Drafts

Collecting the specimen:

Head over to the permaculture garden. On the far right side there are a row on lilies. Towards the center of the column of lilies, there is a plant with white drizzled looking tracks on it. Take 3 photos of the plant. The first should be a picture of the whole plant. The second should be a picture of just the affected leaf. The last photo should be a picture of the affected leaf with a penny for scale.

Upload your photos into inkscape. Shrink them to the size you want by using the shift key and the magnifying glass icon. Upload a map from openstreetmap.com. You can crop and shrink the map to the area you want. You want this cropped map to be a part of your multipanel figure. Arrange the 3 pictures and the map into a windowpane configuration. The lower right corner should be the map and the lower left should be the photo with a penny to scale. The upper left should be the whole plant and the upper right should just be a photo of the affected leaf. 

Arrange them so that there are five spaces between all of them.

You are going to want to create an arrow pointing to the affected leaf. Use the line tool to create a line and then add a marker to the tip of the line you created. You are also going to want to use the text tool to label each photo with a letter distinguishing each one. Use the text tool to do this. You are going to want to make the font big enough to be noticeable. You are also going to want to use fill and stroke to make the font stand out. Starting in the upper left hand corner and going in a clockwise direction, label the photos “a”, “b”, “c”, and “d” respectively.

Use the “group” command to make the picture just a single image. Go into the file menu and select Document properties. Select the option to size the image to the page. Make sure to make the opacity 255.

This is how I made a multi-panel figure about leafminers. I found my specimen at the Franklin Permaculture Garden in the corner of the garden. I found my specimen specifically in a bush with long leaves at the corner of the garden. 

 I used my phone to take a couple pictures, the first one being the main plant with the affected area being visible, and a second one where I had a close up shot of the affected leaf with an object held right next to it for size comparison. I ended up taking six picture from which I only used two. I first tried the close up picture by holding my phone in one hand and using my other hand to lightly pull the leaf making sure the affected area was as visible as possible. I then tried taking a picture of the main plant but I only took one step back from the plant so the picture didn’t show much. I took another two steps back and took another picture which is the one I ended up using for the figure. A classmate was kind enough to lend me a mechanical pencil to use as the object for size comparison, so I took another close up photo where my hand held both the mechanical pencil and the leaf while making sure the pencil was close to the leaf and it was near the affected area.

I used the program Inkscape to make my multi-panel figure. I imported the first picture ( the main plant with the visible affected area) and locked it to keep the scale. I then shrank it down and aligned its top left corner to the left corner of what will eventually be the multi-figure panel. Next, I used a drawing tool to draw an arrow to point to the affected area, and I paint it yellow since it was hard to see if it was a black arrow. The next picture ( the close up shot on the leaf with an object for size comparison) followed a similar process but this time the top right corner of the picture will be aligned to the top right corner of the multi-panel figure. *Only do this if the two pictures are different sizes* Unfortunately, my two pictures where different sizes and to fix that I increased the overall size of the second picture until the height aligned itself with the height of the first one. However, this caused the second picture to overlap over the first one. In order to fix this I brought the first picture up a layer so that it would overlap the second picture instead. Finally, I used a website to download a picture of the area on campus where I found my subject and I imported it to Inkscape. I repeated what I did with the previous pictures and fit the map into the bottom of the multi-panel figure aligning the top edge of the map picture to the bottom edge of the two other pictures. As final touches, I used the same drawing tool as before to make an X to mark roughly where I found my specimen; I also added the letters A, B, and C to boxes which I placed at the top left corner of each picture in the added order.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 1

Scientific writing requires a certain level of specificity in order to be properly understood and replicated. Science has maintained that in order for a study to be valid, the work must be able to be replicated with the same results. This facet of scientific research puts an incredible amount of importance on the record of how the research in any paper was performed. The goal of this paper is to write a record of the documentation of leaf miners and to compare the recreation based upon the procedure reported and to analyze what factors may have been successful or led to an imperfect result.

