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Reading like a [Scientific] Writer

Reading like a [Scientific] Writer. Reading for Structure and Function, not just content. Goals for Discussion. Identify some generic features of Scientific Writing Identify key features of Scientific Writing organization and strategy

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Reading like a [Scientific] Writer

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  1. Reading like a [Scientific] Writer Reading for Structure and Function, not just content

  2. Goals for Discussion • Identify some generic features of Scientific Writing • Identify key features of Scientific Writing organization and strategy • Begin reading for structure and strategies you can transfer into your own writing • Use a template for reading and categorizing scientific articles you read.

  3. What is Scientific Writing? • How would you define “scientific writing” when compared to other reading or writing you do or have done? • How do you approach the reading of scientific articles? • What is your greatest strength as a writer? A Scientific Writer? Challenges?

  4. Reading, Understanding, and Engaging Scientific Writing • Reading: • What are your processes for reading scientific articles? • How do these processes compare or contrast with other kinds of reading you do? • Understanding: • What are your processes for annotating scientific writing? • What questions do you ask of scientific writing/ authors of scientific writing as you read along? • What conversations do you create across multiple scientific texts? • Model Template: Copy, modify, do as you will: bit.ly/ArticleAnnotationTemplate2019-sharing

  5. Reading like a Writer • What does it mean to read like a writer? • What strategies can you borrow from writers as you develop confidence in your ability to write for a scientific audience? • Reading for Genre: • Structure • Common verbs • Common sentence patterns • Common transitional strategies

  6. Generic Features

  7. Activity: Generic Features in Structure Working in groups, skim two articles from your project articles on Canvas and fill out the handouts provided

  8. What Are Some of the Scientific Articles You are Working with Now?

  9. Discussion • How can the outline you have created translate to more effective reading strategies? • In what ways do you think the specific expectations of your discipline may differ from the general outline we’ve identified here? How can you adapt to them? • Think back to your “greatest writing challenge” earlier. How can reading backwards in this way help you work through it?

  10. Reading for Generic Structure

  11. Introductions • What is the problem/Question? • Why does it matter? • Why should the reader care about it? • Why should the reader care about it NOW? • What is already known? [and what is NOT known….This should bring you back to the problem/question and why it matters.]

  12. Methods • What did you do? • How did you do what you did? • Why did you do it? • When did you do it (in what order, if it matters, and why) • What modifications did you make? [and why] • DO NOT PUT RESULTS HERE

  13. Results • Results describe what happened. • What did the simulation generate? • What kinds of things did interviewees report? • Results do not describe why it happened • Results do not interpret what might happen next

  14. Analysis • Categorizing the results • Identifying patterns • Explaining results and patterns • Providing statistical significance or trustworthiness • Acknowledging limitations to interpretations

  15. Discussion • How do the findings fit in the big picture? • What does the research suggest about the original question/problem? • What other kinds of research/resources are necessary to fully respond to the problem?

  16. Activity If we have a few minutes, try writing out the methods to the research project your team is working on. If you are not at the stage of methods, begin writing an introduction for writing up your project. Imagine your audience is a student or professor you admire who is not in the BDSI.

  17. Next Week • Examine how effective scientific writers write cohesive and simple sentences without sacrificing complexity. • Try to untangle some ratty prose.

  18. Brett Griffiths, PhDbgriff@umich.eduor griffithsb09@Macomb.edu

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