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Writing Support

  1. Literacy
  2. User Guide

Table of Contents

I. Learning How to Write a Report/Paper
I.1. What is a report/paper?
I.2. Read books on academic writing
I.3. Participate in academic reporting and paper writing support services on campus
I.4. Participate in training sessions
II. What You Need to Know to Write a Report or Paper
II.1. Composition of the paper
II.2. How to prepare bibliography and citation lists
II.3. Using quotations in text
II.4. Reference management software
II.5. Prohibiting plagiarism, and research ethics
III. Publish a Paper
III.1. Submit a paper to a journal
III.2. Peer Review
III.3. Make the paper open access
IV. References
Abbreviations and terms used in the bibliography

I. Learning How to Write a Report/Paper

I.1. What is a report/paper?

A paper (academic paper, thesis, dissertation) is basically a statement that is structured as shown below, has a certain form, and explains an opinion to the reader on a certain theme with a logical reason. To explain your research clearly to readers, it is also important to devise the expression of titles and abstracts and to organize the composition of sentences.
A report is basically composed in the same way as a paper. It is a piece of writing on a theme or subject given in a class. It would be good to explain the content of the subject or theme based on the lecture, write what you want to do (introduction), write what you have found by researching (body), and end with your own thoughts (conclusion), so that the report is logically developed. An abstract and keywords are not required. Always include a list of references (bibliography) at the end.

Figure : Structure of an academic paper

 I.2. Read books on academic writing

Many books have been published about how to write reports and papers. It might be helpful to refer to these books when you start writing a report/paper.
You can also borrow such books from the library. Search by inputting "academic writing" "technical writing" in the University of Tokyo Library OPAC.
When you browse books in a bookstack, refer to the NDC classification below. However, all libraries do not necessarily classify books in NDC. In libraries where books are sorted by NDC, you can expect to find such books on shelves around 407 and 816.5, so pick up a book that looks good in front of those shelves.

◆ Books on academic writing (Example)

I.3. Participate in academic reporting and paper writing support services on campus

Here are some support services on campus. Please check the details on each site and use it actively.
Some are not listed here. Contact each department for services provided by your department.
 

◆ Center for Academic Writing at Komaba (CAWK)

◆ Assistants for Communication in English (ACE) (former ERIC) / Division of Global Education, IIIEE, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

  • International students at the University of Tokyo who have been trained as writing tutors provide guidance and feedback on the writing skills of students and staff at the University of Tokyo for scientific theses in English (such as presentations at academic conferences, articles published in academic journals, etc.) and career-related documents (such as resumes and documents for studying abroad).
    • Target: All students and staff

◆ English Editing Support Service (Kashiwa) / Kashiwa International Office

◆『UTokyo Writing Resources』site / The Office for Advancement of Research Administrators

  • UTokyo Writing Resources is a place for researchers and students at the University of Tokyo to gather information on writing and submitting papers in English. This site mainly provides information on writing and submitting “papers in English” in the natural sciences.

◆ UTRA Commons: Community Portal for UTokyo Research Administration / The Office for Advancement of Research Administrators

◆ Center for Global Advanced Studies

◆ Writing Support as class subjects
　Latest opening status and contents, etc.

I.4. Participate in training sessions

◆ Training sessions
Training session on how to find papers and use reference management software are held at each campus throughout the year(Held mainly on Zoom from 2020). We also offer free on-site and custom classes.

◆ Seminar on how to write a paper

　Seminars are usually held in November every year. (3 times in a series)
　Refer to past documents.
　* Refer to Slide of the day => Training session menu -> Textbooks for Training Sessions

　Reference: Past events
                　 Please refer to the calendar for the previous November. (Japanese only)
◆ External training sessions conducted by publishers, etc.
　Schedule is announced on Literacy’s Twitter at any time.

