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Telling the Story: How to Write Clearly and Efficiently

Telling the Story: How to Write Clearly and Efficiently. Terence S. Dermody American Society for Virology Annual Meeting July 14, 2009. Key Elements of Narrative. Conflict Crisis Resolution. Aristotle ( 384 BC – 322 BC ). Narrative in Fiction and Nonfiction.

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Telling the Story: How to Write Clearly and Efficiently

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  1. Telling the Story: How to Write Clearly and Efficiently Terence S. Dermody American Society for Virology Annual Meeting July 14, 2009

  2. Key Elements of Narrative • Conflict • Crisis • Resolution Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)

  3. Narrative in Fiction and Nonfiction • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows • by J. K. Rowling • A Prayer for Owen Meany • by John Irving • My Own Country • by Abraham Verghese Is there narrative in science?

  4. Components of Scientific Narrative • Presentation of new findings • Description of the methods used • Placement of the work in a broader scientific context • Influence new research in the field

  5. Evaluation of Scientific Narrative • Do the results justify the conclusions? • Is the work significant? The editor’s query: What’s new and why should I care?

  6. Title Abstract Results Methods Figures/Tables Core Elements of a Paper Introduction Discussion Vivian Siegel

  7. Two Audiences for Your Paper Old Metropolitan Opera House New York, November 28, 1937 Photograph by Henry Groskinsky

  8. Two Audiences for Your Paper • Insiders (scientists in your field) • Methods • Data (figures and tables) • Legends Orchestra Balcony • Outsiders (scientists not in your field, including editors) • Introduction • Results • Discussion

  9. Introduction • Identify the question being addressed. • Provide (in the present tense) the background relevant to the question. • Explain why the question is important. • Describe and justify the experimental approach. • State the answer to the question posed.

  10. Results • The organization should match that of the figures and tables. • Begin paragraphs with research design and then describe the findings in the past tense. • Logically move from one experiment to the next. • Provide an appropriate amount of space for each result. • Limit interpretation.

  11. Discussion • Start with the answer to the question being posed in the introduction. • Indicate how the work might develop and how the results might impact other fields. • Acknowledge limitations and conflicts with other studies. • Make sure that the first paragraph of the Introduction and the last paragraph of the Discussion are conceptually linked.

  12. Narrative in Scientific Writing • Conflict (Introduction) • Explore unknown • Address controversy • Crisis (Results) • Surprising or unexpected findings • Unequivocal support for hypothesis • Argument-Counterargument • Resolution (Discussion) • Conclusions and impact • Next steps

  13. How to Write Clearly Pulpit Notre Dame de Paris

  14. How to Write Clearly • Use small words, simple sentences, and short paragraphs. • Pay attention to spelling and grammar. • Keep power phrases to a minimum. • Avoid redundant redundancies. • Don’t state that your findings have implications. Describe what they are. • Format precisely for the intended journal. • Ask others to read your work (and follow their advice).

  15. Dermody Edits Boehme, K. W., and T. S. Dermody. Reovirus non-structural protein s1s is required for establishment of viremia and systemic dissemination. Submitted.

  16. How to Write Efficiently • Methods and Figure Legends • Results, Introduction, and Discussion • Title and Abstract • Acknowledgments • References • Cover Letter

  17. Selection of a Venue • Read the journal scope statement in the author instructions. • Look for papers similar to yours. • Competition sometimes means that you have to publish quickly. • High-impact journals publish big stories that influence lots of fields.

  18. Telling the StoryTakeaways • Every good story needs conflict, crisis, and resolution. • Writing is hard. • Do a little every day. • Get feedback. • Less is more. • Writing is enhanced by reading.

  19. Thanks! • Allison Pingree, Ph.D. • Director, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching • Vivian Siegel, Ph.D. • Director, Vanderbilt Center for Science Communication • Abraham Verghese, M.D. • Professor of Medicine, Stanford University Reovirus virion Nason et al J. Virol. 75:6625, 2001

  20. Some Pretty Good References • Wells, W. A. Me write pretty one day: how to write a good scientific paper. J. Cell. Biol. 165:757-758, 2004. • Neill, U. S. How to write a scientific masterpiece. J. Clin. Invest. 117:3599-3602, 2007. • Strunk, W., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition. 1999. • Trimble, J. Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing, Second Edition. 1999. • Zeiger, M. Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers, Second Edition. 2000.

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