Writing in the Sciences

Writing tips

2009-03-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

Assoc. Prof. Jiuyong Li is a noted researcher in the field of Data Mining who uses English as an additional language. We asked him for his top five writing tips for students who also use English as an additional language. This is what he had to share:

Be confident. If you can write good in your mother tongue, you can write good in English.
Try not to translate. Translation needs much higher skills than writing in English. Just write in English.
Write in simple and short sentences. They are effective.
Use words that you do understand. Try to avoid complicated words.
Try not to use "can" in scientific writing. The word makes a statement weaker than without it.

Simple, easy to follow advice that can be applied to almost any scientific paper.

Kirsten

Writing with pictures, voice AND words

2008-10-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

An academic by the name of Erica McWilliam (2007) recently suggested something radical. That is, in the new internet age (commonly referred to as Web 2.0), pictures and sound are just as important as words in communicating.

Some first year students in Electrical and Energy Systems here at Mawson Lakes are showing that learning is a fluid and dynamic process. The production of e-clips required the writing up of storyboards and uses the written word for feedback and introductions. The product, though, is visual. Thanks, James, for this one:

The concept of using e-clips at Mawson Lakes was engineered by Diana Quinn from the Learning and Teaching Unit and Course Coordinator, Zorica Nedic.

The students were asked to take a key concept in their course and produce a 3 minute YouTube video which would, in turn, teach other students. Diana said 'the clips were to represent the students personal take on the topic and they were encouraged to put their personalities into the e-clip'.

Now - that's thinking outside the square! AND aren't our students CLEVER! You can see more e-clips here.

Kicking goals with referencing

2008-09-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to attract high marks is to demonstrate your skill, creativity and understanding when it comes to using references.

A favorite starting point for a lecturer who marks your work is often your reference list. If you can show breadth of reading (evidence), use quality sources and show you know how to use the literature critically and constructively, your chances of scoring goals (or marks) will be higher. It's as simple as that.

In all cases, you can regard the literature as the chief defender of your point of view or position on a particular subject. Without good supporting references, properly presented (with a recognised referencing system), your chances of scoring goals are significantly diminished.

Learning advisers have produced some 'must have' resources for referencing:

Harvard Referencing Guide

Paraphrasing

Reading Log

Avoiding plagiarism

The subjectivity/objectivity scale

Andrea's 'Kicking Goals' PowerPoint

Best of luck with your writing adventures.

Andrea

Is your future in research?

2008-09-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Living Research Book Library starts this week!

Book now for your opportunity to meet a famous researcher and ask for advice on your research career.

Map your way through the 'thought' jungle

2008-08-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

From this:

(Zimmer, n.d.)

To this:

(Hayes, G n.d. )

Writing in the Sciences devotees were recently treated to Susanna Carter's popular Mind Mapping workshop where she explored the work of Mind Mapping Guru, Tony Buzan.

Mind Mapping is definitely the buzz in planning work and synthesising knowledge at the moment. Susanna described it as 'enjoyable' and 'highly effective because it uses many parts of the brain'. She also explained how Mind Mapping cuts down on words, paper, superfluous notes and wasted time as concepts are chrystalised and simplified into colourful diagrams.

Here are some links from Susanna's homepage:

Tony Buzan's website

Mind map exchange website

Mind Brain Education

Lumosity - games to speed up your brain!

Neuroscience and cognition - an excellent blog

Thanks, Susanna!

Andrea

The 7 C's of highly effective oral presentations for engineering students

2008-08-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

A recent workshop with some Advanced Mechanical Engineering students from Singapore (hi guys!) reminded me of the famous 5 C's which I encountered when I used to teach there a few years back.

C= Credit Card C= Condominium C= Cash C= Car C= Career

When I asked the students to come up with some attributes of what they thought were the hallmarks of effective oral presentations, the C's came to the fore again. Here's what they came up with:

Be Concise and Compress what you need to say:

Nobody wants to sit through a boring speech. Eliminate waffle through rehearsal and careful planning.

Think structure in the same way you would for a piece of written work. Rehearsal will enable you to give your presentation to time.

