PROPOSAL WRITING FOR

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PROPOSAL WRITING FOR NON-NATIVE ENGLISH
SPEAKING RESEARCHERS
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• Outline of the lectures
• The lectures consists of four parts
• Distinct Need for Learning Technical Writing.
• Planning and Writing the Proposal .
• Review of Style.
• Using Illustrations.

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Part I DISTINCT NEED FOR LEARNING TECHNICAL
WRITING This part explains the apparent need for
ELS student to learn technical writing by showing
the importance of the English as a global and a
scientific language. It also discusses the
differences between technical and other writing.
It further Discusses the misconception about
technical writing which ELS researchers have. The
part ends with describing the Problems facing ELS
researchers while practicing technical writing
and their negative effect on ELS researchers.
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• 1 - Importance of English Language
• English Is Global Language
• English is the native language of the United
  States of America, Ireland, The United Kingdom,
  Australia, New Zealand, most of Canada and South
  Africa.
• It is the second common language in most of the
  countries in which English is not the native
  Language.

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• (b) English Is The International Scientific
  Language Of Communication
• Majority of scientific journals is published in
  English. Even in the counties where English is
  not their native language, scientific work is
  published as often in English as in the local
  languages.
• Conferences and meetings, especially the
  scientific ones, mostly use English as the
  principle medium. If not, papers, notes etc
  written in English are accepted for presentation.
  Papers which are presented in other languages are
  simultaneously translated to English.

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• International business contracts, treaties, and
  agreements conducted in English. Even among
  countries where English is not their native
  language.

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• 2-Technical Writings Vs. Other Writings
• Technical Writing
• Technical Writing means skillful writing, So to
  learn Technical writing is to learn the skill of
  writing. Now, what is the skill of writing?
• The skill of writing is the practical knowledge
  which (that) is required to organize the research
  work (in our case the thesis/dissertation) in a
  systematic manners, and write it in a
  professional, format (style) to meet the expected
  level of a graduate academic research work
  (thesis/dissertation). And this is the major
  intention of this course. The principal goal of
  technical writing is to convey information,
  results, and ideas to the readers in the simplest
  shortest way in a plain language.

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• (b) Other Writing
• Instrumental Writing.
• Literature Writing.

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• (C) Basic Criteria For Writing
• Every kind of writing has its own
  characteristics. However, there are two common
  (shared) criteria's among all writing.
• Talent. Talent means special natural ability and
  aptitude. A person has a talent in drawing if he
  can draw something remarkable that no one else
  can compete with him but another talented person
  with more or less equal education and experience.
  Some researchers believe one must have a talent
  for writing.
• Education is the knowledge acquired by systematic
  study as of science, literature history.

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Each kind of writing needs both criteria but is
different proportions. The reason behind this
different goals, as defined before. A good
literature write needs to be a talented person.
Of course education and experience will improve
his writing.
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• Part II
• PLANING AND WRITING THE PROPOSALS
• Planning and writing a proposal involves the
  following stages.
• Searching A Topic
• Organize The Proposal
• Writing The Proposal

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• Each stage is discussed in the following
• 1- Searching A Topic
• This stage include the following
• Research Library
• Assemble Materials
• Develop Ideas
• Narrow Topic
• Consult Experienced Colleagues
• Select Topic
• Write Proposal Statement

