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Efficient English Technical Writing for Scientists and Engineers

Efficient English Technical Writing for Scientists and Engineers. Arlene A. Russell Chemistry 241A Spring 2012. April 2, 2012. I. Introduction Syllabus, schedule, expectations II. The importance of writing Careers, successful scientists III. Strategies to improve writing clarity

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Efficient English Technical Writing for Scientists and Engineers

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  1. Efficient EnglishTechnical Writing for Scientists and Engineers Arlene A. Russell Chemistry 241A Spring 2012

  2. April 2, 2012 I. Introduction Syllabus, schedule, expectations II. The importance of writing Careers, successful scientists III. Strategies to improve writing clarity Beginning ideas Please sign roster so I can put you on the class list.

  3. What do CEO’s (Chief Executive Officer’s) think and say about writing?

  4. The ability to write well is like the ability in any field. If you write or do things better than others, you will certainly have a competitive edge. J.K. Jamieson Former CEO and Chairman, Exxon Corp.

  5. State your purpose in the first paragraph. Don’t try to trick me into the purpose, which is on page three. Gordon James Vice President The Hearst Corp.

  6. ...three-fourths—if not nine-tenths—of bad writing in the world is bad because it fails to put its sentence elements logically together. David Lambuth et al The Golden Book on Writing

  7. The worst thing about writing is getting started. William M. Fine President, Dan River Mills

  8. In our business we receive dozens of memos and statistical reports every day from security analysts, portfolio managers, et al, and most of them are badly written. They use too much jargon, and their sentence structure is frequently convoluted. William Gofen Gofen and Glossberg

  9. Most writing is too long because it’s easier to ramble on than to compose and edit a concise written message. Wallace W. Elton Senior Vice President International Executive Service Corps

  10. In business communications, verbosity, sloppiness, and intellectual laziness are the cardinal sins. John T. Morris, President Edgewater Steel Company

  11. In my first sentence I must capture the attention of those I am addressing. In the first paragraph, I must state the essence of what I’m writing about. I must either be brief or be damned sure that what I have to write about is sufficiently interesting to hold the reader’s attention. Leo Cherne, Executive Director The Research Institute of America

  12. Poor communication skill is the Achilles’ heel of many engineers, both young and experienced – it can even be a career showstopper. IEEE-USA Today’s Engineer Online

  13. I had no idea how much time I would spend writing in my career as a chemistry professor at an undergraduate institution. With course materials, grant proposals, and research papers, I am always writing something. Tom Wenzel Bates College

  14. Writing more than any other skill developed as an undergraduate chemistry student, has enabled me to advance my career... James Weissman Senior Director Pfizer Pharmaceutical Marketing

  15. How can you improve your writing and stand out from others?

  16. Ways to improve writing 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

  17. 1. READ broadly to increase your vocabulary 2. Outline your ideas for logic before you write 3. Use the active voice whenever possible 4. Revise and edit EVERYTHING you write 5. Eliminate jargon and unnecessary words 6. Write, write, write ACS Science Webinar – on VOH course website. (soon)

  18. Revising sentences • 1. Passive verb • Subject, verb (passive), prepositional phrase • Action done on the subject John was hit by Jill. • Change to • New subject, verb (active), old subject becomes the object. Jill hit John.

  19. Passive vs active verbs • A hazy solution was produced immediately after the addition of the new reagent. Adding the reagent immediately produced a hazy solution.

  20. Passive vs active verbs • After the solution was distilled, 2 grams of pure product were collected.

  21. Passive vs active verbs • After the solution was distilled, 2 grams of pure product were collected. Distillation produced two grams of pure product.

  22. Revising sentences 2. Linking verb • Look for the action • Clues: • Infinitive following a verb • Nouns derived from verbs

  23. Active vs. linking verbs 1. Sudden loss of weight can be an indicator of many serious health problems. Sudden weight loss can indicate many serious health problems.

  24. Active vs. linking verbs 2. It is our intention to update the company’s Web site by the end of the year. We intend to update the company’s Web site by the end of the year.

  25. Active vs. linking verbs 3. There were several agents at Council Travel who could speak Spanish. Several agents at Council Travel could speak Spanish.

  26. Active vs. linking verbs 4. The student volunteers were trustful of the psychologists conducting the experiment. The student volunteers trusted the psychologists conducting the experiment.

  27. Active vs. linking verbs • Henry’s claim was that the supervisor had systematically denied promotion to older employees. Henry claimed that the supervisor had systematically denied promotion to older employees.

  28. Revising Sentences Calculate the froth factor for your revision. Froth Factor = 100 x (original # of words - revised # of words) original # of words

  29. A hazy solution was produced immediately after the addition of the new reagent. Adding the reagent immediately produced a hazy solution. • FF = (13-8)/13 = 38%

  30. After the solution was distilled, 2 grams of pure product were collected. Distillation produced two grams of pure product. FF = (12-7)/12 = 42%

  31. 1. Sudden loss of weight can be an indicator of many serious health problems. Sudden weight loss can indicate many serious health problems. FF = (13-9)/13 = 31%

  32. 2. It is our intention to update the company’s Web site by the end of the year. We intend to update the company’s Web site by the end of the year. FF= (16-14)/16 = 12%

  33. 2. It is our intention to update the company’s Web site by the end of the year. We intend to update the company’s Web site by the end of the year. FF= (16-14)/16 = 12% We will update the company Web site before January. FF = (16-9)/16 = 47%

  34. 3. There were several agents at Council Travel who could speak Spanish. Several agents at Council Travel could speak Spanish. FF = (11-8)/11=27%

  35. 4. The student volunteers were trustful of the psychologists conducting the experiment. The student volunteers trusted the psychologists conducting the experiment. FF = (11-9)/11= 18%

  36. Henry’s claim was that the supervisor had systematically denied promotion to older employees. Henry claimed that the supervisor had systematically denied promotion to older employees. FF = (13-12)/13 = 8%

  37. Improving clarity in your writing • Identify the central idea or ideas • Decide on the action, and then select an action verb in the active voice • Avoid strings of prepositional phrases • Eliminate unnecessary words and jargon

  38. Assignment for April 4 Revise the seven sentences on the handout: Convert passive-voice and linking verbs to active-voice verbs. Eliminate redundant or unnecessary words. Calculate your revision efficiency with the froth factor.

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