Sometimes it helps to start with a little anecdote or survey the audience with a quick poll to get them involved. The introduction should address each small section of your presentation in the order in which it comes in your presentation. In the summary, it is good to look to the future: what needs to be done next? What does the future hold? What are some of the implications of what you found.

Clarify:

Explain technical terms well - don't make assumptions of your listener. Use everyday anecdotes and examples to show how what you are doing is linked to industry and 'real life' so that it becomes meaningful for your audience. 'Academese' (dense terminology and convoluted language) bores the listener. Simplifying complex terms and applications shows how clever you really are!

Contrast:

Use a mixture of styles. Sometimes it helps to move from PowerPoint slides to overhead transparencies to little stories which move the audience attention from wall to wall to speaker.

Also, make sure you use plenty of modulation in your voice when you speak. Pause for emphasis and avoid the monotone. This can be achieved by not relying on your PowerPoint slides or transparencies too much.

Courtesy:

A smile is worth a great deal in a presentation. Connect with your audience so that they feel you value them. Create a respectful environment by dressing for the occasion. (Do avoid leaning on the wall/tables etc - I have seen this. It is NOT a good look! :) ) Also, look as though you are actually enjoying yourself!

Criticism:

One of the most often rewarded aspects of academic writing is where the student can point out limitations, weaknesses or areas where the experiment or project could have been 'done better'.

What worked? What was good? What was surprising? What were the limitations or constraints? What needs to be done for the future? What did you learn about yourself or the project as a researcher?

These questions are the stuff of higher order thinking and lecturers are pleased when they crop up.

Conviction:

Once again - avoid the monotone. One way you can convince an audience of your passion for a project is to make eye contact with the audience. Perhaps the most enduring piece of advice I have ever read about oral presentations is to make eye contact with individuals (not walls!)

In conclusion, nerves befuddle even the best public speakers. The first time I ever had to speak in front of a large group of students (around 250 at City West) I was perfectly composed from the waist up. However, I was grateful for the lectern as my legs shook uncontrollably - thankfully out of view of the students!

I think my best tip is for you to prepare well and rehearse. That way you can be quite CONFIDENT that you will do very well.

Do you have any oral presentation stories or tips for other students? You can post anonymously; use your name or log on as a Google Blogger.

Andrea Duff

Wynton's waxings on Wikipedia

2008-08-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Wynton Heading, (soon-to-be-retired) Manager of Academic Library Services at UniSA, launched this year's Writing in the Sciences series with a somewhat scathing attack on Wikipedia - the collaborative 'free encyclopedia that anyone can edit'.

'The problem with Wikipedia is the 'anyone' aspect', says Wynton. This has led to lots of discussion about whether it should be used in the University context.

Wynton used an example of the Wikipedia entry on climate change, to highlight the subjectivity involved in the use of Wikipedia:

The excerpt here is clearly full of biases which do not add to the serious debate or body of evidence around climate change.

Wynton readily acknowledges Wikipedia is a useful source for background reading and even praises the mega-website for pointing out parts where 'citation' is needed. However, Wynton points to the more scholarly sources of the UniSA library databases * as being the best way to go for an academic piece of writing.

Here are but a few:

Web of Science (a five star database, according to Wynton)
Scopus
Inspec
Compendex
IEEEXplore
Academic Search Premier

He also mentioned Google Scholar as an 'invaluable' tool because it can trawl through most of what is on the UniSA library web.

Best of luck with your retirement, Wynton!

Andrea

* Apologies to our Writing in the Science visitors who are unable to get into password protected resources at UniSA

Writing in the Sciences - Kicking goals, getting the high marks

2008-08-07T18:10:00.001-07:00

This blog started out as an accompanying reflection on the Writing in the Sciences series which is usually run here at Mawson Lakes in SP5. As you can see, the reflections have rolled on beyond the purpose for which the blog was originally intended!

Now the face-to-face workshops have returned. Here are the first three offerings, with more to come:

Will I or won't I use Wikipedia?

What is a good source for writing in the sciences and engineering? Where do you find the best sources? Is there a place for Wikipedia and why the controversy? To Google or not to Google...