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2 - Organize The Proposal When the topic has
been selected and the statement has been written,
it is the time to prepare and write the proposal.
A considerable effort is needed not only to show
the reviewer but to convince them that the
proposal is sound and the goals can be achieved
by the research team within research time. To
achieve the above goals, it is recommended to
follow the following steps
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a - The architecture of the Proposal Architecture
means ( organization ) or the design of the
proposal. Designing or organizing a proposal like
designing a building. The entrance, the living
room, bedrooms, Their location corridors linking
them together etc. If the building is not well
designed, it will be a mess. Flows of the ideas
from one section to another, order of the
sections, link and transitions among them etc,
all go under the word architecture.
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b - The structure of the proposal After designing
and organizing the sections of the proposal in
the previous part, it is the intent of this part
to decide what each section should consist of (be
composed of ), what should be written in each
specific section. In other word the previous part
dealt with the proposal as a unit, and this
section deals with each section of the proposal.
It discusses the basic elements of the proposal.
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• c - The Basic Elements of the Proposal
• Statement of the problem The statement of the
  problem is the most important element in the
  proposal. Make it clear, simple and
  straightforward.
• Definition of the goals Definition of the goals
  shows what the proposal is trying to achieve
  carrying out the research work.
• Methodology The key point ( issue ) in the
  methodology section is the reproducibility, which
  means that any competitive researcher can repeat
  the proposed research work by reading the
  methodology section.

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• Literature review The researchers, whit the
  stated problem (s), defined goals and determined
  (known) methodology, may narrow down his
  literature review to the relevant information and
  selected topics. In other words, the literature
  review to be carried out should support and
  enhance the pre-defined statement, goals and
  methodology.
• Researchers must make use of this opportunity to
  collect all the literature review that is needed
  in writing the program and final reports later.
  (Double effort).

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• Data collection The principal investigator and
  the other investigators members want to make sure
  that the relevant data are available, obtainable
  and reliable. If not, the supporter may not
  approve ( accept ) your proposal. The researchers
  should remember the limitation of time.
• Introduction With inputs from the previous
  mentioned elements, the researchers can easily
  construct a good introduction, but the main
  points.

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• Time Table The time table shows the tasks of
  the research work and its corresponding duration
  (required time to complete each tasks).
• List of references Only the major ones which
  where used to prepare the proposal.

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Finishing the Proposal 1- Revising 2- Editing 3-
Proof Reading Special aspects in writing such as
quotation, abbreviation, numbering etc will be
discusses in a separate part, Part III as it was
pointed out in the introduction of the
course. Also the illustrations which are used to
help the readers understand the proposal better
and easier are discussed in Part IV
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1 - Revising Revising may be made at two
stage (steps). The first step is made by the
researchers themselves. It is a sort of double
check that nothing is missing, correct numbering,
references, quotation, tables, figuresetc. When
the researchers is through with, he may pass his
proposal draft to an expert to check whether each
chapter is sound, the flow of the ideas etc. The
expert in English language may suggest
reordering, e.g. a block of a paragraph moved
from one place to another rephrase a sentence,
add or delete a phraseetc.
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2- Editing This mainly covers the checking of
spelling and punctuation. Punctuation is the
practice of using certain conventional marks or
characters as periods, commas, semi colons,
question marks, dashes, hyphens to make the
meaning clear, as in ending sentence, separate
clausesetc. 3- Proof Reading From the
dictionary, To read to delete and mark errors to
be corrected. Usually each school has several
specialists (employees) in research department to
"proof reading" the proposal (as a proof) before
it is sent to the supporter
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• Part III
• REVIEW OF STYLE
• This section intends to explain how important
  aspects (features, characters), which every
  proposal need one or more of them, are made and
  written, Examples are
• Quotation
• Citation
• Footnotes
• Parenthesis
• Abbreviation
• Numbering
• Formulas, Symbols, and Units
• Capitalization

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• Part IV
• USING ILLUSTRATIONS
• This section deals with the illustrations that
  are generally (usually) required to help the
  readers understand the proposal better, easier in
  less time and with less effort. Examples of
  illustrations are
• Tables .
• Figures .
• Charts .
• Photographs .
• Diagrams-Drawings .
• Maps .

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Organization of Proposal
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Tentative Organization of Proposal
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(No Transcript)
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Time Table
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HOW TO PREPARE AND WRITE A THESIS AND A
DISSERTATION
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• Definition
• The Masters requirement is often called a Thesis
  and the Doctors a Dissertation.
• A Thesis adopts a specific view, defends it, uses
  logical argument and offers a valid solution.
• A Dissertation tends to be less rigidly
  constructed. It is a systematic, in depth
  discussion of a subject in the form of a learned
  discourse .

