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Writing for science PDF

345 Pages·2006·0.896 MB·English
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WRITING FOR SCIENCE Writing FOR SCIENCE Robert Goldbort Yale University Press New Haven & London Copyright ©2006 by Yale University. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the US Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Designed by Nancy Ovedovitz and set in Times Roman type by The Composing Room of Michigan, Inc. Printed in the United States of America by Vail-Ballou Press, Binghamton, New York. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Writing for science /Robert Goldbort, 1949– p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-300-11551-2 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-300-11551-2 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-300-11793-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-300-11793-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Technical writing. 2. Communication in science. I. Title. T11.G626 2006 808(cid:2).0665—dc22 2006012742 Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Joanne and to our treasures Raechel, Jonathan, Julia, Sarah CONTENTS Preface, xi 1 SCIENTIFICENGLISH 1 Language as a Tool of Science, 1 The Communication Range of Scientific English, 3 The Legacy of Scientifically Plain English, 7 The Human Dimension of Scientific English, 11 Scientific English in Action, 16 Objectivity and Precision, 18 Clarity and Coherence, 31 Simplicity and Conciseness, 38 Misused Words and Phrases, 43 Punctuation, 51 Scientific English as a Dynamic Instrument, 52 2 LABORATORYNOTES 56 Purpose of Laboratory Notes, 56 Notebooks in the Workplace and Educational Settings, 57 Legal and Ethical Responsibility in Laboratory Notes, 58 Permanence of Notebooks and Notes, 60 Notebook Organization and Entries, 61 Electronic Note Taking, 75 Laboratory Reports, 76 From Laboratory Records to Other Communications, 79 Contents 3 WORKPLACESCIENTIFICWRITING: LETTERS, MEMORANDA, AND ABSTRACTS 81 The Roles of Workplace Scientific Writing, 81 Job Application Letters and Résumés, 83 Inquiry Letters, 90 Technical Memoranda, 94 Research Abstracts, 98 The Practicality ofWorkplace Scientific Writing, 104 4 UNDERGRADUATEREPORTSIN THESCIENCES 106 What Is a College Report in the Sciences? 106 Features of Scientific Reports Shared with Other Disciplines, 107 Unique Features of Scientific Reports, 108 Scientific Report Writing as a Human Process, 111 The Writing Situation: What Is Expected? 112 Working with Others: Collaborative Scientific Reports, 113 The Recursive Stages of Writing a Research Report, 114 Research and Writing: Asking the Right Questions, 115 Getting Started: Topic and Source Decisions, 116 Types of Sources and Their Uses, 118 Electronic Sources, 128 Planning and Drafting the Report: Answering the Questions, 133 Making Choices about Reportorial Modes of Development, 137 Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, 139 Parceling a Report’s Contents with Headings, 142 Additional Elements for Reports that Are Formal, 144 Writing the Draft and Meeting Reader Expectations, 147 Final Copy: Reviewing, Editing, Revising, and Proofreading, 149 Being Thorough from Start to Finish, 151 5 DOCUMENTATION OFSCIENTIFICSOURCES 152 The Importance of Bibliographic Documentation, 152 Citing Responsibly: Selectivity, Accuracy, and Completeness, 153 Examples of Citation Styles in a List of References, 154 Sources Other than Articles and Books, 161 Electronic Citations, 164 Citations in Text, in Visuals, and in Bibliographic Notes, 168 Citations as a Reflection of Professionalism, 172 viii Contents 6 SCIENTIFICVISUALS 174 The Importance of Scientific Visuals, 174 Purposes Served by Visuals in Scientific Papers, 175 Planning and Designing Visuals, 176 Preparing Tables, 177 Preparing Figures, 183 Weighing Options and Meeting Visual Expectations, 191 7 SCIENTIFICPRESENTATIONS 194 The Professional Value of Scientific Presentations, 194 Unique Benefits of Oral Presentations, 195 Timing, 197 Speaking, 198 Writing, 199 Viewing, 203 Poster Presentations, 207 Preparing for an Audience, 210 8 SCIENTIFICDISSERTATIONS 213 The Role of Writing in Graduate Scientific Education, 213 Learning Scientific Writing in Graduate School, 214 Qualities that Define a Scientific Dissertation, 216 The Parts and Structure of a Scientific Dissertation, 217 Traditional Features of Front Matter, 218 IMRAD Expository Style of Chapters, 223 After the Dissertation, 239 9 SCIENTIFICJOURNALARTICLES 240 Professional Importance of Journal Articles in the Sciences, 240 Scientific Journals and Their Articles, 242 The Features of a Scientific Journal Article, 243 Wording the Title, 244 Author Byline and Affiliation, 246 Preparing the Abstract, 247 Acknowledgments, 249 Main Text: IMRAD Structure, Style, and Content Editing, 251 Ethical Publication in Science, 264 Final Considerations on the Scientific Publication Process, 269 10 SCIENTIFICGRANT PROPOSALS 271 What Is a Scientific Grant Proposal? 271 Guiding Parameters in Preparing a Proposal, 273 Conventional Parts of a Grant Proposal, 274 Proposal Title and Summary, 276 Revisions in Resubmitted ix

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