Mind mapping

Mind mapping is a wonderful tool to organise your ideas and structure your work. Susanna Carter is the resident Learning Adviser mind mapping expert. Book early for this popular workshop.

Kicking goals with referencing

One of the best ways to attract good marks is to know how to use references purposefully, correctly and in ways which add authority to your writing. This workshop is a gold passport to moving your work up a grade!

Book early, avoid disappointment

The Writing in the Sciences team

Andrea, Helen, Susanna and Wynton

Grappling with grammar

2008-08-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

Feeling tense about tense? Are you cool, calm and collected about collectives? Are you singular about getting plurals right?

So sorry for the puns - sometimes it's just irresistible!!

We have lots of resources to get your grammar in shape. Regardless of your sphere of writing (engineering, computer science, maths) nothing cheapens a sentence more than glaring grammar errors.

Here is a quick review of some grammar goodies (as you can see, this Learning Adviser is hooked on alliteration).

Quick Clicks is a blog consisting of handy, printable 'quick' tips and tactics for grammar, writing and academic skills. What science writer would not be excited by Abstracts, Introductions and Conclusions; Punctuation marks: Colons and Semi-Colons or Presenting your own opinion without using 'I' ?
Learning Connection's English Language Proficiency site is a pretty official-sounding name for some very cool resources around reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Something we are really excited about (and hot off the press) is the Grammar Gang Blog - YOUR writing community. This a venture between our esteemed colleagues at Purdue University and the Learning Advisers at UniSA. It's early days for the Owls (Purdue) and Possums (UniSA), but we'd like you to vote on the poll, sign up and feel free to post your grammar questions (you can check anonymous or sign in with a Google account).

Andrea (on behalf of Helen)

Should I do a PhD?

2008-07-31T21:33:00.001-07:00

A deviation from the standard

2008-07-16T21:14:00.001-07:00

For those who are befuddled by stats:

Dr Helena Ward: Why scientists write!

2008-07-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

Helena writes as an academic with a strong publication list. See her home page.

I found this quote a couple of years ago and I think it neatly summarises the importance of communication skills for scientists: “Science exists because scientists are writers and speakers” (Montgomery, 2003, The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science, University of Chicago Press, Chicago).

Science is not only about doing science, the practical aspects of research and experimentation, but also the communication of the process, the results and perhaps most importantly the failures. Scientists create and share knowledge and so need to develop the skills to reach the various audiences who will read their work. This can be a challenge as the use of specialised, technical language can act as a barrier to clear, concise communication.

One of the most important considerations is the audience: who is going to read your work?
There are a number of forms of scientific writing and the style and format you use will vary, depending on who is going to read the final product.

Practical Reports, which summarise scientific experiments, often have the general format of Introduction, Method, Results and Discussion. This provides a framework which follows the various stages of the scientific method and also reflects the format required by many scientific journals. Such reports are usually written in the “passive” voice, e.g. the bacteria were centrifuged, rather than the “active” voice, e.g. I centrifuged the bacteria.

Technical reports, which may require specific recommendations on future actions, may be intended for a scientific audience, such as a company. In some cases reports will be read by a variety of interested parties, including Government, research scientists and the public. This means you will need to carefully consider the type of language you use.

Do you need to provide a list of scientific definitions and abbreviations?
Can you use examples to clearly explain certain concepts?
How will you use diagrams, tables, etc to illustrate your work?

Whatever type of scientific writing you do, first consider your audience and then the best way to get your message across. By developing your scientific writing skills, you will be able to communicate your scientific knowledge and take part in the wider scientific community.

I’ll finish with another quote about science, which I think summarises the challenge of scientific research. “Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” (Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, 1962).

Helen Ward

Senior Lecturer: Academic Development

Writing to impress!

2008-07-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

No-one has more interest than students in writing to impress their readers.

Writing for assessment is your main way of demonstrating what you have learned. No matter how well you can perform technically, whether it’s designing or building equipment, or conducting experimental work, the quality of your writing can make or break you in assessment.
The person who reads your work is important to you so you need to think about that reader's needs. Make sure your readers finds reading your work interesting and enjoyable. This means attending to the quality not merely the content of your writing.

