1. Cognitive Elements of Communication III
The Billboard paragraph:
Influencing your readers' emotions
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

2. Introduction In a scientific paper, the introduction should
do several things:
1. Describe the background or problem in
more detail than the abstract; introduce!
2. Describe briefly what the authors have done
that is new, preparing the reader to move to
the methods...
3. Tease the reader, promise a later pay-off with
a taste of the results to come.
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

3. Introduction This section should do several things:
1. Describe the background or problem in
more detail than the abstract; introduce!
2. Describe briefly what you've done that is new,
how you've attacked the problem, preparing
the reader to move to the methods
3. Tease the reader, promise a later pay-off with
a taste of the results to come.
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
This section should introduce the WHOLE
PAPER and promise the reader a pay-off
if they keep reading.

4. A good introduction... PNAS, 9 September 2008
.....
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
PNAS, 9 September 2008

5. Background, of course...
.....
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

6. Brief detail on methods, of course...
.....
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

7. AND some results/conclusions...
.....
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

8. Comparably, not so good... Nature, 3 September 2009
.....
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
Nature, 3 September 2009

9. But not even a hint about results/conclusions...
Background, yes...
But not even a hint about results/conclusions...
.....
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
This is a missed opportunity

10. The “billboard” or “nut graf”
A key paragraph in an essay or feature length
article that aims to convince readers, in a few
sentences, that really interesting material is coming
later – so they should feel good about continuing
with the article.
1. It's a glimpse of the pay-off to come
2. An enticing promise that reading onward will be
worth it.
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

11. Thank Your 100 Trillion Bacteria
In Good Health?
Thank Your 100 Trillion Bacteria
By GINA KOLATA (13 June, 2012)
For years, bacteria have had a bad name. They are the cause of infections, of diseases. They are something to be scrubbed away, things to be avoided. … No one really knew much about them. … what do they look like in healthy people, and how much do they vary from person to person?
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

12. The “teaser” paragraph
… the Human Microbiome Project… sequenced the genetic material of bacteria taken from nearly 250 healthy people.... They discovered more strains than they had ever imagined — as many as a thousand strains on each person. And each person’s collection of microbes, the microbiome, was different from the next person’s. To the scientists’ surprise, they also found genetic signatures of disease-causing bacteria lurking in everyone’s microbiome. But instead of making people ill, or even infectious, these disease-causing microbes simply live peacefully among their neighbors.
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
The “teaser” paragraph

13. Exercise
Give example of really bad writing on this slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.