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• Purpose
• A Thesis should be an original contribution
  written on a professional level.
• A dissertation s more demanding in the following
  ways
• Should offer a research accomplishment with
  evidence that the candidate is able to do
  reliable intellectual work alone.
• The examining committee will expect to see
  evidence of higher analytic skills and more
  sophisticated reasoning and the ability to design
  and control the research and experiment.

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• In specific, the major to purposes are
• Show Independent Thinking
• Show Original Contribution
• Written on a professional level.

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• Difficulties
• Writing good Thesis is particularly complex
  because
• Human personalities are different.
• Experiences are different.
• Purposes are numerous.
• Communication media are complex.
• System of symbolic presentations are various and
  fallible.
• Consider writing your Thesis as a challenging
  opportunity. Make use of this and consider it as
  a starting point of your professional career. If
  you succeed, it will transfer you from college to
  real life.

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• Remember
• The Thesis or Dissertation is quite separate from
  your course work. It is the beginning of a new
  program, and will probably be the first large
  independent work in your career.
• Your Thesis will bear only your name.
• Your early reputation and job prospects may
  relate to the quality of your Thesis.
• A tightly written coherent Thesis will get you
  off to a good start.
• The Concept that the Thesis must be a bulky
  200-page long is wrong.

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• Begin your Thesis long before it is due As
  soon as possible.
• Write up especially the experimental work or the
  socio-economic survey" while it is fresh in your
  mind. If you save everything until the end, you
  may miss some important points.
• Thesis and Dissertations should not be written in
  rush.
• The publishable portion (s) of your research
  should be written as papers and submitted before
  you leave the university (as student). It will be
  difficult to do it afterwards, and it will get
  more difficult with each passing month.

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Tentative Organization of Proposal
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CHOOSING A TOPIC
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• Searching A Topic
• This stage includes the following
• Research Library
• Assemble Materials
• Develop Ideas
• Narrow Topic
• Consult Major Advisor, Members Of Committee
• Select Topic
• Write Thesis Statement

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Responsibility for the Choice The graduate
researcher usually chooses a topic which
interests him greatly. Sometimes the topic is
suggested by a supervisor. Often its details will
be settled by consultation. Both may hope that
this piece of research will lead on to others.
Both have responsibility for making a suitable
choice but the supervisor has many concerns, and
the researcher only one. He, therefore, should be
aware of what is involved in making a choice and
make sure that everything has been taken into
consideration.
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• Points to consider
• Time and Money. It must be possible to complete
  the project within the approximate time limit.
  This affects your supervisor and other members of
  the faculty as well as yourself. You also need to
  do your sums before you start if you are not to
  run out of cash before time .
• Do not choose a topic that is known about by only
  one person in the department. If that person
  should depart you might have to seek someone
  outside, with different ideas.

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• If you want to work under the supervision of a
  certain prof. , do not select a topic he opposes,
  or does not have a strong belief in. Don't even
  try to persuade him.
• In spite of all these tactical considerations,
  you must choose a topic that you believe in. This
  topic is your own baby. Hopefully, it will
  expand, you will add to it related matters, you
  will become an expert in it. Your love for the
  topic will encourage further reading, watching,
  thinking, and hard work accompanied of course
  with a lot of enjoyment.

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• In the short run, if this is a Master's thesis
  the topic may have enough life in it for the
  Ph.D. If the Ph.D., a fruitful topic may lead on
  to a lifetime's work.
• Remember you are starting your career. Pure
  science research takes a long time its monetary
  rewards are never great and come later in life
  for many graduates it has a low value. There are
  research careers in the private sector, but it
  prefers work of a more practical nature, with
  wide applications. You must be sure of what you
  want.