A few pointers:
To ensure that your work is credible you need to read and cite the best sources you can find in your professional field

Ensure your search skills enable you to find those sources

Keep comprehensive records of your reading so that you can readily track the best ideas back to their source/s

Use a Reading Log to develop a more analytical approach to reading

Make sure you understand the demands of the genre e.g. if you’re writing a report how do you organize the present your information in report form?

Learn to paraphrase well – see how others do it in the readings that impress you

Use the recommended referencing system exactly

Allow yourself enough time to revise your work comprehensively.

If you know you do not write well in English you will need to allow extra revision time. Final papers that include spelling and grammatical errors make it very difficult for your reader/marker to understand what, if anything, you have learned. Avoid sabotaging yourself.

Tip: plan your writing schedule to allow for revision time. For example you may need at least one full day between the drafting and revising stages when writing a major paper. Taking a break between these stages allows you to see your draft more objectively.

I hope you find that any extra care you put into writing about your learning is worth every minute.

Helen

Helen Johnston

Lecturer: Learning Adviser

Learning Connection: Mawson Lakes

Visiting from Singapore

2008-06-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

At present at Mawson Lakes campus we are hosting a group of senior Mechanical Engineering students who are here from Singapore for two weeks intensive study.

Welcome everyone! You've chosen a cold time of year to visit Adelaide. You will find life in and around Mawson Lakes very quiet after Singapore.

As you're expected to learn a lot about researching and writing you will find plenty of material on and linked to this blog to interest you. Check the link further down in the adjacent column to resources used in our classes last week.

There are several postings in this blog that are directly relevent to you as you write up your current work. See in particular the previous entry on writing a literature review and an earlier posting on paraphrasing. Both elaborate on points made in our class on

the importance of writing to you as scientists
the relevance of in-text citations and referencing to improving the credibility of your work.

All the best,

Helen

Literature reviews and button collections

2008-05-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Literature reviews are tricky to write and some are very boring to read. The most boring ones are those that list each item, one after the other, like entries in a book catalogue.

Before I throw out my old clothes, or turn them into cleaning rags, I cut off the buttons and put them in a jar. You never know when you’re going to need a spare button. After many years of doing this, I have quite a collection.

Writing a literature review is like describing my button collection. I could do that by picking up each of the hundred or so buttons in turn and describing them all individually. Bor-ing! Even if you lasted the distance, you probably wouldn’t remember too much of what I’d said.

Now, if I’d sorted them into some sort of pattern, that would be more interesting and more memorable. The biggest group are the tiny round plastic ones which have probably come from old shirts. This suggests that shirts are my most common article of discarded clothing. Similar in some ways to this group are the large round buttons which probably came from coats. The larger size may indicate the need to hold thicker fabric or that they were subject to larger forces. Another group again are the ornate buttons, some of which are made from a combination of materials and many of which have looped shanks on the back. And so on.

Image from Global b2b (2008) http://www.global-b2b-network.com/

In writing your literature review, think of ways you might organize the readings, rather than just reporting each one in turn. Has an issue been investigated from a range of theoretical positions? Using different methodologies? Considering different aspects? In a range of different contexts? What are the similarities and differences of these different approaches? What are their relative strengths and weaknesses? How do the approaches support or challenge each other?

As you organise your literature review, think of my button collection.

Kerry O'Regan

Learning Adviser

Kerry O'Regan is our special guest blogger for this month. Kerry has had a long history of working with engineering students - firstly at the Institute of Technology and then the University of South Australia and Adelaide University. Kerry mentioned in her recent presentation to Engineering Research Methods students that she completed a Masters Thesis looking at women in engineering. She also has a keen interest in online teaching and learning.

In praise of the paraphrase

2008-04-09T17:44:00.001-07:00

Paraphrasing is a skill which is kind of tricky when you first start Uni. Often, students are under the misapprehension that paraphrasing means 'changing a few words' - swapping nouns and adjectives or shuffling things around.

