Writing Tips For Economic Manuscripts Or Dissertation - Phdassistance
                     WRITING TIPS FOR  
ECONOMIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 OR DISSERTATION
An Academic presentation by
Dr. Nancy Agnes, Head, Technical Operations, 
Phdassistance  Group www.phdassistance.com
Email: [email protected]
TODAY'S 
DISCUSSION
Outline
General tips about writing style 
 Organization of the paper  
Conclusion
GENERAL TIPS  
ABOUT  
WRITING In general, term papers test students' ability to use  
economic logic to inspire a question, critically analyze  
STYLE previous literature, and consider empirical issues.
It is especially critical that the term paper shows that we  
are more intelligent, analytical, and sophisticated about  
health or development economics than, say, a clever  
editorial writer for The New York Times.
Contd...
We should present facts, cite literature, clarify economic trade-offs, and generally take  
an analytical approach to the problem.
In his or her term paper, a student can be tempted to stray into opinion-
page,
journalistic writing. This should not be done.
We will get a lower grade if your writing is 
 ungrammatical
unclear
journalistic
ORGANIZATIO Evaluate your paper's one central and
N  OF THE exclusive  contribution.
PAPER Make a single paragraph out of this, and the writing must  
be specific.
It will take some thought to distil your one key contribution.  
It will be painful because you will begin to understand how  
much you will have to discard.
However, once you've done that, you'll be in a much better  
place to concentrate the paper on that one contribution and 
 assist readers in grasping it quickly.
Contd...
Your readers are short on time and impatient.
No one will ever read the whole thing from beginning to end.
Readers skim the text. You must make skimming simple for them.
The majority of readers are interested in learning your simple result. Just a few people are  
concerned with how it differs from others.
Only a few people care if it holds up to various definitions, equipment collections, and so on.
Contd...
While your writing should not be written in a journalistic style, it can be structured in
the  same way that a newspaper article is.
Not in a joke or novel format, but in a triangular or newspaper style.
Take note of how newspapers begin with the most relevant information, then move to the  
background for readers who want more information.
Many papers get this wrong, and many readers don't realize the s ignificance of the 
paper  until the very last page, the very last table.
Contd...
A good paper isn't a journal of your research journey.
The reader is uninterested in how you arrived at the correct response.
The reader is unconcerned about the hundreds of items you tried and failed to  
succeed with. It's a good idea to save it for your memoirs.
Contd...

 INTRODUCTION SECTION 
The abstract and introduction are the sections of your written work that get you  
through the door. Write them in simple and correct circumstances!
The introduction should begin with the main contribution you make to the paper.
Mention something unexpected about it as soon as you say that! If you question  
the reader's intuition right away, he or she would be even more likely to read the  
rest of the paper. Your audience is made up of your readers.
Contd...
They have more important things to discuss than reading your article.
In the first two paragraphs, spark their interest in your study and convince them of  
your point of view.
You must justify your contribution in order for anyone to understand it.
The first sentence is the most difficult. Start with financial economics, not theory.
Contd...
Financial economists have long questioned whether markets are effective.
Your paper must be interesting in and of itself, not just because a lot of
other  people have written about it.
Do not begin with a long explanation of why the topic is relevant to public policy.
All of this is referred to as "clearing your throat" by authors. Begin with
your  most important contribution.
Contd...
Some Recommendations for Points to Cover in the Introduction Section
The gap you're trying to fill with your question
Challenging or perplexing the reader's intuition is a good idea. 
 Make sure you specify your contribution in that section.
What are your main results?
Contd...
 LITERATURE REVIEW SECTION
Starting your introduction with a page and a half of other literature is not a good idea.
First and foremost, your followers are eager to learn more about what you do.
They can't start to question whether it's better than what others have done before  
they comprehend what you do.
Second, the majority of readers are unfamiliar with the literature. It'll be difficult  
enough to justify your paper in simple terms; good luck with describing everyone  
else's too.
Contd...
You should write a short literature review after you've outlined your contribution.
Make it a different section or set it off so that people who aren't interested can skip it.
Remember that people will struggle to understand how your paper differs from others  
because they don't yet understand your paper, and most of them haven't read the  
others.
Don't be greedy about your citations. It's not necessary to claim that someone else  
got it wrong for your solution and changes to be intriguing.
Contd...
 Some Recommendations for Points to Cover in the Literature Review Section
Keep in mind that your key contribution would be to the economics discipline.
The first segment should address previous research that is directly applicable to your
 research work.
Contd...
 DATA SECTION
This section should be cover with two parts
Part 1: Start giving the name and source of the data you're using, as well as the time  
period it
 covers.
Define whether you have a panel, cross-section, or time series, as well as the unit of  
measurement and the number of
 observations.
Discuss the data's limitations, such as missing variables, findings, survey responses,  
and a limited number of observations, among
 others.
Contd...
Part 2: You should identify which aspects of your data are most important to your  proj
ect; for example, you may spend more time discussing your dependent variable  than 
a control
 variable.
It's also worth repeating that the best way to learn how to write a data section is to  
read many data sections in the literature 
and pay attention to the types of data they  contain.
Contd...
 IDENTIFICATION STRATEGY
These tips are more about how to do empirical work than how to write empirical work, 
 but in the end, the two are not that
 dissimilar.
What are the most crucial aspects of scientific research? Identification is just another  
term for the method of
 calculating causal effects.
It clearly describes your identification strategy.
Contd...
Specific Valuation Strategy Suggestions
What are the biases of a "naïve" evaluation - Chosen naïve estimate depends on your
  identification
 strategy.
Describe comparison groups, give intuition/justification of comparison
Usage of subheadings to lead the reader through the different levels of your analysis.
Contd...
 RESULTS
One of the most common errors made by writers of economic papers is forgetting 
 that their findings must be written up as carefully and clearly as any other part of  
t he paper.
There are two options to choose from:
How many should empirical results be presented? 
 How should these results be described in the 
text?
Contd...
 How Should I Describe My Empirical Results in the Text?
You've decided how to make your tables, graphs, and figures.
You can explain them in the text in detail. In the topic sentence of a paragraph,  
state the table's main point.
CONCLUSIO
N
When writing up your empirical findings concentrate only  
on the most critical points and be as concise as possible.
You might feel like you're repeating yourself or that the  
reader is offended by how closely you're leading them  
through your tables and graphs.
 PhD Assistance Subject-Matter Expertise is fully capable of  
writing on any subject with regards to economics.
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