Notes for METHODS:

• 1st I found my specimen that has leafminers on it

• I took a couple pictures with my phone, the first one being the main plant with the affected area being visible, and a second one where I had a close up shot on the affected leaf with an object held right next to the leaf for size comparison

• Created a folder on the desktop where I stored all documents regarding the project 

•  I used my phone to email the pictures I took to myself so I could download them to the computer

• I downloaded the pictures and moved them to the designated folder on my desktop

• I used Inkscape to make my multi-panel figure

•  Imported pictures from my phone to the computer by emailing the photos to myself on my phone and opening up the email on the computer and then downloading

• First I imported the picture of the main plant with the affected area being visible and locked it to keep the scale

• I then shrank it down and aligned its top left corner to the left corner of what will eventually be the multi-figure panel

• I then used a drawing tool to draw an arrow to point to the affected area, I painted the arrow yellow to make it visible and to make it stand out

• Next I imported the picture of the close up on the leaf with an object (mechanical pencil 15 cm) for size comparison

• Again I locked the scale and aligned the top right corner to the top right corner of the multi-panel figure page

• Since my two pictures where different sizes I matched the height of the second picture to the height of the first one. (Only do this if the two pictures have different scales when fit into the page)

• Making the second picture bigger caused it to overlap over the first one, to fix this I brought the first picture up a layer

• Finally, I used a website to download a picture of the area on campus where I found my subject and I imported it to Inkscape

• One more time, I locked the scale and fit it into the picture

I did an exercise similar to our current activity of the multipanel figure in one of my engineering classes. I believe it was an engineering graphics course I took. The final project for that class included writing an instructional piece on how to replicate a simple shape or object in terms of words. It didn't seem like it should be that hard of an activity when it was first proposed to us, but it ended up being more difficult than I anticipated. What can feel so obvious to one person can be totally lost on another. I feel like simplifying what you are saying is a good approach. I tend to go about explaining things by overly trying to describe a situation or the appearance of something. I feel like "putting my foot in my mouth" (in a sense) will serve me well. I feel like using factual terms will help too. If I speak in terms that people can understand but that are technical enough to convey the message I have with across the board results. That's probably the real trick behind this stuff, I would imagine. I guess knowing the audience is pretty helpful, as well. If you are writing a peer reviewed journal piece it will be different than writing a piece for Popular Science. The good thing about writing this METHODS section is the fact that we are all basically on a similar level in our understanding of insects and more specifically leafminers.

            Effective scientific writing and communication is a complicated process. In the readings I have learned that passive voice can be used with an active voice if it helps to bring clarity to the statement. First person is the new standard because it helps to engage the reader, making it less “dry”. Flow and continuity are very important, so you do not lose your reader’s interest. This is accomplished by keeping your sentences organized and consistent. If your reader is constantly confused about the point that you are trying to make, they will most likely lose interest in your written paper and not read about your research. Simplify what you can and avoid using large confusing words that may take away from the point that you are trying to make. It is a way to show the hard work that you have accomplished, not the incredible depth of your vocabulary.

Photo C was obtained by capturing the less infected leaf from a distance of about 6 inches or less. The leaf is being pushed slightly by the clear back of a standard sized business card on the left side of the photo in a manner to keep most of the hand holding the card out of the photo.

    Photo D is a screenshot of the Shade Tree Laboratory from (Not!google maps get the site ). The screenshot was placed so that the laboratory was centered on the left half of the photograph and at a magnification where the immediate buildings to the north, south, and east are visible to aid in identification of the area. 

Fabrication

    I had used the program Inkscape to create the entirety of the figure with the collected materials. All images came in the size 1688x1688 and were kept at this size. The photos were then laid corner to corner in a 2x2 fashion with A and B on the top while C and D are on the bottom. A space of 15 pixels was then used to separate the edges of all of the photos. A black square sized 100x100 was created with a centered white font size 80 capital sans-serif letter for each photo. These blocks are attached to their respective photos in the corners that occupy the middle of the entire 2x2 figure. Lastly, a horizontal arrow was created with a width of 3mm and length of 150 pixels. The first available arrowhead style was used, and then the arrow was copied 3 times. Two arrows were aligned in the middle of each infected leaf, on photo B, with the tip of the arrowhead touching the edge of the leaves. The last arrow was then placed on photo D with the tail of the arrow touching stockbridge road, and the head of the arrow directly on where the weed is located.