Paraphrasing is, in fact, somewhat more complex than merely re-wording. It is about extracting the meaning of what has been said by reading the text, putting it aside and then asking (and noting) 'What does this really mean?'

It is important to highlight a couple of things:

No two students' paraphrases will be the same

Each student writer extracts the 'meaning' to suit the purpose - to support their own arguments or positions about a point-of-view

It's ok to 'quote' a couple of colourful words in a paraphrase (see the examples below)

Always attribute the paraphrase to a source

Example A: The text

Example B: The paraphrase

Example C: The paraphrase with interpretation

That's all for now. Best of luck!

Helen and Andrea

PS Post your questions about the art of paraphrasing by clicking 'comments'

2008-04-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

For all students who speak English as second language

When
Monday 14th – Thursday 17th April 2008

Session Times
10.00am - 12:00pm and 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Where
UniSA City West campus

Cost: Free

Content
English grammar, Academic speaking skills, Academic writing, Referencing, Academic reading, Online techniques for language learning and Mind mapping

Classes are held over 3 mornings and 4 afternoons for students who want to improve their English language and academic skills. You can attend any, or all of the sessions.

Please register online for the sessions you wish to attend:

http://unisanet-apppro.levels.unisa.edu.au/registerit/Students-WorkShops.asp?

(These workshops are listed under City West and designated by “AELDP” in the title)

A winning proposal

2008-04-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Few if any Masters students will leave their studies without having to write a research proposal for their research or minor thesis.

To write an excellent research proposal, it's best to start by thinking about the role of the proposal. The document is intended to persuade the reader that your research is worthwhile doing. In working life, this may translate into persuading a funding body or your boss to support your work. In life at university, it might mean the difference between receiving a high distinction or a credit or a grant or scholarship.

A good research proposal will have some or all of the following elements:

A persuasive piece of writing which leaves the reader in no doubt as to the intent of and need for your research (Key sections: The significance of the problem and The literature review)

A demonstration that the research proposed is do-able. While it would be impractical to solve world water shortages, you might be able to research a technology which will enable the saving of water under particular conditions in a particular location. (Key sections: The methodology and The problem or sub problems)

Critical exploration of the current and key literature surrounding your topic. Critical is the most important word here. Simply providing accounts of what so-and-so said or found will not convince the reader of the need for research or the approach you are deciding to take. You must say why a finding or study was useful and examine its weaknesses, limitations and how it will be of use to your writing. (Key section: The literature review)

Finally, 'all roads must lead to your research'. This means that a research proposal must at its core, convince the reader of the need for your research.

Writing the Research Proposal is a useful read. Although written for students of Engineering Research Practice and Engineering Research Methods, it has some handy links and approaches for all research writing. A word of caution: check with your course coordinator about the headings they would like you to use. The approach suggested in this particular online resource has been taken from Leedy and Ormond (2005).

Best of luck with writing your persuasive and winning proposal.

Liz Horrocks, Andrea Duff and Helen Johnston

Learning Advisers City East and Mawson Lakes

A few summary points

2008-03-19T17:31:00.001-07:00

The skill of summarising is such a handy one to have. The student or employee who is able to summarise a complex document for another reader is highly valued.

As we speak, students in Communication for Information Systems and Technology are busily trying to distill an entire article into 350 - 450 words. There are some simple guidelines to help with this seemingly tough task.

First draw a concept map or picture of the main ideas. Your picture might look something like this:

Secondly, when you begin to write, introduce the main ideas in the order in which they appear in the article.

Thirdly, make good use of words which list such as firstly, secondly, thirdly and so on.

Fourth, look for opposites and similarities...

One view taken...however....on one hand...on the other...similarly...likewise...in contrast
Finally, you should deal with one idea per paragraph.

Good summarising relies on sometimes ruthless editing skills. A useful device is to just refer to the actual article and author once (in the opening sentence where you might cite bibliographic details):

In the chapter 'Climate Change - an inevitable reality' (Thompson, 2002), the author underlines three main reasons why we should take heed of rising temperatures.

Firstly, as temperatures rise, sea levels will rise. This means....

