Knowledge Sharing Session

Writing
Review Paper

NORLIANA MOHD ABBAS, PhD

Friday, 8 Dec 2017
Alamanda Hall, FKM
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 Overview

1.My profile & why I write the Review Paper

2.What is a Review Paper?

3.The writing journey

4.How to “WIN”?

5.Conclusion

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 Profile
NORLIANA BINTI MOHD ABBAS
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy in Precision Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA
Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (Mechanical), Universiti Teknologi MARA
Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Research area: Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

PhD Supervisor: MSc Supervisor:

Prof. Dr. Masanori Kunieda Prof. Dr. Darius Solomon
Dec 2015 Nov 2016 3
 Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

Tool + A machining process where the

electrode
Dielectric
Bubbles and material is removed by series of
debris
liquid electrical discharges between tool
and workpiece in the presence of
dielectric fluid.
Workpiece -
EDM Process

Micro holes for turbine blade

Plastic injection mould for mobile phone machined using micro EDM 4
 The Beginning
How it started?
Received Tenaga Pengajar Muda (TPM) scholarship for
masters’ degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technology.

Met Dr. Darius to get some advice and finally became my

supervisor.

Why we write the review paper?

To utilized the information we have gathered.

Both of us (my supervisor & me) were new in the area.

I read a lot to know about the research-scenario.

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 What is a Review Paper?
An overview of a specific subject by revising previously published
studies.
Does not discuss/report about any new data.
Review articles can be:
1. A narrative review explains the existing knowledge on a topic
based on all the published research available on the topic.

2. A systematic review searches for the answer to a particular

question in the existing scientific literature on a topic.

3. A meta-analysis compares and combines the findings of

previously published studies, usually to assess the effectiveness
of an intervention.
Meta-analysis: quantitative statistical analysis that is applied to separate but similar experiments of
different and usually independent researchers and that involves pooling the data and using the pooled
data to test the effectiveness of the results 6
 What is a Review Paper? cont.

Review articles reveal about:

a) recent advances and discoveries

b) significant gaps in the area

c) current debates

d) ideas on the direction of the research area

e) main people working in a field

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 What is a Review Paper? cont.

Total citations (on Friday, 8 Dec 2017): 539

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 How I did? / Where to start?
Select the area of interest

Look for review paper within the same area

Read, read and read

Draft the outline

Writing the manuscript

Submission

Comments from reviewer, Corrections & Resubmission

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Select the area of interest

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 Select the area of interest
1. What is the difference? Example:
Fast-food industry
McD
Burger King
KFC
Area
Chicken
Topic Drinks
Desserts Burger
Title

Zinger
Colonel

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 Select the area of interest
2. How to select?
Topic
Future
studied
research
during
area
masters’
(for PhD?)
degree Self
interest
Interesting
or
Directive2
Current
issue1

1energy saving/green energy, halal, micro machining, internet of things

(IoT) in education, etc.
2Area projected by the faculty/supervisor depending on needs.
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 Select the area of interest
3. Why it is so important?
You will have to

Read:
Understand
tens to and Write a
hundreds of synthesize “story”
manuscript the about it
days and information
nights

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Look for review paper within the same area

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 Review paper within the same area
1. Example of review paper titles:
a) A Review of …

b) Recent Advances on …

c) State of the art …

d) Recent Development …

e) A Perspective on …

f) Critical issue about …

g) … : A Review
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 Review paper within the same area
My main references

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 Review paper within the same area
2. Purpose? You may want to
i) Improve the published
review paper (X)
To give you rough To identify the ii) Write about other
idea on topic to be different topic (√)
what is written in selected
review paper &
how people did it

To get the idea

Reason? how the Direction,
information is uniqueness, etc.
presented

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 Review paper within the same area
3. Why?

WHAT was done HOW they did it

a) Writing style
a) Topic
b) Presentation of the
b) Content
content
c) etc.
c) etc.

Within the same area

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Read, read and read

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 Read, read and read
1. Source of information

Original research results in journals,

Primary
dissertations, conference proceedings,
source
correspondence

Review articles, meta-analysis, practice

Secondary
guidelines, monographs on a specific
source
subject

Tertiary Textbooks, encyclopedia, handbooks,

source newspapers

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 Read, read and read
2. Reference resources

Online Google Research

database scholar gate

Hard copy Many Scopus

(Library) more!!

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 Read, read and read
3. How to read & what to capture?
Active reading
1. Develop a table with several columns*
2. Fill in the information

No. Title Author Topic Keywords Method Parameter Results Conclusion

1.

