1. The Craft of Scientific Writing
AEE 804
ANR Communication Strategies
Spring 03
Reese & Woods

2. Scientific Writing
In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs.
- Sir Francis Darwin

3. Presentation Objectives
Importance of Scientific Writing
Key Principles
audience
purpose
occasion

4. Impact of Career How well you communicate affects your career
Successful scientist spent 25% of work week writing (Davis 1997)
Professional scientists found writing their most useful subject (University of Wisconsin)
MSU CANR Alumni need most work on their writing (Suvedi, 2001)

5. A Matter of Difference 1. Subject Matter 2. Writing Constraints
audience
occasion
purpose
3. Purpose of Writing
To inform
To persuade
4. Writing Style

6. Communication Needs Conferences Lectures Meetings Posters Reports
Articles
Proposals
Web Pages
specific
technical
audiences
non-technical
general

7. 2. Writing the First Draft 3. Revising, Revising, Revising
Writing Stages
1. Getting in the Mood
2. Writing the First Draft
4. Finishing
3. Revising, Revising, Revising

8. In the Beginning Begin by analyzing your constraints Audience Occasion
Who they are
What they know
Why they will read
How they will read
Occasion
Format
Formality
Politics and ethics
Process and deadline
Purpose
To inform
To persuade

9. Aspects Affecting Reader
Content
Style
Form

10. wordswordswordswords
Style What You Control
Structure
wordswordswords
words
wordswords
wordswordswordswords
Language
Illustration

11. Broad Content Issues Check your use of supporting evidence.
Check your use of sources.
Check to see that you achieve your purpose.
Check your attention to audience.
Check for overall impression.

12. Organization & Presentation
Check the overall organization.
Check sentence structure and style.
Check paragraph structure.
Check format.
Check documentation.

13. 20 Most Common Errors 1. Missing comma after an introductory element.
Frankly, we were baffled by the findings.
In fact, agricultural education…
Determined to get the job completed, we worked all weekend.
Though I gave advice for revising, his draft only became worse.

14. 20 Most Common Errors 2. Vague Pronoun Reference
Transmitting radio signals by satellite is a way of overcoming the problem of scare airwaves and limited how, they are used.
Company policy prohibited smoking, which many employees resented.
the airwaves
a policy

15. 20 Most Common Errors 3. Missing comma in a compound sentence
We wish dreamily upon a star and then we look down to find ourselves standing in mud.
The words “I do” may sound simple but they mean a life commitment. , ,

16. 20 Most Common Errors 4. Wrong word their
The Pacers played there best, but that was not good enough.
Paradise Lost contains many illusions to classical mythology.
their
allusions

17. 20 Most Common Errors
5. Missing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive element.
Susan who was the president of the club was first to speak.
John’s first doll Malibu Barbie is still his favorite. , ,

18. 20 Most Common Errors 6. Wrong or missing verb ending
Ernesto use feline imagery throughout the poem.
The United States drop two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.
uses
dropped

19. 20 Most Common Errors 7. Wrong or missing preposition.
We met in Union Street at San Francisco.
Who called the game yesterday? on in
off

20. 20 Most Common Errors Comma Splice for
I was strongly attracted to her, she had special qualities.
They always had ham for Easter, this was a family tradition.
for
Having

21. 20 Most Common Errors 9. Missing or misplaced possessive apostrophe.
AEE is pleased to announce it’s new graduate students.
its

22. 20 Most Common Errors 10. Unnecessary shift in tense
Abby laughs until she cried during the class.
Brian is in charge of finance; he will always keep his office locked.
cries
keeps

23. 20 Most Common Errors 11. Unnecessary shift in pronoun
When one first sees a painting by Cathy, you are impressed by a sense of power.
one is

24. 20 Most Common Errors 12. Sentence fragment
The old aluminum boat sitting on its trailer.
We returned to the drugstore. Where we waited for out parents.
was

25. 20 Most Common Errors 13. Wrong tense or verb form
Luke Reese has broke many soccer records.
By the time Jim arrived, Mikel left.
broken
had

26. 20 Most Common Errors 14. Lack of subject-verb agreement
A central part of my life goals have been to go to graduate school.
has

27. 20 Most Common Errors 15. Missing comma in a series
AEE Graduate students study mostly teaching, methods, writing and other research activities. ,

28. 20 Most Common Errors
16. Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent
Neither Nadja nor Kari felt that they had been treated fairly.
she

29. 20 Most Common Errors
17. Unnecessary comma (s) with a restrictive element.
People, who wanted to preserve wilderness areas opposed the plan to privatize national parks.

30. 20 Most Common Errors 18. Fused sentence
The current was sift he could not swin to shore. . He

31. 20 Most Common Errors 19. Misplaced or dangling modifier.
She had decided she wanted to be an agriscience teacher when she was ten years old.
When she was ten years old, she had decided she wanted to be an agriscience teacher.

32. 20 Most Common Errors Its/It’s confusion
The car is lying on it’s side in the ditch. Its a white 2000 Audi. .
its
It’s

33. Select a Writing Mentor
Review Journals for writing style.
Identify a writing mentor to assist with thinking through and reviewing paper.

34. Final Thought
Our greatest battles are that with our own minds. - Jameson Frank
Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire. - William Yeats
There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come. - Victor Hugo