Secondly,

Hone this important skill and reap the rewards!

Andrea on behalf of the Learning Advisers

The fundamentals of report writing

2008-03-11T19:46:00.001-07:00

As many of our engineering and computer science students prepare their first reports, it is worth visiting some of the basic requirements of report writing. As we speak, we know that students in Sustainable Engineering Practice and Introduction to Information Technology Studies are busy contemplating their first reports or drafts.

The first thing to say is that there are 'reports' and there are 'reports'.

If you are reporting on an experiment, then you will produce what is known as a 'practical report'. If you are reporting on an issue under an investigation, then it is likely to be a 'technical report' . Reports are also produced for things like software specification.

Secondly, reports are tightly structured. They use:

Section headings which are well understood (such as 'abstract' or 'executive summary'; 'introduction'; 'conclusion'; recommendations)

Numbered headings and subheadings

Cohesive 'linking' language - firstly, secondly, thirdly...therefore, in conclusion

Thirdly, they use an objective 'tone'. There is no place for the first person 'I' in report writing. Nor is there any place for:

Vague and imprecise terms (various, numerous...)

Flowery language with out support (excellent! wonderful! super!)

Unsubstantiated claims without references.

Perhaps the most important piece of advice we can offer is to think of yourself as making the job easier for the reader. Reports are often read by busy people. Careful construction of sections combined with precise cohesive sentences will make for a more enjoyable and persuasive document.

There is no doubt that being able to construct a good report is highly valued by employers. If you can get it right, not only will your report attract great marks, but it will contribute to your success in the job market.

Best of luck with your first assignments.

Helen and Andrea

Your resident Mawson Lakes Learning Advisers and Bloggers.

2008-03-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

Following the success of the Writing in the Sciences workshops at Mawson Lakes, City East Learning Connection is offering a new Writing in the Sciences series during Study Period 2, 2008.

Workshop topics include:

Surviving at Uni
Speed reading
Mindmapping
Assessments are they all the same?
Finding your critical voice
Self-editing
Using sources strongly and wisely.

You are invited to book into the sessions and come to Learning Connection, City East to hear great speakers present interesting sessions! We would love to see Mawson Lakes students at City East.

Liz Horrocks and Susanna Carter

Lecturers: Learning Advice

Advanced project writing - being the best you can be

2008-02-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

Early this week, I had the pleasure of meeting some Mechanical Engineering students who are here on a special visit from Singapore with the School of Advanced Mechanical Engineering.

Over a barbie* on Monday we chatted about numerous** things, such as the cricket at Adelaide oval; what do do when you're in Adelaide; the food; the merits of doing a day trip to Kangaroo Island and the Weather (a popular topic when it's 39 degrees).

Today the weather is cooler and I'm turning my attention to preparing for the the Technical and Advanced Writing Project workshop for our Singaporean guests over the next two days.

Most of the workshop materials are linked to the side navigation, but I just wanted to say a couple of things.

Firstly, to the Writing in the Sciences community, what is posted up here relates to universal principles of good technical and academic writing - and is not specific to any particular sub-discipline (Advanced Mechanical Engineers, in this case). In other words, all you see up here will be of some use to all writers.

Secondly, I would like to point you to the Academic Writing Triangle which encapsulates the approach Learning Advisers and other lecturers take when looking at work. There are a heirachy of elements and each one must be fulfilled. These are the building blocks of good academic writing - Scientific or not.

Thirdly, a very WARM welcome to our Singaporean students who are here for a taste of Mawson Lakes and South Australia. Please regard this as your techinical writing online 'home' and feel free to post any questions or observations. I (or others in this community) can respond in due course.

Do you have any writing questions?

* Barbie, of course, is a shortened form of barbeque. Aussies are fond of using 'ie' at the end of words. Breakie = breakfast; Pressie=present
** Numerous is a word which scientific writers should avoid. Try to use words which quantify such as 'Today we spoke about five things. These were...'

Andrea Duff

Editing - the ultimate writing makeover

2007-11-08T18:18:00.000-08:00

Makeovers can offer good value!

