scientific writing. the good and the bad news good news the world is not magically divided into good...
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Scientific Writing
The Good and the Bad News• Good news
• The world is not magically divided into good writers and bad writers; anyone can write well if they are prepared to spend the time and effort
• Bad news• The world is not magically divided into good writers and bad writers; anyone can write well if they are prepared to spend the time and effort
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots into the air.
“Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
“I’m a panda,” he says, at the door. “Look it up.”
The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
“Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”
So, punctuation really does matter, even if it is only occasionally a matter of life and death.
Truss, L. 2003. Eats, shoots & leaves. The zero tolerance approach to punctuation. Profile Books Ltd.
Pandas & Punctuation
Panda’s eat mainly bamboo leaves, stems and shoots• A panda's daily diet consists almost entirely of the leaves,
stems and shoots of various bamboo species.• Bamboo contains very little nutritional value so pandas
must eat 12-38kg every day to meet their energy nee
Why it’s worth writing well• It is part of a scientist’s job to communicate their work to other scientists, and the public
• Making the effort to write well forces you to think about what you are writing
• Higher marks!
Outline of Workshop1. What is good writing?2. Structure3. Presentation4. Exam essays
What is good writing?• Good writing is good because it does its job more efficiently
• The function of a piece of writing is to communicate
• It is your job as a writer to keep the reader reading• It is your job as a writer to make the reader understand
Questions to ask yourself• What am I trying to say?• What words will express it?• What image or phrase will make it clearer?• Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?• Could I have put it more succinctly?• Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?
Some Ideas• Decide on a structure before you start writing
• Be prepared to go through two drafts• Leave some time between drafts• Do not write anything you do not understand• Think about reading your work aloud• Do not include irrelevant material; be concise• Do not make the reader do your work for you
Types of Structure
• Introduction• Theory A• Theory B• Conclusions• References
• Introduction• what are we talking
about?• why is it important?• definitions and
background information• outline of structure
• Theory A• Theory B• Conclusions• References
Type of Structure
• Introduction• Theory A
• description• evidence• examples• problems
• Theory B• Conclusions• References
• Introduction• Theory A• Theory B
• description• evidence• examples• problems
• Conclusions• References
Type of Structure• Introduction• Theory A• Theory B• Conclusions
• synthesis of x and y• implications/future developments
• References
Presentation – general advice• When using a computer, use a clear, legible font at a reasonable size (VERDANA or ARIAL, FONT 10 or 11)
• Double or 1.5 spacing, and leave margins for comments
• Make sure your name (and the name of the person setting the essay) are on the front
• Number pages and include a word count• Use figures, tables and quotes (when appropriate)• Punctuation!• Spelling!• Grammar!• Cite references correctly• Species names should be in italics or underlined• Do not plagiarise!
Exam Essays• Answer all the questions (one essay in the exam for SEF031), even if it means leaving some unfinished
• Be concise• Take a few minutes to think about structure at the start. Stick to it, unless you realise you have missed out something absolutely vital
• When revising, look at previous exam papers and try to plan (not write) essays for the questions
Conclusion• The function of a piece of writing is to communicate
• Ask yourself what you are trying to say and how you can best say it. If there is anything you can do to say it more clearly – do it!
SEF031 Essay 1 Title
Discuss the differences and similarities of the lysogenic and lytic
cycle of bacteriophages.
SEF031 Essay 1 Title
Discuss the differences and similarities of the lysogenic and lytic
cycle of bacteriophages.
Type of Structure• Short Introduction• Basic Information from the LIFE book - several paragraphs
• Text looks better with a free line between paragraphs
• Additional paragraphs. What is new or novel about this topic from 2008 – 2014?
• Conclusion• synthesis of x and y• implications/future developments
• Reference(s)
Information on Recent Developments
webofknowledge.com
• Web of knowledge• PubMed
Information on Recent Developments
Recent Developments - some shortcuts
www.sciencedaily.com
Recent Developments - some shortcuts
http://physorg.com/
Type of Structure• Short Introduction• Basic Information from the LIFE book - several paragraphs
• Additional paragraphs. What is new or novel about this topic from 2008 – 2014??
• Conclusion• synthesis of x and y• implications/future developments
• Reference(s)
REFERENCING
• You need to read/consult approximately 3-6 references• The first or main reference will be the LIFE book • The LIFE book must be cited in the text of the essay and then listed at the end in a section entitled REFERENCE
• YOU ONLY HAVE TO CITE THE LIFE BOOK IN THE ESSAY WHICH YOU WILL WRITE IN THE WORKSHOP IN WEEK 4.
REFERENCINGReferencing the LIFE textbook
For example....
One of the most important differences between viruses and bacteria is .................... (Sadava et al. 2009).
• The "et al." is used when a reference is written by more than two authors.
• If the book was written by just two authors it would be given as, for example (Sadava and Heller 2009).
• However (Sadava and Heller 2009) is not correct because your main text book has FOUR different authors.
ReferencesSadava, D., Hillis, D.M., Heller, H.C. and Berenbaum, M. R. 2009. Life: The Science of Biology. 9th Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland.
REFERENCING – some general rules
• References do not have to be given at the end of every sentence.
• If for example you write a paragraph and all information is taken from one source, then you only need to cite the source once at the end of the paragraph.
• If a paragraph contains information from two different sources, then you need to give both references at the appropriate locations within the paragraph.
• And so on, if you use more references.
REFERENCES
• Do NOT reference Wikipedia or other sources of information that are not reliable.
• Best to avoid using “random” biology websites.
• Use main textbooks, book chapters, or published papers.
• Do not use A-level biology textbooks
Type of Structure
Do NOT begin the essay with “In this essay I will.....”.
Write directly and succinctly!
Writing
It is VERY important to write neatly in order for the work to be read and corrected. If your writing cannot be read, then you
cannot gain marks for it!
Please write your name using CLEAR BLOCK CAPITALS.
Marking Criteria
See Handout on module website from Week 00
SEFP Marking Criteria
Week 4
Essay under exam conditions
50 minutes allowed
The Best Essays
Excellent standard of written English
Excellent understanding of the science, with examples from book & new/novel
examples
Clearly show how to cite a reference in the text, and list reference at the end of
the essay
Marking Scheme
Marking Scheme
Marking Scheme