workshop on scientific writing itars universitat politecnica de catalunya barcelona 18-19 march,...

Workshop on Scientific Writing

ITaRS Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya

Barcelona

18-19 March, 2015

Instructors:

Mark Buchanan

Justin Mullins

A bat and ball together cost $1.10,and the bat costs $1 more than the ball.

How much is the ball?

A puzzle:

A bat and ball together cost $1.10,and the bat costs $1 more than the ball.

How much is the ball?

Answer: 10 cents?

A puzzle:

A bat and ball together cost $1.10,and the bat costs $1 more than the ball.

How much is the ball?

Answer: 10 cents?

no... 5 cents!!

(Shane Frederick, 2002)

A puzzle:

A bat and ball together cost $1.10,and the bat costs $1.05.

How much is the ball?

A different puzzle:

The human mind comes to information withpreconceptions and expectations; it easily falls into error or mis-interpretation

It is not only the content of the information that matters; structure matters as well

We have two minds!!

“Framing Effects”

(Daniel Kahneman, Princeton University)Nobel Prize, 2002

Bad writing says what it doesn't mean to say

HEADLINE:

Emergency Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim

Bad writing says what it doesn't mean to say

Nature Physics 6, 44-49 (2010)

First sentence:

“When a metal is subjected to a strong magnetic field B, nearly all measurable quantities show oscillations periodic in 1/B.”

Is this what the authors really mean?

First sentence:

“When a metal is subjected to a strong magnetic field B, nearly all measurable quantities show oscillations periodic in 1/B.”

Is this what the authors really mean?

Length and volume? Mass? Charge? Temperature? Colour? Shape? Stiffness?

First sentence:

“When a metal is subjected to a strong magnetic field B, nearly all measurable quantities show oscillations periodic in 1/B.”

Is this what the authors really mean?

Length and volume? Mass? Charge? Temperature? Colour? Shape? Stiffness?

They actually mean some special properties ofhow electrons move through the metal

nearly all? A select few

“It is envisioned that the bases for statistical analyses in this study will be predicated largely upon comparisons of the incidence (presence or absence) and/or the rates of incidence of histo-pathological conditions in samples from primary platforms whose attributes have been carefully matched.”

Bad writing creates intellectual fog:

“We will compare the incidenceof histo-pathological conditions in different hospital settings while holdingother variables constant.”

They probably meant something like:

“We will compare the incidenceof histo-pathological conditions in different hospital settings while holdingother variables constant.”

or perhaps (we can't tell!) ...

“We will compare the number of allergenic reactions found in hospitals that use or do not use product X, but are otherwise similar.”

They probably meant something like:

Good writing strings together simple, specific statements to build more complex arguments.

It never loses sight of the main point

Style is “having something to say and saying it clearly”!!

Writing has a purpose:

A good example: Watson & Crick

What's good about it?

Aside from the science, the paper is well-written:

1. It uses ordinary language.

What's good about it?

Aside from the science, the paper is well-written:

1. It uses ordinary language.2. Each paragraph expresses one idea.

What's good about it?

Aside from the science, the paper is well-written:

1. It uses ordinary language.2. Each paragraph expresses one idea.3. It uses short, simple sentences.

What's good about it?

Aside from the science, the paper is well-written:

1. It uses ordinary language.2. Each paragraph expresses one idea.3. It uses short, simple sentences.4. It avoids jargon and technical abbreviations.

What's good about it?

Aside from the science, the paper is well-written:

1. It uses ordinary language.2. Each paragraph expresses one idea.3. It uses short, simple sentences.4. It avoids jargon and technical abbreviations.5. A clear figure helps clarify the message.

What's good about it?

Aside from the science, the paper is well-written:

1. It uses ordinary language.2. Each paragraph expresses one idea.3. It uses short, simple sentences.4. It avoids jargon and technical abbreviations.5. A clear figure helps clarify the message.

All this builds a clear and powerful argument

Our model of a journal with well written papers:

Outline of the course

Today – mostly sentences, abstracts and paragraphs

Tomorrow – (more) sentences, paper structure, graphs, etc.

Our philosophy – you learn more by doing than just hearing