Everyone has seen programs on TV and articles in magazines where ordinary people improve themselves by changing their looks, their bodies, and sometimes their total appearance. You see young singers made over if you watch Idol where see awkward ugly ducklings are transformed into pop stars.

When you draft an assignment it could be fairly ordinary until you give it a makeover with your editing and proof-reading.

Keep in mind that a good makeover takes time and effort.

If possible:

Take a break between writing and editing. This allows you to re-examine it as an editor rather than a writer.

Read your paper at least a couple of times: separate reading for meaning from your proof-reading for expression, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Proof-reading needs to be done sentence by sentence.

Note: spell-checkers don’t pick up incorrect words or homonyms e.g. ewe for you.

Ensure your headings and text match.

In your text refer to tables and figures and ensure all tables and figures are correctly labelled

Schedule referencing time. If you have a lot of sources you may need several hours to ensure every in-text reference is correct and has a corresponding acknowledgement in the Reference List.

Don’t mix and match referencing styles. You can’t simply copy and paste citations from other sources. You’ll need to adjust every one to the required style. See the Referencing Guide

Attend to presentation features like matching headings and sub-headings

Find a critical friend, someone who understands the content area to see if they understand what you have written. Ask them to point out any sections which confuse them but also ask them to avoid correcting the text. That’s your job.

Meeting the deadline is part of the task so make sure you know how and where to submit to ensure you meet the requirements.

Here's an editing resource developed by learning advisers to help you on your way to a writing makeover.

Your assignment makeover will help your reader see the quality of your learning. Then work done, you can enjoy your holidays.

Best of luck

Helen

Students of distinction

2007-11-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to those of you who voted on our poll. We are keen to 'open the floor', as it were, to our fellow lecturers who are immersed in papers (your papers!) as we speak. As Learning Advisers, we see some students who want to take their work up to the next notch of excellence. Some students have studied in another country and find the strategies used at home don't seem to work as well in Oz. Others have come from secondary school and have a similar experience.

Is there a magic ingredient to writing a distinction level paper? If you are already a good student, what does it take to shift to the next grade? How can students get extra marks in exams?

Share your thoughts with us by posting a comment.

Helen and Andrea

Clear and concise writing

2007-11-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

It is an unfortunate misconception that writing academically means writing long winded sentences (I know, I fell for this one when I first started Uni).

Simplicity, clarity and cohesive writing is almost always rewarded by lecturers who often have to wade through papers (and might I add, academic journal articles) which do not always follow principles of clear and lucid written communication. Before I post some resources, here are a few pointers which Learning Advisers pass on. These pointers apply to ALL types of writing, not just SCIENTIFIC writing.

Use short sentences. I have read sentences which go for a paragraph. You will lose your reader.

Remember structure in writing. I have learnt a great deal about this from my engineering colleagues who have this down to a fine art. Never underestimate the humble 'Firstly, secondly and thirdly' as a way to introduce ideas.

Make sure you then talk about your Firstly, secondly and thirdly in this order throughout your paper, report, proposal or thesis.

Remember one idea per paragraph.

Always explain your key terms. This means... An example of this is... A rule of thumb is to write for an intelligent audience. There will be a certain amount of specialist knowledge but lecturers are often testing your ability to explain key concepts.

Read your work out loud. Everyone should do this. You will be surprised at how effective this is in assessing the clarity of your expression. (If you run out of breath after a sentence, you know it's too long!!!)

Here is a selection of resources. Some of these are very, very simple but highly prized by student and academic, alike.

Linking words (I love this one)

Paragraph writing

Shorter sentences for better writing

Thanks to those of you who voted for this post. Please continue to cast your votes or post comments about areas of interest and we will post up some ideas and resources. Does anyone have another writing tip to share?

Yours in clarity!

Andrea

Typing and all things online

2007-10-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Arnold for his query about how to improve typing skills. I've done some detective work on Google this morning and found some fun tools to explore around improving your typing.

I also would like to profile some of the resources at UniSA to demonstrate what support is available to hone your online skills. (You might be surprised at what is on offer!)

