Page 219 - How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 8th Edition 8th Edition

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G

Graph. Lines, bars, or other pictorial representations of data. Graphs are useful for showing the trends and directions
of data. If exact values must be listed, a table is usually superior.

H

Hackneyed expression. An overused, stale, or trite expression.

Halftone. A photoengraving made from an image photographed through a screen and then etched so that the details of
the image are reproduced in dots.

Hardcopy. When an old-fashioned manuscript on paper is provided via a word processor or computer, it is called
"hardcopy."

Harvard system. See Name and year system.

Impact factor. A basis for judging the quality of journals. A journal with a high impact factor (the average number of
citations per article published, as determined by the Science Citation Index) is apparently used more than a journal
with a low impact factor.

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I

IMRAD. An acronym derived from Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, the organizational scheme of
most modern scientific papers.

Incunabula. Books printed between 1455 and 1500 A.D.

Internet. The Internet is a rapidly expanding communication system linking millions of computers across the world.
Begun in the 1960s as a U.S. government computer network, the Internet today links a broad range of government
agencies, educational institutions, private businesses and organizations, and individuals. The Internet is not a centrally
managed or controlled entity but a vast decentralized collection of computers talking to one another.

Introduction. The first section of an IMRAD paper. Its purpose is to state clearly the problem investigated and to
provide the reader with relevant background information.

J

Jargon. Webster's Tenth New Collegiate Dictionary defines jargon as "a confused unintelligible language."

K

Keyboarder. See Compositor.

L

Legend. The title or name given to an illustration, along with explanatory information about the illustration. Usually,
this material should not be lettered on a graph or photograph. It will be typeset neatly by the compositor and
positioned below the illustration. Also called a "caption."

Literature Cited. The heading used by many journals to list references cited in an article. The headings "References"
and (rarely) "Bibliography" are also used.

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