Dr. Kamel’s journal submissions are often originally written as conference papers, which are typically presented at a conference or symposium hosted by Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and may then published in an SPE journal. For these types of papers, Dr. Kamel will first consider a topic that he would like to research and tries to find out if there is similar work done by other professionals in the oil and gas industry. He does this because he would prefer that his work is largely original and tries to choose something that has not been heavily studied before. When he decides on a topic, he will then write a proposal that he will submit to an SPE committee that will decide whether or not the topic will satisfy the objectives of the given conference. The proposal is much like one that would be written by an English professor. The subject is introduced and an argument is made for how this subject is relevant and why it is important to investigate and discuss. If the proposal is accepted, he will then begin his research, most of which is conducted in the lab. Dr. Kamel says that he is an “experimentalist” and usually goes for these types of projects. However, much of the research also involves gathering information and reviewing studies that others have conducted through other published works and conferences. For assistance with this part …show more content…
Kamel is ready to write the paper, he first creates a rough outline, starting with the main points he wishes to make and then fills in the sub points. When I asked if he procrastinates at all when it comes to actually sitting down and writing the paper, he almost acted as if this word was not in his vocabulary. He claims that it is usually more of matter of time management and balancing the demands of teaching with that of his research, than it is procrastination. He tells me that once he has started writing, he usually tries to complete a paper as quickly as he can. In order to finish a paper in a timely manner, he must also focus on each piece of what is to be the final product. While layout may very slightly by publisher, Dr. Kamel’s paper typically all follow the same format. He first writes the abstract, which will loosely resemble the proposal. He says that this is the most important part because “the abstract tells everything – the problem, the methodology and what we expect” and because this gives the reader a fairly detailed outline of what the paper will discuss. He also points out that most of his papers that are published must be paid for. For example, one of his most recent papers, “Frictional Pressure Losses of Fluids Flowing in Circular Conduits: A Review,” written in collaboration with Dr. Shaqlaih of the University of North Texas Dallas, was published this month by SPE and costs $10.00 for SPE members and $30.00 for