II. What You Need to Know to Write a Report or Paper

1. Composition of the paper
2. How to prepare bibliography and citation lists
3. Using quotations in text
4. Reference management software
5. Prohibiting plagiarism, and research ethics

II.1. Composition of the paper

There is a structure called IMRaD for writing scientific papers. IMRaD is an acronym for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
■ Title of the paper
■ Bibliographic information (journal title, author name, affiliated institution, year of publication, volume, page numbers)
■ Abstract
■ Keywords
■ Introduction / ■Methods / ■Results / and ■Discussion
■ References
■ Acknowledgments

Where do I start in terms of structure? What should I write? The books on the reference list (To be a successful researcher: use organizational power to research by Shuji Hasegawa; Books that science students should read first! How to write a science paper in English: Understanding of science paper structure by IMRaD by Akiko Katayama, Takahiro Nakajima, and Yukiko Mishina; etc.) provide recommended methods and alternative methods.
Refer to "Textbook for writing a paper" Paper contribution session Research method useful to write a paper(text in Japanese) (on campus only) on page of textbooks for training sessions.

II.2. How to prepare bibliography and citation lists

The bibliography style is determined by each academic society or journal.
Check the submission rules (guide for authors) and writing outline of the target journal. You can check it on the websites of academic societies and journals. When you check these websites, you may find a description such as “As a rule, refer to APA style for reference style.”

Check the examples below to see how the same journal article is listed as a reference in IEEE style and APA style, respectively.

Reference style

There are also rules of writing for each medium.
Depending on whether you are citing a book, part of a book, an e-book, etc., a different style is used for listing them in the references.

Other materials

There is a style guide that shows how to create a bibliography and a guide for writing and submitting articles to each academic society. The following is an example. Check the style guide and submission guide for the academic society you need.
Reference management software is convenient for preparing a bibliography instead of using Word or Excel.

II.3. Using quotations in text

Citations in a paper (citation in text) should also follow the style specified by academic societies and journals.

Citations

When you write a paper that is to be posted to academic journal, there may be detailed rules such as how to create figures and tables, the length of the text, how to create paragraphs, and use of abbreviations, in addition to how to write references and in-text citations. There are other rules for posting (such as posting qualifications), so if there is a journal you want to submit your paper to, check the submission rules and the guideline before writing.

II.4. Reference management software

It is difficult to manage the bibliographic information of collected papers by inputting it into Word or Excel and to create a bibliography. It is also difficult to manually arrange references and quotations in the text in accordance with the guide for writing.

“Reference management software” can be used in such situations. It is a management tool that allows you to manage bibliographic information altogether. You can easily create a bibliography or a citation list.You can easily organize your bibliography list and in-text citations by choosing the journal to submit your paper to or a defined style.

Using reference management software when writing a paper can reduce the effort involved in creating and maintaining a bibliography list. We encourage you to use it when you just start preparing a report.
"The reference management software looks useful, but I do not know how to use it...." If so, please join a session on this topic. We hold lectures regularly. Click Events in the left menu!

II.5. Prohibiting plagiarism, and research ethics

◆ Precautions regarding quoted material

When you use the academic information you have collected in your reports or papers, you need to make a bibliography to clearly distinguish such information from your own work and to identify the sources so that you do not plagiarize other research results.
Bibliographies are intended to acknowledge the work of other authors and to help readers follow the arguments. Keep in mind the following points when you prepare a bibliography.

  • Be precise when citing 
    References should be thoroughly and accurately cited and used in accordance with the original intent of the author. Also, avoid quoting directly from quotations of other documents.
  • Provide accurate information regarding the source of the citation
    In order for the reader to return to the original material, it is important to include the author's name, title, and page number correctly.
  • Others 
    • Whether the paper to be cited is a reliable paper (check if the paper you searched on Google Scholar is listed in the literature database purchased by the University of Tokyo).
    • The paper of the first discoverer (the paper that describes the law or concept first) must be cited.

III. Publish a Paper

III.1. Submit a paper to a journal

  • When considering which academic journals to submit your paper to, it is helpful to listen to the advice of senior researchers or teachers who are engaged in studying the same field in the laboratory you belong to.
  • It may be helpful for you to check if the journal you are considering publishing your papers in is included in major databases and to check the publishing company and website (such as the journal’s Overview and Aims and Scope) to browse the target readers and target fields of the journal.
  • Depending on the database, it is also possible to search papers by theme and check the journals carrying that theme. It might be helpful to know the types of journals that tend to carry papers on the same research theme.
  • There is also a database that allows you to narrow down the search to papers written by members of the University of Tokyo. The journals to which the teachers have submitted their papers may be helpful. Search the database of the target research field.

