jan-23 |
11.1 |
12.1 |
11.1 |
12.3 |
pm |
|
|
22-Jan-23 |
10 |
12.1 |
11.9 |
12.5 |
pm |
|
|
23-Jan-23 |
10.2 |
12.9 |
11.4 |
12 |
am |
|
Appendix 4 Follow-up Assignments
The very best way to learn how to write about STEM material is to DO it, either with real content from research or other projects, or by attempting sample experiments first, as we have done in this paper. The following are several suggestions to get started.
Assignment 1. Think of an experiment, an investigation or some other project which you would like to attempt. Outline the main steps you believe would be necessary in this project (you can change them later if needed). When I began to write this paper I outlined my ideas first on a memory map (below). Memory maps are good organizing tools. There are free memory map programs on the Internet. Try using a memory map.
Figure 5 Memory map outline for the paper, “How to write a STEM paper”
Assignment 2: Write the Introduction and Methods & Materials sections for a project you propose. Be careful to self-edit after you have written the first draft. Even experienced researchers never get everything right in their first writing draft.
Assignment 3: a) Turn your Introduction and Methods & Materials sections into tables in MS Word by converting from ‘text to table’. You can do this by putting a new paragraph marker at the end of each line (press ‘enter’). For example, here is part of a letter an advanced English learner sent me recently:
|
|
|
|
xxx |
good to remember those things I don't need to put effort on. In |
|
|
addition, numbers are very easy for me to remember. My |
|
x |
brain is a good storage for many important numbers, |
|
|
|
b) Note that in the left hand column I put an ‘x’ sometimes. This means that the writer made an English language mistake in that line. I told her to figure out the mistake herself, or ask a friend if necessary.
c) Use the table you have made from your assignment Introduction and Methods & Materials like the example in a). Now ask a friend or teacher who writes good English to put an ‘x’ next to each line where there is an English language mistake. Try to fix the mistakes yourself. [No, I won’t help you. Teacher correction is not very useful. The mistakes you fix yourself you will remember ! ]
Bio: Thor May has been a researcher, lecturer, teacher trainer and writer. Earlier he also had a wide variety of other jobs. Since 1976 he has taught in universities and colleges in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, China (5 years) and South Korea (7 years). His PhD was on teaching productivity, using 20 personally researched case studies from 7 countries. About 150 of his articles and papers are available in his online repository at https://independent.academia.edu/ThoroldThorMay . A five minute video of his teaching is online at https://youtu.be/OmGVsC7OshA . In Adelaide, Australia Thor now runs a meetup for new immigrants, and another for critical thinking called Active Thinkers For & Against. He is a lifelong distance runner. Thor can be contacted at thormay@yahoo.com .
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Source of this paper:
This is the transcript of an invited Zoom presentation on the topic of “How To Write A STEM Paper – Illustrated With A Simple Experiment”. The recorded live session will appear independently on Youtube soon. I made a full length trial Zoom pre-recording (1hr 23 min) in PowerPoint now online @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZof3wgQxVY . The full PDF transcript is also available at https://www.academia.edu/s/ebfb73ab9c .
The live Zoom presentation was slightly edited for length and assisted by Nghia Vo, a translator,who dubbed all the Power Point slides. Thank you Nghia. This was a voluntary undertaking on behalf of an NGO, YIS (Youth in Science) which I understand had received a small projects grant from the American embassy in Vietnam. The YIS project has also included other specialist educators over six weeks of workshops.
How To Write A STEM Paper – Illustrated With A Simple Experiment (c) Thor May 2023
