COURSE GOALSThis course is for advanced students in life sciences who want to develop a better understanding of scientific writing and to improve their personal writing skills. We emphasizes content and structure of journal articles and explores other forms of writing such as grants, popular press, or writing for the web. We also address style and readability in scientific writing, including formatting for print or screen. This course will help you master both the content and the style of your writing.

TEXTSThe instructor will provide affordable used copies of the 8th edition of the Little, Brown Handbook for use in a review of grammar and syntax (Fowler, R. and J. Aaron. 2001. The Little, Brown handbook. Addison-Wesley). Exercises and readings will be provided. Appropriate reference books for the scientific writer's bookshelf will be recommended but are not required.

FORMATClasses involve lectures, discussions, and in-class exercises. This is a graduate collaborative workshop and students will inform the content and direction of classroom sessions. Class size is small and office hours are liberal to promote work on individual writing problems.
We will discuss the content and form of scientific papers, from title to literature citation, and the ways in which papers are written, from first draft to published paper. We will also discuss other forms of scientific writing, such as the thesis, reviews, and grants. We will develop a professional style that is correct, simple, and lucid. You will write regularly, for practice and review.

GRADESYou will have many written assignments, following a detailed schedule to be distributed in class. You are expected to attend all classes, to be prepared and to participate, and to finish assignments on time.

PREREQUISITESThe course is intended for graduate student or seniors intent on graduate school. Students for whom English is a second language are most welcome and I am willing to work with you on ESL-related writing problems, although this is not intended to be an ESL course.

CLASSROOM SCHEDULEM-W-F, 10 to 10:50, 201 White Hall

COURSE OUTLINE

Introduction

Week 1 (January 21-23)

The Course. Goals, syllabus, grades, procedures, and attitudes.

Science and Culture. The influence of western science and the Scientific Method on writing. (more)

The Writer's Bookshelf. Dictionary, Thesaurus, Style Manuals, Grammars, and books on writing. (more)

Assignments:

Guides to Authors

Components of the Introduction

Part I: The Refereed Journal Article—What Should I Write?

Week 2 (January 26-30)

The journal article. Where do I start? To whom am I writing? Choosing a journal for your work. Journal guidelines for authors.

IMRAD. Journal article structure: Introduction, methods, results, and discussion.

Introduction. Opening the inquiry by connecting to the past. Setting the stage for the present. Literature: What to include and why. What not to include. Should I say anything about methods, results, or conclusions in my introduction? (more)

Tense in scientific articles. Tense? Relax! The rules are simple. (more)

Materials and methods. Creating parallel structures in methods and results. How much detail? Responsibility to science and your readers.

Results. Tables. Figures. Computer-generated graphs.

Giving due credit.Reference citations. Authorship versus acknowledgment.

Publication process.Submitting for publication. Post acceptance: The galley, revisions, ordering reprints.

Assignment:

Paring Down an Introduction

Discussion

Week 3 (February 2-6)

Discussion. Closing the inquiry (notes). Multiple hypotheses. Is good science compatible with good writing?

Evolution of the Scientific Article. Comments on Communicating Science, by A. Gross, J. Harmon, and M. Reidy (Oxford, 2002). (notes)

The Thesis / Dissertation. Limits on speculation and creative thinking.

Week 4 (February 9-13)

Part II: Style and Readability—How Should I Write?

Structures. Sentence patterns and permutations.

Week 5 (February 16-20)

Clarity through syntax. Following the rules to use the parts correctly.

Conciseness. Getting understood efficiently. (Readability formulas)

Lucidity. Pretentious writing, jargon, and euphemism. Why is it okay to write simply? (more)

Style and Readability exercises

Week 6 (February 23-27)

Punctuation. Mechanizing, learning the rules, getting it right every time.

Week 7 (March 2-6)

Your resume. Selling yourself: Getting that ego pumped up. Form and function for success.

Writing to get a job.Applying for professional positions. What works and doesn't. How much to say. Being effective.

Assignment: Job application materials

Part III: Alternative Ways to Write—How Else May I Write?

Week 8 (March 9-13)

Strategic Plans. An introduction to planning documents. What they are supposed to do. How to write them. (more)

Strategic plan vision and mission statements.SWOT. What will supporters be expected to do? (an example—MSword document)

Assignment:Definitions (personal philosophy)

Assignment: Strategic Plan

Week 9 (March 23-27)

Grants. Traditional Grants Funding vs. Outcome Funding. The difference between funding areas and what the agencies want to fund. Thinking like a reviewer. Paths to success.

Grantsmanship. Finding funding sources. Meeting agency priorities.

Week 10 (March 30-April 3)

The Review Article. Purpose. Who writes these? Structure.

Writing for Oral Presentations.

Powerpoint. Tufte's critique.

Leadership. How to organize people to write in groups.

Week 11(April 6-10)

The Popular Press. On whales and rippling brooks: A discussion of variation in forms and styles for popular writing.

Purpose Analysis. Thinking after you've written. Analyzing what you said and what you wanted to say. A strategy for moving, adding, or deleting pieces of writing.

Assignment: Popular Press

Week 12 (April 13-17)

Page Layout. Principles of designing layout for readability.

InDesign and Pagemaker. Introduction to page layout technology.

Week 13 (April 20-24)

Writing for the web. Seven seconds and counting: getting and keeping site visitors.

Web design for useability. What web readers expect and will tolerate.

Web technology. What would I need to begin writing for the web?

Teaching writing. Discourse communities. Writing across the curriculum. Who should teach writing, and how? Academic rewards for teaching writing.

Reading: David R. Russell. "Writing Across the Curriculum in Historical Perspective: Toward A Social Interpretation." (pdf)

Week 14 (April 27-29)

Wrapping up.SET’s and open feedback to the instructor. Last day of class.