■Utilization of indicators
The following academic journal evaluation tools are available as a reference database for your own research.

  • JCR（Journal Citation Reports）allows you to check the impact factor of the journal. The impact factor is an indicator of the impact of the journal. However, please note the following: 
    • Only the number of paper citations in the past two years is used.
    • Averages are used (may be affected by outliers (highly cited papers)).
    • Value standards vary by field. 
      • Numbers cannot be compared between different fields.
      • As journals in a comprehensive field have a broader target audience, the value tends to be higher.
      • More specialized journals tend to have lower value, as they have a smaller audience than general journals.
      • Reference: Writing a paper for a broader target audience in a comprehensive field is more difficult (papers that non-specialists can easily understand are requested). It is less difficult to post your paper to a journal with a special field with limited audience.
    • It is updated annually.
      Journal Citation Reports Training & Support - Web of Science Group (clarivate.com)
  • Find Journals 　For Elsevier journals
    A service that allows you to enter the title of your paper, abstract, keywords, and field of study in English, and it will show you potential journals to submit to.
  • Journal suggester　For Nature Springer　journals
  • Journal Finder (Beta)　For Wiley journals
  • Manuscript Matcher It is available within EndNote.　See also here. (Provided by Clarivate) 　Click here for the introductory blog.

■Notes on publishing in an open access journal
There is a method called "Open Access" that makes papers widely available to the public free of charge in order to have them read by a large number of readers (see also: III.3). However, malicious publishing activities such as soliciting paper submissions only for the purpose of earning Open Access submission fees without conducting proper peer review and quality control as an academic journal are considered to be a problem. Please refer to the following webpage for more information.

III.2. Peer Review

Peer review is the process by which experts (reviewers and referees) read an academic article submitted to a journal and assess the appropriateness of the article for publication in the journal.

  • Many of the reference books also describe the interactions with reviewers. Most of the books note to “be respectful, polite, calm, and logical in your interactions with the reviewers.” 
    see also：Next steps for revising a journal manuscript  Wolters Kluwer 2022.3.14
  • Web of Science Academy  [provided by Clarivate] is a free online course. You can learn about the peer-review process on this site. You can understand the viewpoint of a reviewer.
  • If a paper is rejected, you can post the paper to other journals -> It is easy to change the format by creating a reference list using Reference management software.

III.3. Make the paper open access

Open access means that an academic paper is made available on the internet for free so that anyone can freely access it. There are two main approaches to making a paper open access, referred to as green road and gold road.
Green road: A method in which researchers make their papers open access by publishing them in institutional repositories(※1). When posting a paper, etc. in the UTokyo Repository (※2), this method is used for open access.
Gold road: A method of open access by making the journal itself free.
Readers do not have to pay a subscription fee. The author bears the cost (※3) of publication in the journal/magazine.

※1　Academic Institutional Repository is a system in which academic institutions such as universities store and publish research results such as papers.
※2 UTokyo Repository is a service that compiles academic results of the University of Tokyo and distributes them widely to public. Academic results include papers posted to academic journals by faculty members and students at the University of Tokyo, academic dissertations, bulletins, and publications prepared by organizations affiliated with the University of Tokyo. We accept applications for academic information to be distributed at any time. URL: https://repository.dl.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/
※3 The cost borne by the author is called "APC” (Article Processing Charge). Some journals offer discounts for members of the University of Tokyo. For more information, please see the APC page on the website of the University Library.

Reference materials
About open access

Site to check the terms and conditions of permission to publish on Green Roads.

  • SCPJ: Society Copyright Policies in Japan
    You can check the list of copyright policies of academic societies and associations in Japan. *Check website of each societies and associations for the latest information.
  • Sherpa Romeo
    An online resource that aggregates and analyses publisher open access policies from around the world and provides summaries of publisher copyright and open access archiving policies on a journal-by-journal basis.