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• Don't expect too much of your supervisor. You may
  be lucky and find a person who shares your
  enthusiasm for the topic and is keen to give time
  to it but much can go wrong. The time may after
  all not be available, there may be a
  psychological block to communication, no-one's
  fault your supervisor may be the best that could
  be found, but unsympathetic. From time to time
  papers are submitted for approval which would not
  have been as bad as they are if the supervisor
  had taken a little interest in them. It is best
  to assume that you have to solve problems on your
  own, and any help you get will be a bonus.

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• One piece of advise given to the researcher is
  don't chose topics choose problems. That is, the
  survey type of article is useful only for
  completely new fields that most readers know
  nothing about. The more usual work will refine
  present techniques, produce new technical
  solutions, uncover or define some difficulty,
  provide the description for a technical solution,
  etc. At the end of the project we should be
  better off than we were at the beginning.

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• A good choice of problem will be reflected in the
  title, and vice versa. A clearly focused title
  can easily be found for a topic with an obvious
  center. A title that mentions 2-4 possible foci,
  with no indication of where the trust of the
  article is may well be the sign of a wandering
  paper which tidies up a few points here and
  there, but makes no significant advance.

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• Selecting a topic
• When looking for a topic, consider the
  following
• Choose one that has the potential for
  demonstrating original thinking.
• It has a concept that can be called a
  contribution to your field.
• Help you in your professional careers.
• Can be completed within a reasonable time such as
  a thesis project.
• Look for gaps or missing links in the current
  issues of relevant Journal (s). Fill the need for
  the readership.

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• Avoid topics that demand ingenious solutions but
  are of no real interest to the world outside the
  university.
• A void topics that conflict with the research
  results of professors on your committee.
• The topic should not depend wholly on the support
  of your advisor who could lose position on the
  program.
• Tackle a technical problem that interest you.

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Searching a Topic
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How to Prepare and Write The Title
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• Importance of The Title
• Before you prepare the title, Remember the
  following
• First impressions are strong impressions.
• Title is read by thousands.
• Few, if any, will read the entire paper.
• The title of the paper is a label, not a
  sentence, with the Usual subject, verb object
  arrangement.
• The title should never contain abbreviation,
  chemical Formulas, proprietary names, jargon and
  the like.
• Indexing and abstracting services depend heavily
  on The accuracy of the title.
• Thus, the Title must be good

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• What is good Title?
• Title should be specific, not general.
• The fewest possible words that adequately
  describe the content of the paper.
• All words in the title should be chosen with
  great care and there association with one another
  must be carefully managed.

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• The length of the Title
• Long titles are often less meaningful than short
  ones.
• Long titles contain "Waste word".
• Often, these waste words appear right at the
  start of the title, words such as
• Studies of
• Investigations on
• Observations on
• Too short titles include general rather than
  specific terms.
• The maximum character count is generally given in
  the rules of The higher studies department of the
  school.

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Abbreviation and jargon Title should never
contain abbreviation, chemical formulas,
proprietary names, jargon and the like Fore
example If the thesis concerns an affect of
sulfuric Acid, should the title include the word
sulfuric Acid or should it contain the much
shorter and readily organizable chemical formula,
H2SO4. The answer is obvious, most of us would
look under the Sulfuric Acid, not under H2SO4.
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• Need for Specific titles
• Titles should be specific, not general.
• Examine the following title
• Action of antibiotics on Bacteria
• Is it a good Title? in form it is.
• It is short and carries no excess baggages
  (waste words).

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• But not a specific title, since it can be safely
  assumed that the study did not test the affect of
  all antibiotics on kinds of bacteria.
• The title is essentially meaningless if only one
  on a few antibiotics were studied.
• The title could be improved as follows
• List the antibiotics and bacteria in the title.
  (if they are few)
• If the number of antibiotics and bacteria ware
  large, substitute the list with group names or
  numbers.