* Number and item for columns depends on your needs 22

 Read, read and read
4. Reading example
Key
Meth Resul Conclu
No. Title Author Topic word
od
Parameter ts sion
s

Tool mat.: copper

1. Normal EDM
W/piece mat.: copper
Tool mat.: copper
2. Dry EDM W/piece mat.: stainless
steel
Micro EDM:
Tool mat.: copper tungsten
3. High speed
W/piece mat.: titanium
rotation
Tool mat.: copper tungsten,
Micro EDM:
4. tungsten
Non-contact
W/piece mat.: titanium
Normal Tool mat.: tungsten carbide
5.
EDM W/piece mat.: titanium
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 Read, read and read
5. Overview of the gathered info
Translate the obtained info into mind map
Copper: 1, 2
Tool Copper tungsten: 3,4
Parameter
Tungsten: 4
Material Tungsten carbide: 5

EDM Workpiece Stainless steel: 2,

Titanium: 3,4,5
Copper: 1
Normal EDM: 1,5
Topic
Micro EDM
High speed rotation: 3
Dry EDM: 2 Non-contact: 4 24
 Read, read and read
6. How many paper to read/review?
- Subjective
depending on the strength of your “story”
I read around 300 but cited only 109 references

7. My mistake
Did the mind map without having the table

- Always have to refer to the manuscript

- Difficult to work when you do not have the

“summary” 25
 Read, read and read
8. Important reminder
a) You will be dealing with large amount of
references

b) You might need a Reference Management

Tool/software or good record keeping/filing e.g.
Zotero, Mendeley, Endnote etc.

c) Purpose:
i) To organize references and full-text manuscript
ii) To handle citation during writing

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Draft the outline

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 Draft the outline
1. Before outlining the content
Where to submit?
i) Check the “aims & scope” of potential journal

ii) Your content should be aligned with the objective

of the journal
- to reduce rejection rate

iii) Read & check carefully the submission

requirement
- some journal only allows “invited review paper”

iv) Look for the highest impact factor possible. 28

 Draft the outline
2. Draft of manuscript

What you want to

highlight?

What is the direction of

your manuscript
- your aims
Difference between your
manuscript and the
published work
- your strength 29
Writing the manuscript

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 Writing the manuscript
1. What to consider
a) Concise and sufficiently minimum
- avoid repetition
- use short and simple sentences
- Easy to understand : some people said “bombastic” words are
better but not my supervisor

b) Logic
- arrange the “story” appropriately

c) Presentation: Image /Graf /Table / Figure

- creative & attractive 31
 Writing the manuscript
2. Example of figures (from my review paper)

Research studies conducted

Progress of method in combining ultrasonic in dry EDM
vibration with EDM from 1995-2006

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 Writing the manuscript
2. Example of figures (from my review paper)

Theoretical models available in literature

for simulating the input and output
parameter

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Progress in dry EDM research
Submission

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 Submission
1. Things to consider
a) Follow the format carefully
To reduce mistakes- to reduce rejection rate
as minimum
possible
b) Read the manuscript carefully and
thoroughly
- check the language, spelling, continuity of the
content etc.
- you may need somebody else to comment

c) Cover letter to journal editor

- some journal require cover letter
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Comments from reviewer, Corrections & Resubmission
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 Comments from reviewer,
Corrections & Resubmission
After submitting the manuscript, you have to wait
between 1-4 months to get the comments from
reviewer.

How the process is done (roughly):

1. After submission, the Editor will check the
relevancy of your manuscript with the aims of the
journal.
2. IF rejected, you will be notify within 2-4 weeks.
3. IF accepted, editor will appoint 2-3 reviewers.
4. Reviewing process will proceed
5. “Result” released to corresponding author
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 Comments from reviewer,
Corrections & Resubmission
2. My experience

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 Comments from reviewer,
Corrections & Resubmission
2. My experience cont.

voluntarily
unknown

1 2 3

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 Comments from reviewer,
Corrections & Resubmission
2. My experience cont.

Regional editor suggested us to reconsider

the content and resubmit the manuscript
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 Comments from reviewer,
Corrections & Resubmission
3. What happened?

Me My SV
Stress So positive

“Down” for 2 weeks Read the comments

very carefully

Plan to submit to
other journal Plan on
corrective action

Redo all over again according to the comments 41

 Comments from reviewer,
Corrections & Resubmission
4. My experience: Timeline

Do the reading and submit the manuscript to regional

editor
Jul – Nov
2005
Received comments from reviewer
Mac 2006
Resubmit the corrections to regional editor

May 2006
Accepted
Aug 2006

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 How to “WIN”?
1. Very subjective
a) Editor
– check on the needs (general)

b) Reviewer (expert of the area)

- check on the needs (specifically)
- benefits to readers
- content & maturity of the manuscript
- direction of the research area

2. What is your “WOW” factor

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 How can you do?
1. Get a group
- cooperative
- reliable
- functional

2. Draft your timeline

- meeting
- discuss
- deadline

3. Support each other

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 Conclusions
1. Writing a review paper is interesting
- get to know many things BUT stay focus
- time consuming: need passion & perseverance

2. Ability to
- see the needs of the area (usually mastered by
experienced researcher)
- present the information “creative & attractive”

3. YOU CAN DO IT!!

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 References
https://www.concordia.ca/library/guides/exercise-
science/review-vs-research.html

https://www.editage.com/insights/what-is-the-difference-
between-a-research-paper-and-a-review-paper

https://www.lib.utexas.edu/lsl/help/modules/review.html

http://research.library.gsu.edu/c.php?g=115595&p=1940
435

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Thank You
T1-A11-6C
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Complex
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
40450 Shah Alam, Selangor
MALAYSIA

Tel: 03-5543 6147

Email:
norliana@salam.uitm.edu.my
lianabbas@gmail.com

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