Writing Style and Standards

Writing Style and Standards Use Clarity, Conciseness, & Coherence in: • Paragraph Construction • Sentence Construction • Word Choice

Write Paragraphs That Are: • Clear – easy to follow, easy to understand; use transitions • Concise – avoid inessential information • Coherent – begin with a main idea supported, explained, and developed by the rest of the paragraph

Write Sentences That Are: • Clear – easy to follow, easy to understand; use subject/verb/predicate order • Concise – avoid inessential information, subordinate clauses, or complex construction • Coherent – state the main idea first, use one idea at a time

Use Words That Are: • Clear – precise, specific, concrete, accurate • Concise – avoid wordiness or terms unfamiliar to your audience • Coherent – state definitions for terms early and stay consistent

Common Mistakes • Comma Splices Two sentences joined with commas instead of conjunctions incorrect – The circuit operates at dc, Ohm’s law applies. correct – The circuit operates at dc; Ohm’s law applies. or – The circuit operates at dc, and Ohm’s law applies.

Common Mistakes Cont • Fused Sentences Two sentences joined without punctuation incorrect – The workstation was not designed ergonomically it leaves much to be desired. correct – The workstation was not designed ergonomically. It leaves much to be desired.

Common Mistakes Cont • Misplaced Modifiers Keep modifiers close to words they modify incorrect – Ignorance of science is a phenomenon in society that must be destroyed. correct – Ignorance of science is a phenomenon that must be destroyed in society.

Common Mistakes Cont • Misplaced Modifiers Another example incorrect – The devices consists of a screw that is inside a barrel that is driven by an electric motor drive. correct – The devices consists of a barrel with a screw inside it that is driven by an electric motor drive.

Common Mistakes Cont • Parallel Structure Use similar terms for similar ideas Incorrect – Microscopic mechanical systems (MEMS) can respond to a variety of inputs, including light, heat, and vibrating objects that cause stimulations. Correct – Microscopic mechanical systems (MEMS) can respond to a variety of inputs, including light, heat, vibrations.

Common Mistakes Cont • Parallel Structure Another example Incorrect – The extruder is controlled by an Opto 22 control system, which controls temperature in the three heat zones, the die, and motor speed. Correct – The extruder is controlled by an Opto 22 control system, which controls the temperature of the three heat zones, the temperature of the die, and speed of the motor.

Common Mistakes Cont • Verb Agreement Verbs must agree with their subjects incorrect – The implant, along with its associated circuits, were inserted in to the patient’s chest cavity. correct – The implant, along with its associated circuits, was inserted in to the patient’s chest cavity.

Common Mistakes Cont • Pronoun Agreement Pronouns must agree with their antecedents incorrect – Everyone in the lab must replace their radiation badges. correct – singular: Everyone in the lab must replace his or her radiation badges. plural: All people in the lab must replace their radiation badges.

Common Mistakes Cont • Active and Passive Voice active – The study revealed that three underground storage tanks had leaked unleaded gasoline into the soil. passive – The fact that three underground storage tanks had been leaking unleaded gasoline into the soil was revealed in the study.

Common Mistakes Cont • Tense • Use Present Tense for Theory and Known Facts • Use Past Tense for Describing Procedures • Mixed Tenses • Never Use Both Tenses in the Same Sentence

Common Mistakes Cont • Wordiness • Be Brief and Concise Wordy Concise owing to the fact that on the order of at the present time a very limited number of because (since) about now few

Commonly Misused Words • Affect, verb, to influenceHeat affects the surface. • Effect, verb, to bring aboutA radical change was effected. • Effect, nounThe Coriolis effect will be studied. • Comprise, verb, contains or includesThe text comprises all three modes of transfer. • Compose, verb, made up of, constituted ofThe mixture is composed of sand and gravel.

Hyphenation • When two or more words modify another word, and the words work as a unit, the hyphen must be used. Acetic-acid water system bubble-cap tray liquid-gas interface a 20-percent increase a two- or three-year study • But do not hyphenate most prefixes added to common nouns. precooled not pre-cooled nonpolar not non-polar Exceptions: co-worker not coworker co-ion not coion

Units of Measure • Spell out the unit of measure when no quantity is given several milligrams not: several mg • Do not use plurals for abbreviated units of measure 50 mg not: 50 mgs • In ranges and series, retain only the first unit of measure 10-12 mg, between 25 and 50 ml • When a sentence starts with a specific quantity, spell it out as well as the unit of measure Twenty-five milliliters of acetone was added. • Use the percent symbol with a number, without a space 25% 45-50%

Capitalization • Numbered items should be capitalized when referred toin the text of the report. Write the numbers as figures. …as shown in Figure 1. See Table 2 … as given in Equation (3). • But for non-numbered items, do not capitalize …as shown in the figures. • Capitalize only the name of the eponym but not the noun Avogadro’s number Lewis acid Non-Newtonian liquid

Placement and Punctuation Man without woman is nothing.

Placement and Punctuation Cont Man without woman is nothing. Woman without man is nothing.

Placement and Punctuation Cont Man without woman is nothing. Woman without man is nothing. Woman, without her man, is nothing.

Placement and Punctuation Cont Man without woman is nothing. Woman without man is nothing. Woman, without her man, is nothing. Woman; without her, man is nothing.

Placement and Punctuation Cont Man without woman is nothing. Woman without man is nothing. Woman, without her man, is nothing. Woman; without her, man is nothing. Nothing is, without man and woman.

Tools/ References • Laboratory Writing Manual by W. M. Learned • Writing for Technicians by Marva T. Barnett • The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White • The ACS (American Chemical Society) Style Guide by Janet S. Dodd, Editor • Writing Style and Standards in Undergraduate Reports by Sheldon Jeter and Jeffrey Donnell • A Short Guide to Technical Writing on class website • A dictionary, word processor with grammar check • Proofread your report; Read it out loud and have someone else read it

Use References • Avoid Common Mistakes • Keep Sentences and Paragraphs Simple • Choose Your Words Carefully • Keep Your Grammar and Style • Clear • Concise • Coherent

Writing Style and Standards