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• Examples of Good Titles
• Domestic Water Conservation Potential in Saudi
  Arabia.
• An Analytic Approach to Scheduling Pipe
  Replacement.
• Instrumental Price Estimates and Residential
  Water Demand.
• Modeling Supplemental Irrigation Water Demand.
• Water Requirements Versus Water Availability in
  Saudi Arabia

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• The title is the first phrase or sentence of the
  article to be read by editor, reviewers and
  readers. it is like the lobby of a hotel or
  shopping mall an efficient and beautiful design
  will bring in customers (in our case readers). A
  newspaper reader skims through the headlines to
  find what he wants to read. Similarly, when a
  busy scientist finds time to read the thesis, he
  turns first to the table of contents. A
  professional looking title will arouse his
  curiosity, even if outside his field of interest,
  and he may go on to read the abstract.

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• Titles are used for indexing, as well as to give
  the reader essential information. They must be
  clear, precise and as full as possible. Computer
  search makes things easier to find than they used
  to be, but it's still good advice to put the main
  aspect of the paper into the very first words
  (see below) and follow with as much as necessary
  or possible in descending order of importance.

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• A good title should be clear, precise but also
  'attractive and beautiful' all adding up to
  'professional'. This means that as well as saying
  as much as is necessary, there should be on
  wasted words or ambiguity and the sentence can
  be read ease, without awkward phrases or
  difficult combinations of sounds may work
  unconsciously on the reader, but work it will.

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(This page previous one need to be arranged)
How to Prepare and Write the Title. The title is
what is read first by editor, reviewer and
readers. It is like the lobby of a hotel or
shopping mall an attractive entrance will bring
customers in. Similarly, just as a newspaper
reader skims through the headlines to fin what he
wants to read, so the busy scientist who finds
time to read the journals will have his curiosity
aroused by a professional-looking title. He may
go on to read the abstract, even if the paper is
outside his field of interest.
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Titles are used for indexing articles, as well as
to give the reader essential information. They
must be clear, precise and as full as possible.
Computer search makes things easier to find than
they used to be, but its still good advice to put
the main aspect of the paper into the very first
words (see below) and follow with as much as
necessary or possible in descending order of
importance.
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The longer the title, the more likely it is to
contain wasted words. For example, A Study of
Observations on Results of, .. . in a
situation of Planning in Planning Model Optimal
in Optimal Control etc. However, brevity is not
always a virtue. A short title may use very
general terms, when more specific ones could have
been used with only a few extra words. (see below(
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Abbreviations which are not familiar to all
should not be used in the title. The U.S.A is
O.K., but the U.A.E. is not. But writing out in
fill eats up words. If, for example, a paper
deals with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, use a regional
description, such as The Arabian Peninsular, or
Some Arabian Gulf Countries. Such phrases usually
exist already but if not, you will have to
invent one
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Similarly, outside of chemical and mathematical
papers. formulae should not be used. Nor should
proprietary names or slang. The main reason for
these prohibitions is the difficulties they make
for indexing. A good title should be sufficient
and beautiful. It should say all that is
necessary. with no vagueness or redundancy and
at the same time read easily, without awkward
phrases or difficult combinations of sounds. A
title which is both elegant and substantial may
work unconsciously on the reader, but work it
will.
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(Other style for the same matter) The title is
the first phrase or sentence of the thesis to be
read by readers. It is like the lobby of a hotel
or shopping mall an efficient and beautiful
design will bring in customers (in our case
readers). A newspaper reader skims through the
headlines to find what he wants to read.
Similarly, when a busy scientist finds time to
read a thesis work, he turns first to the table
of contents. A professional-looking title will
arouse his curiosity, even if outside his field
of interest, and he may go on to read the
abstract.
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Titles are used for indexing subject, as well as
to give the reader essential information. They
must be clear, precise and as full as possible.
Computer search makes things easier to find than
they used to be, but its still good advice to
put the main aspect of the thesis into the very
first words (see below) and follow with as much
as necessary or possible in descending order of
importance.
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A good title should be clear, precise and but
also attractive and beautiful all adding up to
professional. This means that as well as saying
as much as is necessary, there should be no
wasted words or ambiguity and the sentence can
be read with ease, without awkward phrases or
difficult combinations of sounds. A title which
is both elegant and substantial may work
unconsciously on the reader, but work it will.
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Making a Better Title. Let us take a critical
look at some provisional titles, to see how they
can be improved.
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A Study in Water Pollution in Arabian
Countries. This title is very broad and general
it could be used for hundreds of studies.
Questions about it occur immediately What kind
of pollution? bacteriological? chemical? nuclear
hazardous wastes? The type (s) of pollution has
to be specified, as does the type(s) of water. Is
this surface water, groundwater or coastal water?
The title should tell us.
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"Arabian countries" is also doubtful. All Arabian
countries? In Jordan and Iraq? Maybe "in six
Arabian countries". Be specific! It may be
possible to name the water-basin(s(
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(This paragraph next one need to be
arranged) Making a Title as you go along. I -
Obtain the style manual of the journal you wish
to publish in. If this isnt possible, keep
within the limits observed by earlier articles.
The style manual will give a maximum number of
characters (including or not including spaces
between words) or a number of words. It may give
advice on position on the page, capitalization,
subordination of part of the title or whatever.
You must keep to the requirements of the journal
if you dont, the article will be returned for
you to change, or the editor may change it
himself, possibly not to your satisfaction.
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• Making a Title as you go along.
• Obtain, the style manual of Thesis Writing from
  the higher education department of your school.
  If this isnt possible, keep within the limits
  observed by earlier thesis. The style manual will
  give a maximum number of characters (including or
  not including spaces between words) or a number
  of words. It may give advice on capitalisation,
  subordination of part of the title or whatever.
  You must keep to the requirements if you dont,
  the thesis will be returned for you to change.

