1. The Craft of Scientific Writing
Michael Alley
Springer, 3rd edition, 1996
Summary by: Jay Fenwick

2. Outline Difficulties Constraints Tools
Complexity of subject and language
Constraints
Audience, Format, Mechanics, Politics
Tools
Structure
Organization: Beginnings, Middles, Ends
Transitions, Depth
Language
Being Precise, Clear, Fluid, Straightforward
Illustration

3. Difficulties Complexity of subject matter Complexity of language
Circuit board construction
Virtual memory mechanism
Data link network layer protocols
Complexity of language
TCP
Page fault
Finite state machine

4. Constraints Audience dictates: Format
Words you define, illustrations you use, depth
YOUR AUDIENCE: CS major ready for 3481
Format
7-10 double spaced pages, 1” margins
Cover & bibliography pages (not part of page limit)
At least 5 references (numerical reference in text)
Example: This can result in exponential growth. [1]

5. Constraints Mechanics Politics
Rules of grammar (e.g., one is & many are)
Rules of punctuation (commas, semicolons, etc.)
Politics
“remain honest”
Referencing doesn’t allow copying
Paraphrase: No direct quotes (almost)

6. Stylistic Tools Structure Language Illustration
Strategy of document: Organization and more…
Depth of details, transitions between details
MOST IMPORTANT element of style
Language
Word choice and arrangement
Strive for being: precise, clear, straightforward
Illustration
Figures and tables AND meshing of those with the language (not just pasting picture into paper)
Increases “efficiency” of writing vs. complex language

7. Structure: Organization
Beginnings of Documents
Title
Single most important phrase
1) Identifies field of study, 2) separates from others
Abstract/Summary (not required for us)
Introduction
Defines full boundaries of work
Show why work is important (sales)
Necessary background information (must be selective)
How will work be presented (roadmap)

8. Structure: Organization
Middles of Documents
Simply presents the work
Convey logical strategy via (sub)headings
Chronological (time)
Spatial (shape or form of a thing)
Flow (of some variable – e.g., energy – through system)
Division/Classification (into parallel parts)
Cause-effect (good for examining “why”)
Comparison-contrast (good for showing several options)

9. Structure: Organization
Ends of Documents
Analyze key results (from middle!)
Results as a whole, not individually (that’s in middle)
No new findings!!
Perspective of future impacts/work
Bibliography:
Author(s), “Title,” Publication, detail (e.g., pages, dates, etc.)

10. Structure: Transition, Depth, Emphasis
Handling of details
Handout
A sentence is a single statement; a paragraph is a logical ordering of related statements; a section is a logical ordering of related paragraphs, etc.
Sentences have to transition well from one to the next. So do paragraphs. So do sections.

11. Language: Being Precise
Choosing the right word
its/it’s: it’s = it is; its = possessive (e.g., its height)
exponential: not all rapid growth is exponential
“centers around”: an oxymoron
Beware overuse of synonyms (dictionary preferred over thesaurus!)
Level of Detail
Balance between general statements and specific details
Don’t overwhelm with details, select details that inform.

12. Language: Being Clear Needless Complexity Ambiguity
Words: utilize vs. use
Phrases: too many adjectives
Sentences: too long (beware Dick & Jane though!)
Ambiguity
Word placement: Only I tested the bell jar for leaks today.
Pronouns: There should be NO DOUBT as to what the pronoun refers.
Punctuation (esp. comma)

13. Language: Being Fluid Vary sentence “rhythms” Vary sentence structure:
Avoid sentences that: all begin the same way, have the same length, have same arrangement of nouns, verbs, phrases.
Vary sentence structure:
Simple sentences
Compound sentences (2 independent parts) … and …
“Complex” sentences (1 independent, 1 dependent part): “Although …, the …”

14. Language: Being Fluid Transitions between ideas:
Same direction: also, moreover, first-second-third
Pause: for instance, for example, in other words
Opposite direction: however, on the other hand
Vary sentence and paragraph length

15. Language: Being Straightforward
Purpose is to inform – be sincere
Simple, not pretentious, words and phrases: dihydrogen monoxide, “of course”
Avoid silliness and cliches: “come up to speed”
Use concrete nouns and active verbs;
avoid noun and verb “phrases”
“computer modeling capabilities” (computer models)
“made the decision” (decided)
Passive-to-active: flip subject and object “The voltage was displayed on the oscilloscope.”

17. Summary Difficulties: Complexity of subject and language
Constraints: Audience, Format, Mechanics, Politics
Tools
Structure: Organization
Beginnings: full scope, sales title
Middles: logical strategy (e.g., chronological, cause-effect)
Ends: no new results, future
Structure: Transitions: Handout, s2s, p2p
Language
Needless complexity, right word, detail level/balance, sentence rhythms/structure/transition, straightforward
Illustration