MET 100W Writing Workshop: Meteorological Reports

Jan 25, 2005 lecture01 1

MET 100W

Writing Workshop: Meteorological Reports


MET 100W

Technical Writing and Communication


Overview

• What is technical writing?

• Who cares? We are scientists!

• Unfortunately (?), even scientists have to write


Reasons for writing(scientific writing after you’ve left SJS)

– Disseminate information

• Papers in journals (JAS, BAMS)

• Books

• Instruction manuals

• Theses (senior, MS, PhD)


Reasons …– Gain funding ($$$ for you and your workers)

– Justify your funding– Final reports (i.e., to justify the funding you got, and

maybe help secure future funding!)

– Other• Seek new jobs (resumes)

• Letters to newspapers


Reasons …

– According to the AMS website (URL on homework), roughly 50% of students graduating with a Meteorology degree will go into the private sector.

– Where do the $$$ come from?


Reasons …– The company writes a proposal to an outside

group (e.g., dairy farmers association) to perform a task (decide where to install power-generating windmills, say).

– This may be written by the boss, or parts may be assigned to different workers, but the point is that there is some technical writing.


Reasons …– If the proposal is granted, the task is performed

(that’s the fun part!)– Afterwards, a final report is written, and

perhaps also some technical documents and instruction manuals.

– Technical reports may also have to be generated for other groups (e.g., shareholders).

– You may be involved in any/all of these steps!


Technical writing – is what?

– How does technical writing differ from “non-technical” writing?

– Consider:



“I WANDERED lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

William Wordsworth (1804)



“…we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Winston Churchill (1940)



– Both evoke emotion!– Technical writing does not.– A typical novel (sci-fi, mystery, Pride

& Prejudice) is written in a style that:•Evokes emotions•May have long, complicated, involved

sentences•Makes you think (a lot). Try reading

Sartre!



– A typical technical report is written in a style that:•Does not evoke emotions.•Should have shorter, less complex

sentence structure (so you can find your way through easily).



•For example, if you are writing a proposal for funding, you do NOT want to confuse the reader!

•You want the reader to understand what you are saying, and finally decide: “Yes! I will give you the money!”


Technical writing – style

– Thus, the technical writing style has certain elements (which we will examine later in the class), including:•Clarity•Honesty•Correct spelling, punctuation and

grammar•Is well-organized


Technical writing – style

•Is written in the 3rd person – “we performed an experiment…” even

if you did everything alone.

•Is written in a rather formal style – No contractions (“we have” rather

than “we’ve”)– No jargon or commonly used

expressions (“like, dude!”)– Nothing offensive (duh)(don’t use

“duh” or “d’oh”)


Structure of the course

– First few weeks of class:

•Focus on technical writing issues:– How to get started– Developing a plan– Developing a timeline– Writing a draft– Editing etc.


Structure of the course…

– Mid-semester:

•Focus on non-written technical presentations:

– How to make an effective powerpoint presentation

– Posters


Structure of the course…

– Last part of semester:•Students will choose a project

(literature survey, chosen with help of faculty) and will generate:

– A written report containing all the elements we will have discussed by then (good title, abstract, introduction etc.)

– A powerpoint presentation of their work.– A poster presentation of their work.


How the class will be taught

– Mondays: •Lecture

– Wednesdays:•In-class writing tasks•These will be graded and will be

due at the end of class.

21lecture01Jan 25, 2005

Lets’ get started!TASK: TASK: Write a complete list of Write a complete list of

instructions for how to log into instructions for how to log into cnn.com on the computer.cnn.com on the computer.

Your target audience: a group of 20 senior citizens with these characteristics:• ½ male, ½ female• ½ born overseas (England, Russia, Vietnam), ½

born in US (N. Dakota, Texas, New York)• Thus, a fraction are non-native english speakers.• None owns a computer or has ever used one.• The computer is powered OFF and is running the

same OS as in DH 614.

START!

MET 100W Writing Workshop: Meteorological Reports

Documents

Transcript of MET 100W Writing Workshop: Meteorological Reports