Prior to constructing your multi panel figure it is a good idea to first install an image processing program. I chose to install Inkscape. Installation is pretty straight forward. You may need to go to your security settings and allow the software to be installed. Additionally, you will need to install Xquartz the operating system that runs Inkscape. 

            For my images I chose a garden nasturtium plant that I found at the northern edge of the permaculture garden on UMass campus. I took to images one showing the entire plant and one showing the leafminer activity. I used a one-dollar bill t placed directly behind the leaf for a scale reference.  After the pictures were taken, I emailed the pictures to myself so that I would be able to access them from any computer that has access to the internet.

            On the computer I created a folder to put the components of this figure into. I then retrieved the images from my email and downloaded them into my newly created folder. Next, I opened Inkscape and imported the images. Once the images were uploaded onto Inkscape I created a map of the area that I found the plant in. It is important that you use a map that you have the rights to when creating your multi panel figure. For this project I used open street map. The map that I selected was not the correct size, so it was necessary to crop it. This requires another program; for this task I used Gimp. This is another free program that allows you to edit images.

            Once all the images are on your sheet it would be a good idea to save this to your folder. Next you will need to place the images together in a logical manner. If the images are not the same size, you need to resize them. In order to not stretch or distort the image make sure that you lock the image by selecting the lock it the middle of the Inscape task bar. Next using the measuring tool fit your images together. Once you have completed this you can now add panel identifiers. First create a text box and put your first panel ID in it. I set the font to Ariel and used a 40 for size this fit well. Now once you make your first one selects it and then duplicate it two more times. Once you have finished that change them to the next sequential digits. Next on the full plant image you need to put an arrow pointing at the leaf that you selected for the close-up image. Select straight line maker on the left side task bar. Click near the location of the leaf and move the cursor away a satisfactory distance away and double click. Then open fill and stroke. Select your line and make it the width that you desire. In the same menu select the arrow head that you find to be appropriate.  The final step is to set the background to white by making everything 255. Save your file as (your name)_original.

Multi panel figure directions:

Upper Right Corner: Should be the location of where you have found the affected plant.

Upper Left Corner: Should be the affected part of the leaf

Bottom Right Corner: Should have an arrow pointing towards the affected part of the leave in the whole plant. 

Bottom left Corner: Should be a measurement scale on the plant indicating how long the plant.

There are many leaf miners out there. I found a leaf miner in the Franklin Permaculture Garden. I decided to make a multi panel figure illustrating what I found. I took pictures of the leaf miner and an object to measure the leaf miner with it along with the location of the leaf miner. I made a figure on inkscape. I made a figure that showed the leaf miner that can be published in a scientific publication. As I made my figure I kept in mind that I make sure my pictures are perfectly equal in size. I laid my pictures and made them into a figure by rearranging and sizing them equally and making sure I don’t stretch my pictures out because the picture should be clear. I also labeled my pictures so that they are clear when published into a publication. I also remembered to point the leaf miner out in the whole plant in my figure. I also needed to make sure I leave no background so that the figure can be seen perfectly. I made sure that my figure looked scientific when published in a book or journal.                                                       

One of the things you will need to do when creating your multipanel figure is to use an arrow pointing to the leaf on the affected plant. You can use the line tool and add a marker which can be an arrow. Make sure to make the arrow a contrasting color to the image of your leafminer plant. You also want to adjust the opacity on your background. You can do this by sliding the bottom bar all the way to the right on the colors menu. I think what I am going to do is to do a dry run with my current recollection on the process I undertook with the software and see what I come up with. 

Once you have the image how you want it, you will have to adjust the page size to the image size. I can’t quite remember how to do that. You also must adjust the the quality to 1080 by (I can’t remember right now) 724?