Science Writing from Start to Finish
This four-part course deals with the type of writing most used in Science and Engineering: the technical or laboratory report.
It begins with the standard ways in which research is presented in a report or journal article, and ends with techniques for proofreading and editing your finished work. In between, students will learn how to set out data in figures, tables, and captions, how to build a logical argument using topic sentences and well-constructed paragraphs, how to use cite sources correctly, and (most importantly) how to clearly state their research question.
The course is designed for students who are new to university, or who have come from a background in the Humanities and might be more familiar with writing essays than reports.
- Session 1: The structure of a report
- Understanding the role of the Introduction, Aims, Methods, Results, and Discussion; deciding what material goes where, the order to write each section, and whether it's in past or present tense.
- Session 2: Presenting results
- Creating a good data table and a clear graph, and knowing which is appropriate; writing accurately about findings and statistical significance; creating informative captions.
- Session 3: Constructing paragraphs
- The importance of topic sentences in structuring the discussion and introduction; how to create a chain of sentences that walk a reader through an argument.
- Session 4: Editing the final draft
- Common grammatical, referencing, and typographical errors in science writing; tips for making wordy sentences more concise.
Note that this course meets twice a week. If your timetable clashes with one of the times or days, and there is another stream running, you are welcome to sit in on the corresponding sessions to ensure you don't miss anything.
Tutor: Mike Dickison
Dates and times
- Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 February to 16 February from 1.00 pm to 1.50 p.m.: passed
- Thursdays and Fridays, 1 March to 9 March from 10.00 am to 10.50 am.: enrolment and venue>>
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 6 March to 14 March from 1.00 pm to 1.50 pm.: enrolment and venue>>
- Mondays and Tuesdays, 12 March to 20 March from 4.00 pm to 4.50 pm.: enrolment and venue>>
Even if this course is fully booked, it is likely there will be space on the day, so feel free to turn up. If you would like to be notified when it is next scheduled, request it at a different time or day, or just find out more, email Learning Skills.
Resources
Handout: Better Lab Reports.
Knisely, Karin. 2005. A student handbook for writing in biology (2nd ed.). Sinauer, Sunderland, Mass. (This is on 3-day loan in the library)
Findlay, Bruce M. 2006. How to write psychology research reports and essays. (4th ed.). Pearsons, French Forest NSW.
Gopen, George and Swan, Judith. 1990. The Science of Scientific Writing. American Scientist, 78(6):550–558. Nov–Dec 1990. Link.