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The importance of writing in graduate school, and in science in general, cannot be overstated. We all need to write proposals, research papers, and reports. And the quality of writing in these documents is often directly related to their success in terms of funding, publication, and citations. Furthermore, scientific knowledge does not become scientific knowledge until it is published. I expect all my students to write proposals and to publish their dissertation research. Unfortunately, many students struggle with writing. I have been slowly collecting books and web pages that provide concrete advice for improving writing. Here are some of my favorite sources and tidbits.
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Writing Science in Plain English, by Anne E. Greene.
I love this book! It is short and and very easy to read. It includes examples of good writing and bad writing and provides exercises (with answers) that allow the reader to practice the techniques described in the book. The author identifies a number of important writing techniques that make intuitive sense but I was never able to articulate until I read the book. For example, the chapter on 'old information and new information' explains why some paragraphs just don't flow. The author points out that old information should be at the beginnings of sentences and new information should be at the ends of sentences. This allows one sentence to flow into the next in a seamless way.
I love this book! It is short and and very easy to read. It includes examples of good writing and bad writing and provides exercises (with answers) that allow the reader to practice the techniques described in the book. The author identifies a number of important writing techniques that make intuitive sense but I was never able to articulate until I read the book. For example, the chapter on 'old information and new information' explains why some paragraphs just don't flow. The author points out that old information should be at the beginnings of sentences and new information should be at the ends of sentences. This allows one sentence to flow into the next in a seamless way.
How to write a good introduction section (Dynamic Ecology)
One template is (i) This topic is important–>(ii) but something is missing/wrong–>(iii) and I fix it
One template is (i) This topic is important–>(ii) but something is missing/wrong–>(iii) and I fix it
Revisions for 3rd graders and others (Laura Vanderkam)
I especially love the tip about folding adverbs into verbs to create more precise images
I especially love the tip about folding adverbs into verbs to create more precise images
Hemingway Editor
I love this tool as a way to help writers simplify and clarify their writing.
I love this tool as a way to help writers simplify and clarify their writing.
The Tough Love Approach to Writing
I'm not sure I 100% agree with all the distinctions in this essay but the strict approach is intriguing
I'm not sure I 100% agree with all the distinctions in this essay but the strict approach is intriguing
The British Ecological Society Short Guide to Scientific Writing
Lots of tips for writing a compelling research paper
Lots of tips for writing a compelling research paper
Haven't read yet but want to:
The Scientist's Guide to Writing, by Stephen Heard
Other thoughts about writing:
Two of the most common writing problems I encounter with students are lack of organization and wordiness. The standard 'introduction, methods, results, discussion' format makes overall organization of manuscripts fairly easy. But organization can become difficult within individual sections of a manuscript. Wordiness is often prevalent throughout a manuscript.
Organization of the paper can be improved by starting with an outline that identifies each paragraph and its main idea (perhaps by writing a topic sentence for each paragraph). Then, after the outline has been fleshed out, students should go back and confirm that each sentence in the full paragraph relates back to that main idea. When you find sentences that don't relate to the main idea, either revise (or move) the sentence or re-think the main idea you want to convey in the paragraph. This is often an iterative process.
Wordiness in writing may stem from earlier educational experiences, when students were given minimum page requirements for homework assignments. But in science writing, concise is nice. Excess wordiness obscures meaning and confuses and bores your reader. If you can remove a word, or several words, and not change the main point of the sentence, then do it! There are some phrases in particular that probably should never appear in your writing: "research has shown that..." (can usually just be deleted), "...is known to be..." (replace with just "is"), "...have been observed to..." (can usually just be deleted). Often, entire sentences are redundant and can be deleted without sacrificing any meaning. Look at your writing critically and ask yourself of every word and sentence: 'do I need this to make my point?' and 'can I say this more simply?'
Organization of the paper can be improved by starting with an outline that identifies each paragraph and its main idea (perhaps by writing a topic sentence for each paragraph). Then, after the outline has been fleshed out, students should go back and confirm that each sentence in the full paragraph relates back to that main idea. When you find sentences that don't relate to the main idea, either revise (or move) the sentence or re-think the main idea you want to convey in the paragraph. This is often an iterative process.
Wordiness in writing may stem from earlier educational experiences, when students were given minimum page requirements for homework assignments. But in science writing, concise is nice. Excess wordiness obscures meaning and confuses and bores your reader. If you can remove a word, or several words, and not change the main point of the sentence, then do it! There are some phrases in particular that probably should never appear in your writing: "research has shown that..." (can usually just be deleted), "...is known to be..." (replace with just "is"), "...have been observed to..." (can usually just be deleted). Often, entire sentences are redundant and can be deleted without sacrificing any meaning. Look at your writing critically and ask yourself of every word and sentence: 'do I need this to make my point?' and 'can I say this more simply?'