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• A good title doesnt always spring to mind when
  you want it. You should think of a provisional
  title before you set to work, and write it down.
  Also, put down a list of words giving the
  principal aspects of your work. This page of your
  notebook could be headed Tentative Titles. You
  can work the aspect words into phrases as good
  ideas occur.

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• During your research you may think of new titles,
  or changes or additions of phrase. Write these
  down, but don't cancel what you have already
  written. If you change your current title, check
  that it still keeps to the rules.
• This may sound a lot of bother over half a dozen
  or so words, but I speak from experience. When
  working on a paper, a title, or key words will
  sometimes come into my mind - even when I am on
  the road driving my car. I pull over, and write
  down what has come to me on a piece of paper I
  keep in my wallet, until I get back to my office
  and copy it into my "tentative titles".

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• The point is that to think about the title is to
  think about the project. As the latter progresses
  and opens up, the title may change. And
  vice-versa the feeling that the title no longer
  fits may precede a realisation of something new
  coming up on the project.

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• By the time the work is finished, your title may
  be fixed. Even so, check it with both the work
  and the rules. If not, you must get to work on
  your title notes until you have something
  satisfactory. It is now you will realise the
  usefulness of your "tentative titles.

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• Now youve settled on your best title, or may be
  you have several youre not sure about, or, at
  very worst, you have only a list of words and
  phrases. Whichever it is, you should consult a
  professional English teacher, preferably one with
  experience in scientific English. Rather than
  send him your thesis, seek an appointment. He may
  immediately approve your title, in which case
  your min is at rest may give a little polish, or
  may rescue you from your mess. Remember though
  that he cannot help unless he has a very good
  idea of whats in the paper. If he has no time to
  read it, you must give him a full resume.

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• Your title should be as short as possible. Check
  with the style sheet of the rules before and
  after making yours.
• Make a list of the keywords which should go into
  the title. If a title springs to mind, check that
  it contains the key aspects.
• A title will probably have 2 - 4 aspects and key
  phrases. As far as possible, arrange these with
  the more important first.
• If your work changes its focus, your title may
  also have to change.

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• When the thesis is finished, reconsider the
  title.
• The title should flow well when read aloud.
• Remember your title is an advertisement, and
  should display your content clearly.
• Show your title to the best expert available and
  ask advice.

