Научный «туризм»

If facts do not confirm the theory, it is necessary to get rid of them.

Myers

The more verbose theory is, the better it is.

1 corollary of Myers’s law.

In this section you should show all your imagination and fantasy. Discuss all the obtained facts separately all over again. By detailed consideration, each fact can become a source of a small theory or, at least, hypotheses. Then discuss your data in various combinations, look whether they are connected (and if they are not connected what is the reason at that) between themselves, whether they fit an integral picture of the phenomenon. At last, discuss the results in comparison with the data of other authors. The obtained data should confirm the theory of your chief (if any) and to contradict the data of his opponents. With the latters you should not be ceremonious at all. Do not hesitate to accuse them of the principal methodical mistakes – they are far, and will not read your paper, and the chief will consider this favourably. When analysing the data, try to think up as much as possible variants of explanations, but do not give visible preference to any of them. No matter how the things turn out subsequently, you will be always right, and you should remind about it once more in your future publications.

Illustrations

Consider them very attentively. Good illustrations can rescue the most inutile paper. The reader will not penetrate into meaning of plots – he will admire cleanness of lines and a composition of the figure. You should give more plots (the reviewer will write: «paper is perfectly illustrated”), it is possible to include especially successful graphs from your earlier papers (it will be pleasant for a reader to meet a familiar place) even if they confirm opposite data. It is also desirable to refer to figure when it does not illustrate your conclusion – the reader will be studying your figure for a long time while feeling the deep respect to the author and not less deep sensation of own narrow-mindedness. Legends to figures should be very detailed. Try to copy section “Methods” into the “Legends” – this will considerably increase the volume of paper, and add to it necessary weight. If there is nothing on yours gels, specify by arrows position of assumed peptides with values of their molecular weight. As a last resort, draw a band with ink and make photo once again. It is also a good idea to prepare a “bank” of images after protein blotting or PCR and then to compose necessary results using bands from different gels.

The paper for illustrations (and in general for manuscript) should be of the highest quality, preferably with watermarks.

Conclusions

In “Conclusions” retell “Results and discussion”, only a little bit shorter and without references to figures. It is possible simply to list all the obtained data in alphabetic order. One conclusion should be global (a role of investigated process in the evolution of biosphere or something like that). Do not be afraid to summarize all literature data on the problem even if it is your first paper in this field. Easily put in hypotheses. If you will take the wrong sow by the ear (be wide of the mark), it will be attributed to your youth, but if your hypothesis will prove to be true, you can begin each following paper with words: “As early as in 1985…”

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