Writin for Scientists Engineers.pptVIP

Writing for Scientists Engineers Robert Blake  Effective Learning Programme Student Learning Development Centre Writing for Scientists: Outline What are the expectations of a scientific technical audience? What are the main features of scientific technical style? How are scientific technical reports structured? When editing what stages can we follow to produce a well organised polished report? Writing for Scientific Readerships Please read these 3 passages that report on scientific topics. (handout) What is the intended audience of each one? Which passage[s] are aimed at a scientific/technical university audience? After looking at the example[s], can you say what the expectations of the university audience are? Writing for Scientific Readerships Precise Explicit Explanatory Analytical (critical?) Concise Objective/Impartial Responsible: claims carefully made supported; use of sources acknowledged Follows established conventions Reader friendly (though for specialist audience) Accessible structure (see organisation?) Writing in a Scientific Style? Are any of the passages written in a scientific rather than popular style ? What features distinguish the passage[s] written in a scientific/technical style from any which are written in a more popular style? Scientific Style Organisation Structured for easy access to information: headings sub-headings (in longer reports: contents, lists of figures,) Numbering system for organising information distinguishing headings subheadings Follows patterns expected in field (e.g. report structure: IMRaD) Structured for ease of navigation flow; signposting Scientific Style Organisation Importance of introductions [to sections as well as beginning of work], conclusions transitions Hierarchies to introduce organise ideas. Cross referencing between sections Paragraphs are well structured beginning with topic sentences In sentences, topic is clear near beginning of sentence Style Vocabulary