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• Examples of Title- Making
• This title was proposed
• A Study of Water Pollution in Arabian Countries
• Objections 'A Study' is unnecessary. 'Water
  Pollution' and Arabian
  Countries are both vague.
  
• The title eventually chosen is longer, but much
  more exact
• Chemical Pollution of Groundwater in Saudi
  Arabia, Oman and the U.A.E.

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(This paragraph previous one need to be
arranged) Finally, the phrase "A Study in" is
unnecessary. It goes without saying that it is a
study. Save the ten characters of these three
words for more important information. The revised
title was Chemical Pollution of Groundwater in
Saudi Arabia, Oman and the U.A.E.
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• The journals of the American Water Resources
• Association (AWRA) allow up to 12 words in a
  title. The following has 12 words, and is
  reasonably clear.
• Cost Comparison between Cesspool Sanitary
  Sewerage Systems in Saudi Urban Areas.
• This sounds a neutral study, but in fact the
  author believes Sanitary Sewerage is better in
  every way, as well as being cheaper. Sanitary
  Sewerage can be put first, and the title
  tightened up
• Sanitary Sewerage v. Cesspools in Saudi Cities
• A Cost and Environmental Comparison

83

• Another possible 12-word AWRA title was
• Deterioration of Groundwater Quality in Jordan
• due to Excessive Use of Nitrogenous Compounds
• This has one extra word. The order of
  'Deterioration Of Groundwater Quality', 'Jordan'
  and 'Excessive Use of Nitrogenous Compounds'
  seems right but these are Puffed-up expressions
  for example, if the ground-water is
  deteriorating, the use must be excessive
• Pollution of Groundwater by Nitrogenous
• Compounds in Jordan
• Do you think the following is possible? Discuss
  it!
• Nitrogen Pollution of Groundwater in Jordan

84

• However, suppose that the principal aspect of
  the research was not the deterioration, but the
  use of a new methodology - say, regression
  analysis - to quantify that sort of pollution.
  Then the title might read
• Use of Regression Analysis to Quantify
• Groundwater Deterioration in Jordan
• 'Regression Analysis' is the main focus. The
  'nitrogenous compounds' are now a minor detail
  and can be omitted.

85

• The Journals of the American Society of Civil
  Engineers (ASCE) and a number of other Journals
  limit the title to 70 characters, including
  spaces.
• The following title at first had 98
  character
• Modification of the current Regulatory Standards
  of Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in
• Saudi Arabia
  
• This was changed to
• Modification of the Standards of Wastewater
  Reuse in Saudia

86
The Journal of the Water Environment Federation -
Water Research - does not allow titles Of more
than 45 characters, including spaces. For This
journal, the title could be further
shortened Modification of Wastewater Reuse
Standards Saudia If the above paper made a case
for the modification of reuse standards as part
of a plea for better use of wastewater in this
country, the emphasis of the title would
change (70)Wastewater in Saudia the Need for
Changes In Standards and Reuse )45)Towards better
Wastewater Reuse in Saudia
87

• What to Remember About the Title. Here we repeat
  the main points.
• The title is the most first and most important
  part communication. This is especially so for a
  scientific paper
• ( The title is the most first part of your
  paper to be read. It must be solid and
  impressive not a decoration, but the generator
  of all that follows .)
• A mistake in the title, whether of mis-labelling
  or wrong emphasis, may lose you readers, and more
  important, may not appeal to someone who may have
  a use for it. If the title has two or three
  aspects, decide the order of importance, and
  arrange accordingly.

