Science WritingClass Overview

Tuesday, October 02, 2018

Course objective

Write about science clearly and effectively

How?

Read, read, read! Write, write, write!

Ocha Science blog

Course Plan

Evaluation

• Writing exercises (100%) http://ghourabi.net/Writing

Homepage

From 2018.10.02 to 2018.11.13 (7 lectures): 1. Studying the fundamentals of writing clearly and efficiently2. Warming up exercise: Writing a standout abstract3. Finding a science story idea and searching the sources4. Structuring your story5. Writing down6 & 7. Revising your story and publishing

Science writing is about writing peer-reviewed research papers.

Quiz

Science reading is about reading peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Correct

False

Science writing is about writing science articles that are written for the general reader.

The general reader = someone who is not an expert on the topic

Academic writing is about writing peer-reviewed scientific paper that are written for researchers/scientists who are experts on the topic

Quiz

Science articles are written by scientists.

Quiz

Science articles are written by scientists.

Correct

Not necessary

It’s useful for science writers to have a knowledge of science, but it’s more important for them to be able to communicate well and extract interesting information.

Science articles are written by science journalists.

Quiz

Science articles communicate/explain research findings to the general public. Why?

Quiz

Science articles communicate/explain research findings to the general public. Why?

Transparency: research should be explained (i.e. method, results, limitations, etc.)Accountability: the public funding pays the research (e.g. JSPS Kakenhi)

Inspire, answer the public curiosity and questions

Quiz

ファドワ　ゴーラビ

Fadoua Ghourabi[Title] Project Lecturer in Computer Science [Degree] Engineering in Computer Science from University of Mannouba, Tunis Master & PhD. in Computer Science from University of Tsukuba [Postdoc positions] 筑波大学、関西大学院大学

[Contact] ghourabi.fadoua@ocha.ac.jp

فدوى غرابي

[Country] Tunisia (チュニジア)

Tatooine

Atlas mountain range

The Sahara

Djerba island

South East Tunisia

• Tunisian dialect• Official language: Standard Arabic (6 year-old ~)• 2nd language: French (7 year-old ~)• Others: English (16 year-old ~), Japanese (23 year-old ~)

“The paper is clearly written and starts with a good overview of previous work for those unfamiliar.” SYNASC 2017

“The paper is well organized, clearly written and fully within the scope of ADG.” ADG 2012

“The paper is badly written (especially sect. 3). I spot many typos all over the paper. The authors should check their paper with a native speaker.” ISSAC 2007

“I found it very well-written and often enjoyable to read.” ITCAT 2014

“This paper is very clear and very well written.““The paper is well written with a lot of illustrative pictures.” CPP 2016

I am a graduate student and I do not have

time to take classes to improve my English

Read in English!

Younger Fadoua

Fadoua now

• Read science news in English

• subscribe to newsletter of a major science magazine in your field (Nature magazine, ACM communications, MIT review, etc.)

• Create google alerts on topics of your interest

• Read novels in English

I have many ideas in my head but I cannot write

them down

Younger Fadoua

Fadoua now

make an outline, write ideas as they are, then correct, revise,

rewrite…

• Write —> revise —> re-write —> revise —> re-write —>…

• Thinking speed > writing speed:

• Carry a small notebook and write down raw ideas

• Record your thoughts using voice recording app

Not perfect Not perfect but a little better Much better

revise: rephrasing, cutting, correcting, re-organizing

Writing is hard!

Fadoua now

It is hard for everyone. Practice often!

Younger Fadoua

• Writing can be learned and improved

• Read

• Write daily: journal, diary, take notes

• Write with people who have writing experience (e.g. supervisors, researchers, etc.)

• Manage your writing task.

• Stop waiting for “inspiration”

• Set a deadline

• Write a little every day

• What is the best time to write for you?

Science WritingLecture 1: Writing a standout abstract

Thursday, January 25, 2018

You are participating in Students’ forum. Write 2~3 paragraphs to introduce yourself to other students.

At least one paragraph should be dedicated to your research or studies at Ocha-dai.

Activity 1

What makes a good writing?

• Inborn talent?

• Divine inspiration?

• Artistic nature?

• Years of English studies?

• Influence of drinks: coffee, alcohol…?

What makes a good writing?

Good writing communicates an idea clearly and effectively

What makes a good writing?

Good writing communicates an idea clearly and effectivelyHave something to say! Logical and

clear thinking Rules of style

+Good writing is elegant and stylish

Revision, practice, feedbackRevision, practice, feedback

Clear writing

• Before you start writing, ask:

“Whom am I going to write for?”

“What am I trying to say?”

“Why I want to say it?”

“How I am going to say it?”

“Do I have enough content to say it?”

Put down some items

Know your readers

Identify your goal, your motivation & the significance of your topic

Search, review literature, collect data, consult experts …

Structure your text

Clear writing

• Before you start writing, ask:

“Whom am I going to write for?”

“What am I trying to say?”

“Why I want to say it?”

