A flowchart-style cartoon labeling each section of an academic paper with tongue-in-cheek explanations. It humorously suggests how readers often skip or skim sections, reflecting a cynical take on the academic writing process.
History
Creation date
2016-09-02
AltText
A humorous flowchart of academic paper sections with cynical descriptions of how each is read or skipped.
Transcript
Academic papers cynically explained
Title: A clever pun or something
Abstract: The executive summary for the bored or time-pressed
Introduction: The bit where you pretend your topic is new or interesting
Materials & Methods: The part you skip if you trust the authors
Results: The bit you actually read (the part with the pictures)
Discussion: The bit you skip if you trust your own analysis
Conclusions: The bit you skip if you read the results
References: The bit where you discover half the references are broken links
Acknowledgements: The bit where the authors put a silly inside joke
Supplementary data: The bit that includes all the stuff you took out