42 Science Research Writing make sure your Introduction contains the four main components of the model and try out some of the new vocabulary. If you get stuck and don't know what to write next, use the model and the vocabulary to help you move forward. Don't look at the key until you have fi nished writing. 1.5.2 Key Here is a sample answer. When you read it, think about which part of the model is represented in each sentence. A COVER FOR THE SPPPV (Single-Person Pedal-Powered Vehicle) Concern about global warming and urban air pollution have become central issues in transport policy decision-making, and as a result much research in recent years has focused on the development of vehicles which are environmentally friendly. Air quality in cities is currently signifi cantly lower than in rural areas1 and this has been shown to be directly linked to the level of vehicle emissions from private cars.2 Due to the fact that urban transport policy in the UK is designed to reduce or discourage the use of private cars,3 there has been an increase in the sale of non-polluting vehicles such as the SPPPV (Single-Person Pedal- Powered Vehicle). However, although the number of SPPPV users has increased, safety and comfort issues need to be addressed if the number of users is to increase to a level at which a signifi cant eff ect on environmental pollution can be achieved. Researchers have studied and improved many aspects of the SPPPV. In 1980, Wang et al. responded to the need for increased safety by designing an SPPPV surrounded by a 'cage' of safety bars,4 and in 2001 Martinez developed this further with the introduction of a reinforced polymer screen which could be fi tted to the safety bars to protect the cyclist's face in the event of a collision.5 Th e issue of comfort has also been addressed by many design teams; in 1998 Kohl et al. introduced an SPPPV with a built-in umbrella, which could be opened at the touch of
Introduction — Writing an Introduction 43 a button,6 and more recently, Martinez7 has added a mesh fi lter which can be placed over the entire cage to reduce the risk of environmental pollution. However, the resulting 'cage' or cover is aerodynamically ineff ective due to the shape of the umbrella and the weight of the mesh fi lter. In this study, we used computer simulation to model the aerodynamic eff ect of the existing safety and comfort features and we present a new design which integrates these features in an optimally-eff ective aerodynamic shape.
44 Unit 2 ✏ Writing about Methodology 2.1 Structure Th e title of this section varies in diff erent disciplines and in diff erent journals. It is sometimes called Materials and Methods, or it can be called Procedure, Experiments, Experimental, Simulation, Methodology or Model. Th is section is the fi rst part of the central 'report' section of the research article (the second part is the Results section), and it reports what you did and/or what you used. Most journals publish (usually on the Internet) a Guide for Authors. Before you begin to read this unit, access the guide for a journal you read regularly — if you're lucky, it will include a short description of what the editors expect in each section in addition to technical information relating to the fi gures. Here is a typical sentence from such a guide: Th e Methodology should contain suffi cient detail for readers to replicate the work done and obtain similar results. It is true that your work must contain suffi cient detail to be repeatable, but the type of writing you will need to do is not just a record of what you did and/or used. One of the most interesting and important changes you need to make in the way you write is that until now, you have probably been writing for people (perhaps your teachers) who know more about your research topic than you do. You have been displaying to them that you understand the tasks they have set and have performed them correctly. However, when you write a research article, people will be learning from you. Th erefore you now need to be able to communicate information about a new procedure, a new method, or a new approach so that everyone reading it can not only carry it out and obtain similar results, but also understand and accept your procedure.
Methodology — Structure 45 When we come to ask our three questions: • How do I start the Methodology/Experiments section? What type of sentence should I begin with? • What type of information should be in this section, and in what order? • How do I end this section? you already know that the Methodology should contain a detailed description of what you did and/or used, and this helps to answer the second of the three questions. As we will see, however, it is not a full answer; to be eff ective and conform to what is normally done in a research paper, this section must contain other important information as well. Read the example below. Th e title of the paper is Changes in the chemistry of groundwater in the chalk of the London Basin. Don't worry if the subject matter is not familiar to you or if you have diffi culty understanding individual words, especially technical terms like ground- water. Just try to get a general understanding at this stage and familiarise yourself with the type of language used. RESULTS (what you found/saw) METHODOLOGY (what you did/used) ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSION central report section Fig. 1. Th e shape of a research article or thesis.