“How I am going to say it?”

“Do I have enough content to say it?”

Put down some items

Know your readers

Identify your goal, your motivation & the significance of your topic

Search, review literature, collect data, consult experts …

Structure your text

• After you finish writing, ask:

“Have I said it?”

This project is inspired by kintsugi, which is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and gold.  In an attempt to draw attention to an ancient skill, we propose the DNA-tsugi. We use DNA to connect skin tissues. We fabricate a nucleic acid adhesive gel from attaching adhesive molecules to existing models of DNA origami surfaces. We induce reactions to adjust waterproofness, color and melting temperature of the gel. We test the adhesive substance on skin cells. 

Our global society faces serious water issues. The rapid world population growth exposes more people to water shortages, and the industrial development contributes to water pollution. Therefore, my research focuses on addressing these issues by studying sustainable water resources management.

In my Ph.D. research, I identify substitutes for supplied tap water in the household. To that end, I considered three perspectives: quality, quantity, and people acceptance. In particular, I simulate the amount of water that potentially could be covered by rainwater. Furthermore, I conducted a questionnaire in Sri Lanka to collect data and also to survey people attitude towards rainwater use in a tropical climate.

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Text 1: Students abstract of team project

Text 2: A student’s abstract of her PhD research

Clear writingThe paragraph

• Make the paragraph the unit of your text

• One topic / paragraph

• A simple formula for paragraphs

Topic sentence

Development

Evidence

Clear writingThe paragraph - topic sentence

• The topic sentence introduces the topic of the paragraph

• The topic sentence Serve as a transition between this paragraph and the previous paragraph

A metric for evaluating biomass sustainability needs to be designed. Social as well as environmental and economic factors must be included. As yet there is no consensus on what criteria should be used. For example, international stakeholders (non-governmental organizations, policy-makers, research and development, bioenergy producers, end-users and traders) from 25 European and 9 non-European countries surveyed in 2011 agreed9 unanimously on only one criterion — minimization of greenhouse-gas emissions.

Meanwhile, as some old jobs go away, many companies report having trouble finding qualified employees for new jobs. Here again, technology can help—by making technical training more widespread, making it available at various levels, and making it lifelong, via online delivery.

Contrast: However, In contrast, Nevertheless…Extension: Moreover, Furthermore, Meanwhile…Consequence: Therefore, Thus, Hence…

Topic sentence

Development

Evidence

Clear writingThe paragraph - development

• Explain: narrow down the topic sentence

• Criticize

A metric for evaluating biomass sustainability needs to be designed. Social as well as environmental and economic factors must be included. As yet there is no consensus on what criteria should be used. For example, international stakeholders (non-governmental organizations, policy-makers, research and development, bioenergy producers, end-users and traders) from 25 European and 9 non-European countries surveyed in 2011 agreed9 unanimously on only one criterion — minimization of greenhouse-gas emissions.

The scientists are optimistic that these challenges can be overcome. Are they right to be? One reason that biofuel production is cheap enough to be possible commercially is that it uses enzymes farmed from fungi. A useful step to prove the credentials of the greener denim dye would be to develop a similar low-cost way to make the required enzyme.

Showcase of your logical thinking and intellectual processing

Topic sentence

Development

Evidence

Clear writingThe paragraph - evidence

• Support your claim with examples, data, references….

• Support your claim with quotes from experts

A metric for evaluating biomass sustainability needs to be designed. Social as well as environmental and economic factors must be included. As yet there is no consensus on what criteria should be used. For example, international stakeholders (non-governmental organizations, policy-makers, research and development, bioenergy producers, end-users and traders) from 25 European and 9 non-European countries surveyed in 2011 agreed9 unanimously on only one criterion — minimization of greenhouse-gas emissions.

Topic sentence

Development

Evidence

Aspirational organizations are very innovative companies, but don’t try to manage innovation through any sort of stage-gated process or particularly dedicated budgets. Instead, they strive to create a culture where innovation is encouraged and opportunities can be seized. One chief innovation officer reflected, “Whenever I try to manage innovation, I get crappy results.” And yet, these organizations were by far the most successful with biomimicry. These organizations aim to “be like nature” in everything that they do, including their company cultures.

“Keep your paragraphs short. Writing is visual - it catches the eye before it has a chance to catch the brain. Short paragraphs put air around what you write and make it look inviting, whereas a long chunk of type can discourage a reader from even starting to read.” On Writing Well, W. Zinsser

• Enormous blocks of text can be intimidating and readers tend to skim, rather than read them carefully.

• At the same time, writing several short paragraphs in a row can make your ideas appear underdeveloped.

What makes good writing?

Good writing communicates an idea clearly and effectivelyHave something to say! Logical and

clear thinking Rules of style

+Good writing is elegant and stylish

Revision, practice, feedbackRevision, practice, feedback

Homework

Revise and rewrite your text (Activity 1) — Make sure you explain your research in clear paragraphs

Submit your text to swocha.wordpress.com (by October 9, 2018)