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Journal Article

The Science of Scientific Writing

01 Jan 1990-American Scientist-Vol. 78, Iss: 6, pp 550-558
TL;DR: The authors argue that complexity of thought need not lead to impenetrability of expression, and demonstrate a number of rhetorical principles that can produce clarity in communication without oversimplifying scientific issues.
Abstract: Science is often hard to read Most people assume that its difficulties are born out of necessity, out of the extreme complexity of scientific concepts, data and analysis We argue here that complexity of thought need not lead to impenetrability of expression; we demonstrate a number of rhetorical principles that can produce clarity in communication without oversimplifying scientific issues The results are substantive, not merely cosmetic: Improving the quality of writing actually improves the quality of thought

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: For new graduate students, the authors discuss issues and aspects of doing statistical research and provide advice, answering questions that we had when we were beginners, such as When do I start, How do I find out what has already been done, how do I make progress, and What else can I do?
Abstract: For new graduate students, we discuss issues and aspects of doing statistical research and provide advice. We answer questions that we had when we were beginners, like When do I start?, How do I start?, How do I find out what has already been done?, How do I make progress?, How do I finish?, and What else can I do?.

23 citations


Cites background from "The Science of Scientific Writing"

  • ...Some papers helpful to young researchers that discuss technical writing and publishing are: Halmos(1970), Gopen and Swan (1990) ,Gburand Trumbo (1995), Smith (1996), and O’ Brien (2001)....

    [...]

  • ...Some papers helpful to young researchers that discuss technical writing and publishingare: Halmos (1970), Gopen and Swan (1990), Gbur and Trumbo (1995), Smith (1996), and O’Brien (2001)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Assessment of the readability of expert reports of forensic glass comparison from 7 Australian jurisdictions found that language was difficult, sentences were long and contained undefined specialist terms, and uncertainty was expressed differently by jurisdiction.

23 citations


Cites background from "The Science of Scientific Writing"

  • ...Providing explicit links refers to placing old information before new [45], or placing information from previous sentence in the topic position of the next sentence [60] such that all necessary steps in logic are presented....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
Jay Wm. Wackerly1
TL;DR: In this paper, an approach is described that gradually transitions second-year organic chemistry students to writing full The Journal of Organic Chemistry (JOC) style lab reports, which introduces students to and builds rhetorical skills in scientific and technical writing.
Abstract: An approach is described that gradually transitions second-year organic chemistry students to writing full The Journal of Organic Chemistry (JOC) style lab reports. The primary goal was to introduce students to and build rhetorical skills in scientific and technical writing. This was accomplished by focusing on four main strategies utilizing a stepwise method where assignments progress from lower- to higher-level writing tasks, collaborative writing, journal-style lab reports, and imitation. This approach is built upon work from numerous educators and combines them into a unique pedagogical writing tool to enhance student learning.

22 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study demonstrates the positive impact of peer review and a multisemester writing capstone on inquiry, science literacy, and critical thinking skills.
Abstract: This study examines the relationship between the introduction of a four-course writing-intensive capstone series and improvement in inquiry and analysis skills of biology senior undergraduates To measure the impact of the multicourse write-to-learn and peer-review pedagogy on student performance, we used a modified Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education rubric for Inquiry and Analysis and Written Communication to score senior research theses from 2006 to 2008 (pretreatment) and 2009 to 2013 (intervention) A Fisher-Freeman-Halton test and a two-sample Student's t test were used to evaluate individual rubric dimensions and composite rubric scores, respectively, and a randomized complete block design analysis of variance was carried out on composite scores to examine the impact of the intervention across ethnicity, legacy (eg, first-generation status), and research laboratory The results show an increase in student performance in rubric scoring categories most closely associated with science literacy and critical-thinking skills, in addition to gains in students' writing abilities

22 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A stylistic analysis of 200 samples of electronic mail memorandums gathered from four organizations examines patterns of rhetorical choice common to electronic mail, finding a general inattentiveness to providing logical frameworks for readers.
Abstract: This article presents the results of a stylistic analysis of 200 samples of electronic mail memorandums gathered from four organizations. Through systematic counting of textual features such as sentence and paragraph length, grammatical types of sentences, sentence openers, and diction, the study examines patterns of rhetorical choice common to electronic mail. In this sample, writers combined elements of formal and informal discourse but preferred simple coordinate sentence patterns, brief paragraphs, and active verbs. Additionally, the serial structuring of message content and reluctance to coordinate and subordinate ideas into appropriate rhetorical patterns indicate a general inattentiveness to providing logical frameworks for readers.

22 citations

References
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Book
07 Aug 2002
TL;DR: The Style: Ten Lessons in clarity and grace as mentioned in this paperocusing on the single most serious problem that mature writers face: a wordy, tangled, too-complex prose style, is a useful resource for any mature writer.
Abstract: In his preface, Joseph M. Williams says that Style: ten lessons in clarity and grace focuses on “the single most serious problem that mature writers face: a wordy, tangled, too-complex prose style.” His book deals with that problem admirably. Indeed, the advice and examples furnished by Williams are varied and sophisticated enough to make it a useful resource for any mature writer — even the mature writer whose prose is clear and concise.

381 citations