Steal my evidence check-up toolkit for systematic reviews!

A systematic review is only as good as its appraisal tools.

11 check-up tools every systematic reviewer should know: 1. Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool

The gold standard for bias assessment in RCTs.

RoB2 builds on the original tool.
More structured.
Use it instead.

Covers:

• Reporting bias
• Performance
• Detection
• Selection
• Attrition

Essential for any review, especially RCTs.

My systematic literature reviews used to lack credibility.

But this all changed when I started doing this...

Critical strategies for transparent lit review reporting: 1. Use Reporting Checklists

Tailor your reporting to the review type.

PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
MOOSE for meta-analyses of observational studies.
CONSORT for randomized controlled trials.

These checklists are your transparency roadmap.

How I silenced the "your n is too small" critics

A manifesto for defending qualitative research

Qualitative researchers face criticism about small sample sizes.

Here's how to address these concerns effectively: 1. Understand the context of the critique

Is the person questioning the value of
• Small samples
• Generalizability
• Data saturation?

Clarify their specific concerns before responding.

The obsession with large sample sizes stifles innovation in research.

I discovered the secret to captivating academic writing:

Academic storytelling.

5 storytelling techniques to master the art: 1. Sustain a compelling narrative

Don't just sprinkle anecdotes.
Weave a cohesive story.

Create
• Suspense
• A narrative arc
• A sense of progression

Keep your readers hooked until the very end.

My data's strong, but my paper's weak. 😱

Don't just write; guide your reader.

How to use the PASTOR framework: 1. PROBLEM: Identify the gap

• State a clear gap in existing literature.
• Pinpoint the issue your research tackles.

Be explicit about the problem.

❌ 'This area needs more study.'

✅ 'Current methods fail to address X accurately.'

Vagueness won't cut it.
Clearer = better.

Struggling with your paper's method section?

They said it's easy. But you're just stuck.

Here's the secret step-by-step guide to help you ace it: 1. Research Question Reminder

• Remind the reader of your research question or problem.

• Help readers understand the context for the methods you choose.

Show why your methods match your question.

How to turn your research into a compelling story:

Use this simple 5-step formula for your paper's structure: 1. Hook

Grab attention in the first paragraph

Hint at the problem and promise a solution.

20 years ago, I struggled to articulate my research.

Sleepless nights and relentless revisions were my best teachers.

Here are 9 writing mistakes I made (and how I'd fix them today): Here's what you'll learn by reading this:

1. Dodging causation errors
2. Keeping sentences tidy
3. Smart conjunction choices
4. Nailing the specifics
5. Right grammar
6. Picking terminology
7. Trimming data fat
8. Clarifying goals
9. Sticking to one style

Let's go ↓

If you're struggling to find a research topic, read this.

5 steps to find a topic in one day without overthinking.

↓ Trying to select a research paper topic?

• Master a fail-safe framework for topic choice.
• Vet topics for ethical and practical checks.
• Find topics that energize you.

Use the F.I.N.E.R criteria to nail it.

Feasible.
Interesting.
Novel.
Ethical.
Relevant.

Reading is a superpower.

Learn it, and you will become an unstoppable academic writer.

Use these 9 techniques to master academic writing & reading + stop feeling guilty about it. ↓ You may be:

• An undergrad writing a term paper?
• A graduate student writing a seminar paper?
• A PhD candidate writing a conference/journal article?
• Any student starting their thesis?

BUT you have no clue how to get started on academic writing?

This 🧵 is for you.

The most powerful research tool nobody talks about:

Pre-submission checklists.

I spent 50+ hours creating these checklists to help you publish better papers (use responsibly).↓ Introduction

✅ Introduced main problem/gap
✅ Defined research goals clearly
✅ Argued importance of problem
✅ Contribution is well-motivated
✅ Stated main contributions of research
✅ Significance and impact is well articulated

I'll let you in on a secret...

Most discussion sections are the reason your paper gets rejected.

Here are 7 tips for how to make your discussion review-proof. ↓ 1. State why your research is essential.

At the beginning:

Quickly summarize results. Keep it brief!

Say why they matter to the field.

Many academics get their most rapid writing done in the mornings.

But nobody likes the dread of staring at a blank page.

Here are 23 dead-simple prompts to jumpstart your morning writing. ↓ 1. Reflect on a recent academic article or book that has had a profound impact on your thinking. What was its main message?

2. What was it about this work that resonated with you?

3. How did it inspire you to explore new ideas within your own research?

Used right, academic writing can be the world's most powerful process.

But too many research articles are cluttered, careless, and chaotic.

Here are 5 writing frameworks that can help you: ↓ Why should you trust me with this advice?

I have written 300+ peer-reviewed scientific papers in the last 15 years with 29k+ citations and been teaching writing courses.

Here are 5 structures we'll cover:
• Paper
• Paragraph
• Argument
• Thinking
• Relationship

Let's go.

I have almost 30k citations and millions in research funding.

But almost 20 years ago, I just wrote my first research paper.

I had no writing support during grad school & I want you to have it better.

Here are secret actionable writing tips for 6 sections of your paper. ↓ Before we start, here is a checklist for your manuscript

✅ Delete adjectives modifying relationships
✅ Don't say 'differed' → explain relation
✅ Don't forget to mention limitations
✅ Use short instead of long words
✅ Spellcheck all + references

Check off before you submit

Traditional academic writing styles suck.

Don't make your paper dull, dense, and inaccessible.

Create an irresistible masterpiece with these paper section templates.

Here's how: ↓ 1. Introduction

Not:
❌ In this paper, we present...

Instead:
✅ Through this exploration/investigation/study, we uncover...

Stop drafting manuscripts.

Start creating masterpieces.

Create compelling, coherent, and captivating compositions.

Let me guide you through the critical sections of your papers.↓ Why should you trust me with this advice?

I have written 300+ peer-reviewed scientific papers in the last 15 years with more than 29,000 citations.

I am an Associate Editor at a major journal in my field and have chaired several conferences.

I've written and edited a lot.

Don't start your paper from scratch.

Template phrases work wonders.

For brilliant academic writing,
here are 100+ valuable sentences.

Takes less than 7 minutes to include in your article. ↓ Distancing yourself

There has been some report that...
There is a widespread belief that...
According to common belief...
According to some reports...
As far as we know...

3 simple mindsets that guarantee paper submission success ↓ 1. Assess your passion before seeking peer review for a project or paper

Take your time with this.

Discovering your passion requires a lot of practice.

No forward progress on the project, no passion.

Simple as that.

It exists.

Just find it in the project somewhere.

Drop the capitalization of "knowledge."

Assert your research contribution instead.

Choose one of 7 different research contributions ↓

#chi2024 #phdchat #academictwitter Before we dive in.

A research paper is the ultimate capture & deliver tool for knowledge.

In a scientific paper, the research contribution is the star of the show.

In the interdisciplinary young field of HCI, these 7 patterns emerged.

Similar ones will exist in your field.

Don't use ChatGPT to write your paper drafts.

It makes up false references.

Talk to the PDF document of a research paper instead!

(with the AskYourPDF plugin) ↓ For this plugin to work correctly, you have to:

1. Upload a PDF to AskYourPDF
2. Copy the doc id from the PDF into ChatGPT

Luckily, I just asked ChatGPT:
Can I upload a PDF here?

I got the link to the AskYourPDF upload site.

Then, upload the PDF and copy the doc id to ChatGPT