88

• Make sure it flows well when read aloud.
• Try to make a title before you start work on your
  paper. Be ready to alter this or substitute a new
  one as the work Proceeds.
• When the project is finished and you have to
  settle on one title, get the best advice you can,
  both for its appropriateness to the material, and
  for Good English.
• Make sure your title conforms to the style manual
  or customary usage of the journal(s) you send it
  to

89
Assignment - Title Discuss the discrepancies of
the following titles and. revise
them Modification of the current Regulatory
Standards of Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in
Saudi Arabia. Deterioration of Groundwater
Quality in Jordan due to Excessive Use of
Nitrogenous Compounds A Study of Water Pollution
in Arabian Countries
90

• Series Titles
• Most editors oppose to series titles.
• Most of the editors believe that each published
  paper should present the results of the study.
• Readers were handicapped unless the whole series
  could be read consecutively.
• Series titles are annoying to editors because of
  scheduling problems and delays.

91
Example Water Supply and Demand Modeling for
the Jeddah-Makkah-Taif Area, Saudi Arabia Part
A. Present and Future Water balance Water Supply
and Demand Modeling for the Jeddah- Makkah-Taif
Area, Saudi Arabia Part B. Water Resources
Planning Alternatives under Present and Future
Conditions
92

• When two or more authors are listed, the
  addresses should be listed with the name of the
  author.

93
Urban Groundwater Rise Control Case Study O.S.
Abu-Rizaiza Assoc, Prof., Dept. of C.E.,
King Abdulaziz Univ. P O.Box- 9027, Jeddah
21413, K.S.A. H.Z. Sarikaya Assoc. Prof., Dept.
of C.E., Middle East Tech. Univ. Ankara,
Turkey. M Z. Ali Khan Assoc. Prof., Dept. of
C.E., King Abdulaziz Univ. P O.Box 9027, Jeddah
21413, K.S.A.
94
INTRODUCTION
95

• WRITING PROCESS
• The Technical Writing process may be seen from
  several perspectives, especially the technical
  and stylistic ones.
• If one considers the situation of undergraduates,
  one may assume that these students have completed
  all prerequisite basic coursework in English

96
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS As they are "groomed" for
additional solid output, they are exposed to
regular homework assignments, which (in addition
to refining writing skills) tend to reinforce the
virtue of good study habits
97

• HOMEWORK ROUTINE
• Starting with relatively modest technical
  reports, undergraduates also get used to
  completing take-home exams and regular quizzes
  and tests.
• This practice is intended to lead up to the
  production of term papers, which, in good time,
  increase in length and complexity.

98

• HIGHER DEMANDS
• Graduate students are required to manage more
  ambitious term paper work, especially concerning
  detail, volume, and sophistication. Lab and/or
  field reports are followed by design reports.
• These longer papers lead up to a more formal
  level, where the focus is on the M. Sc. thesis,
  or the Ph.D. dissertation

99

• RESEARCH WRITING
• Students need to learn how to conduct ongoing
  research, how to write a thesis proposal, and how
  to steer it, as they co-ordinate their schedule
  with the advisor (or committee chairman).
• At the same time, candidates are being
  conditioned or even "coached" in the business of
  presenting their written work

100

• WRITING SPEAKING
• By this is meant, for example, the defense of a
  dissertation, where the candidate needs to
  convince a committee (functioning as a captive
  audience) that his work is solid.
• This involves a sustained learning effort in the
  art of presentation, something often more
  reminiscent of salesmanship than of academia

101
UPGRADING OF ENGLISH SKILLS All along, both
undergraduates and graduates need to upgrade
their English skills as they improve their
ability in Technical or Scientific Writing. This
particular text is designed to assist both groups
with this process
102
GUIDANCE Specific chapters provide guidance in
areas such as homework, writing of term papers,
field and lab reports, and of professional
articles for publication
103

• SPECIFIC CHAPTERS
• One Chapter focuses on Scientific Writing per se.
  Two chapters focus on Grammar, and one on the
  Importance of English, which is often
  underestimated, especially in regard to future
  trends.
• Next, the techniques needed for the Writing of a
  Thesis Proposal, including presentation skills,
  are discussed at length

104
THESIS WRITING Also included are the most
important steps to be followed in thesis writing.
Finally, the preparation of Conference Papers as
well as the use of Internet material is
discussed.