Writing Workshop

Writing Workshop • Here are some typical writing style issues which people have trouble with.

Writing Workshop • Here are some typical writing style issues which people have trouble with. • Here are some typical writing-style issues with which people have trouble.

Writing Workshop • Data is • Data are

Writing Workshop • Its a nice day. • It’s a nice day.

Writing Workshop • I’m going to try and find area V5. • I’m going to try to find area V5. • I propose to identify area V5.

Writing Workshop • Use care with words like “thing” and “where”. For example: • “things like vision” • “visual illusions where colours are distorted”

Writing Workshop • Use care with words like “thing” and “where”. For example: • “things like vision” • “vision” • “visual illusions where colours are distorted” • “visual illusions in which colours are distorted”

Writing Workshop • Say what you mean means means means

Writing Workshop • Correlate means • Determine the mathematical relationship between two sets of numbers • Determine the quantitative relationship between two processes (using numbers) • Correlate doesn’t mean “to investigate” x “I’m going to correlate the role of the hippocampus and memory”

Writing Workshop • “affects” is a verb • “effects” is a noun • For example: • Nicotine affects memory • I will study the effects of nicotine on memory.

Writing Workshop • Use a hyphen “-” to connect two words when there is ambiguity about whether the first one modifies the second, or they both modify a third • “I expect to see a set-size effect” • “I expect to see an effect of set size”

Writing Workshop • Read more.

Writing Workshop • Read more. • -e.g. Scientific American

Writing Workshop • Don’t constantly and redundantly use unnecessary, unneeded and gratuitous modifiers. For example: • “Parkinson’s disease is an extremely tragic disease that very negatively impacts the happiness of the unfortunate patients who suffer from it”. • Parkinson’s disease negatively impacts quality of life. • Or consider leaving this unsaid...

Writing Workshop • The goal of the background section is that, by the end of it, the reader has the same theory as you!

Writing Workshop • Don’t use the word “now” unless you actually mean “right now” (and you almost certainly do not). For example: • “Now, the visual system is very complex.”

Writing Workshop • Be concise.

Writing Workshop • Be even more concise.

Writing Workshop • Be even more concise. • Like Hemmingway: • “I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit. I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.” • “We climbed down. It was clouding over again. In the park it was dark under the trees.”

Writing Workshop • A major stimulant within coffee, caffeine, and its effect on the nervous system is well documented.

Writing Workshop • A major stimulant within coffee, caffeine, and its effect on the nervous system is well documented. • Caffeine, a stimulant found in coffee, produces well-documented effects on the nervous system. For example,… • Caffeine is the principal stimulant found in coffee. Its effects on the nervous system are well documented. For example, … • Coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant with well-documented effects on the nervous system. For example,…

Writing Workshop • My theory is that a similar area of the brain is used for language, more specifically word recognition, in both healthy and deaf individuals, however not the exact same areas due to different pathways the stimuli is processed through and alterations to brain development due to impairment. • My theory is that word recognition in healthy and deaf individuals engages similar brain areas, within limits imposed by developmental alterations and differences in processing constraints. • My theory is that word recognition in healthy and deaf individuals engages similar brain areas. However, I propose that developmental alterations and differences in processing constraints probably limit this functional overlap. • Two factors probably account for differences between deaf and hearing individuals. First, early development of the sensory systems is known to be influenced by the quality of available sensory input (e.g. Cynader, 1977). Thus, in the case of congenital deafness, early development of the auditory pathways is probably compromised. Distortions in subsequent development of language-processing areas probably follow. Second, because the sensory representations of spoken and signed language are entirely different, the initial processing steps required for word recognition must also be different. I therefore propose that word recognition in deaf and hearing brains shares only partially overlapping functional anatomy.

Writing Workshop • Here’s an example of a tricky-to-compose sentence: • “This could be interpreted as absolute pitch can be obtained through vigorous practice starting at a young age. “ • “This could be interpreted to mean that absolute pitch can be obtained through vigorous practice starting at a young age” (better) • “This suggests that absolute pitch can be obtained through vigorous practice starting at a young age (even better) • … therefore absolute pitch probably develops through early practice” (best)

Writing Workshop • Get immediately to the point. Every sentence must directly contribute to the proposal

Writing Workshop • Yes you need references. Consider Endnote or something like it.

Writing Workshop • Pick one theory

Writing Workshop • Pick one experiment

Writing Workshop • Pick one technique

Writing Workshop • Describe experimental design

Writing Workshop • Use future tense

Writing Workshop • Use active voice • Along the path the boy walked. • The boy walked along the path.

Writing Workshop • WOA

Writing Workshop • Write Out Acronyms (WOA)

Writing Workshop • Spell check

Writing Workshop • Find the relevant literature • Use the review journals as a first approach e.g. • Nature Reviews Neuroscience • Trends in Neuroscience • Trends in Cognitive Science • Use primary literature for details and (especially) methodology

Writing Workshop