Site that can be helpful when looking for Gold Road open access journals

  • DOAJ(Directory of Open Access Journals)
    This is a website of a collection of open-access academic journals. The website presents only reputable journals that have been peer-reviewed properly.
  • Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association Members 
    This is a website of the “Open Access Academic Publishers Association (OASPA)”. Participation requirements for this association include conducting appropriate review by outside experts and indicating review processes and policies on the websites of journals and publishers.It can be used as a reference tool for judging the credibility of the publisher.

IV. References

Abbreviations and terms used in the bibliography

Abbreviations may be used in the bibliography to avoid complication. Please note that even words with similar meanings may be used in different ways.

Abbreviation original meaning Japanese
Ann. Annales 年報、紀要
Annu. Annual 年報、年鑑
anon. anonymous 作者不詳の、匿名の
app. appendix 付録
Arch. Archives 記録集
art. article 論文、記事
Aufl. Auflage 版
Bd. Band 巻
Beil. Beilage 追録、補遺
Bull. Bulletin 会報、報告、紀要
c. copyright 著作権
c., ca. circa 約、略
cf. confer（=compare） 比較、参照、参照せよ
ch., chap. chapter 章
col. column 欄
comp. compiler 編纂者
comp. compiled by XX XXにより編纂された
conf. conference 会議
cong. congress 議会、会議
corr. correction 校正、訂正版
d. died 没
Diss. Dissertation 学位論文
do. ditto 同前
doc. document 文書、書類
Einl., Einleitg. Einleitung 序論
ed. editor 編（集）者
ed. edition 版
ed. edited by XX XXにより編集された
e.g. exempli gratia（=for example） 例
enl. enlarged 増補された
et al. et alii, et aliae（ =and others） およびその他
etc. et cetera（ =and so on） など
ex. exanple, example 用例
f., ff. and the following pages 及びそれに続くページ
fac., facsim. facsimile 複写、複製
fasc. fascicle 分冊
fig., figs. figure（-s） 図、図解、挿絵
front. frontispiece とびら、口絵
hb., hbk. hardback ハードカバー本（本装丁）
Hft. Heft 分冊、号
Hg. Herausgeber 編者
ibid. ibi’dem 前掲誌、同誌
id. idem 同上、同書
i.e. id est すなわち
ill., illus. illustration 挿絵
inc. including 含む
inc. incorporated 組み込まれた
inf. infra 下に、以下に
intro., introd. introduction 序文
J., jour. journal 雑誌、学会誌
l., ll. line（-s） 行
l.c., loc.cit. loco citato 上記引用文中に
mimeo mimeograph 謄写版印刷物（手稿コピーなど）
m.s., mss. manuscript（-s） 原稿、写本
N/A not applicable / not available 適用不可、該当なし/利用不可
n., nn note（-s） 注釈
n.d. no date of publication 出版年記載なし
no. number 号
n.p. no place of publication 発行地記載なし
n.pag. no pagination 頁付けなし
n.s. new series 新シリーズ
NS New Style 新暦
op.cit. opera citat 前掲（引用）書に
p., pp. page（-s） ページ
par. paragraph 節、段落
pat. patent 特許
pb., pbk. paperback ペーパーバック本（紙表紙本）
pl. plate 図版
pl. plural 複数の
pref. preface 序文、前置き、はしがき
proc. proceedings 議事録、会報
pseudo. pseudonym 雅号、ペンネーム
Pt., pt. part 部、部分、分冊
pub., publ. publisher 出版者
pub., publ. publication 出版物、逐次刊行物
pub., publ. published by XX XXの出版
rev. review, reviews 評論誌
rev.ed. revised edition 改訂版
rpt., repn. reprint, reprinted 重版、翻刻
sec., sect. section 節、段落、欄
s.l. sine loco(=no place of publication) 出版地不明
s.n. sine nomie(=without name) 作者不詳
ser. series 双書、シリーズ
supp. supplement 補遺
symp. symposium シンポジウム、討論会
t., tom tome 巻（仏）
tab. table リスト、目録
T.O.C table of contents 目次
t.p. title page 表紙
t.p.verso title page verso 裏表紙
T.R. technical report テクニカル・レポート
tr., trans. translator, translation 翻訳
trans. transaction 会報、紀要
v., vid. vide XXを見よ
viz. videlicet すなわち
v., vol., vols. volume（-s） 巻
Z. Zeitschrift 雑誌