OCG533, Fall 2002
Homework assignment 21, for 4 November
Exercise 6-1. Sections
Note: Advisory only. Do not hand in.
To read:
Chapters 5 and 6 (“Form and Content”
and “Sections”), paying particular attention to the ANSI standard for
preparing a scientific paper.
To do: Exercise
6-1.
Choose two journals from your field in
which you might reasonably publish, and make a copy of their Instructions to
Authors (if not already in Appendix B).
Answer these
questions:
1. As done in Chapter 6, list the order of
major sections in 10 articles from each journal.
2. How closely do the sequences follow the
journals’ instructions?
3. How much do the sequences vary from
article to article?
4. Are the sequences more consistent in
one journal than in the other, and if so, is the degree of consistency related
to the rigidity of the journals’ instructions?
5. How do your sequences compare to those
listed in Appendix B?
6. Are the headings properly descriptive,
that is, do they represent reasonable compromises between the generic and the
specific? Give some examples of helpful and unhelpful headings or subheadings.