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Dance mat typing was developed by the BBC for children. It's lots of fun, but obviously orientated towards the kids.

This typing tutor requires quite a bit of clicking around but once you get the hang of it, it's quite good.

Typeonline.co.uk is the most intuitive tool I found in my searches this morning. I rather like this one.

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Within UniSA there are some other resources to hone your online skills. Learningfast is very popular. What I really like about this one is that you can learn functions as you need them like using graphs in Excel or heading styles in Word. There are some self-paced tutorials around most Office applications, including PowerPoint.

Software Help has a top ten tips approach and Online Learning has some general information aboout using online applications (such as discussion) at the University of South Australia.

Do post your suggestions, if you find any useful sites either within UniSA or from other organisations. Also feel free to appraise these resources - let us know how you find them.

Have fun.

Andrea

Tell us what you would like

2007-10-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Helen, Susanna and I very much enjoyed working with you during the Writing in the Sciences series this study period. We do regard our work in this area as continually unfolding and we will post new academic writing goodies as we encounter them.

Although the formal workshops are finished for 2007, please vote on our poll for any other areas you would like covered either in a blog post or in a workshop next year. Alternatively, you can post a comment below.

Andrea

Tony Buzan and Mind mapping

2007-10-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Susanna, for pointing us to this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ

This is highly recommended - if not compulsory - YouTube viewing for science writers.

The credibility scale

2007-10-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

Hi (again)

Some weeks ago, I posted the 'credibility quandry' in which you were asked to give a relative credability weighting to these sources:

Here are the answers (although, obviously it depends upon the context in which you are using them). Mostly people in our workshop agreed with these, but please feel free to debate by posting a comment. A bottom line: the stronger the source, the more credible and convincing your argument.

Andrea

A new mind mapping resource

2007-10-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hi science writers

I just thought I'd post this resource from our colleagues in Research Education. There are some excellent references here to mind mapping and I know this is the big buzz at the moment.

Hope you're all well at this busy end of the year!

Andrea

Reading in the sciences

2007-09-07T02:03:00.000-07:00

Helen’s five platinum rules when reading for academic purposes:

1. Select from recommended and respected academic or professional sources.

2. Know your purpose for reading a particular text now.

3. Know how the text works and use that knowledge to read more efficiently.

4. Record the key points from the text and your critical response to it.

5. Keep good records so that you don’t have to

a. reread

b. check the bibliographic details later.

Being a good reader doesn’t guarantee you know all you need to know about reading for specialised purposes. If you missed the session last week, watch out for the next advertised session on reading more effectively – early next year.

See these useful resources on reading:

· Reading critically and analytically

· Reading log

· Remembering your work

Helen

Workshop reminder

2007-09-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

A quick reminder about the upcoming Writing in the Sciences workshops for this Friday, September 7 in GP 2-38

12.00pm - 1.00pm - Using technical and academic language to their best advantage in scientific writing
1.00pm - 2.00pm - Using sources and finding your critical voice in scientific writing

We look forward to seeing you at the workshops.

Helen and Andrea

Using sources with confidence

2007-08-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today's session focused mainly on the credibility of sources in writing. My hot tips for extra marks in Writing in the sciences are:

Know the club. There will always be a group of well established and recognised writers who publish frequently in your topic areas. (If you are writing at postgraduate level, get to know the Gurus so well that you know exactly where the source comes from without even checking!)
Show breadth of research. Nothing puts a lecturer off more than a superficial reference list.
Show clusters of agreement (Duff, 2006; Johnston, 2007 and Jones, 2005) and disagreement (Jones, 2005; Johnston, 2007 and Duff in Johnston, 2005 p. 7).
Try to keep your sources as current as possible - particularly important for writing in the sciences and in engineering where things change so quickly.

We looked at the credibility of sources. Which of these is MOST credible and which of these is LEAST credible to use in an assignment? You can post a comment if you like and I'll post up the answers next week.

(Online version, because the print is pretty small)

This week's resources are:

We didn't get through everything this week, so next week we will do some more in this area (specifically using sources to report ideas and paraphrasing).

Have a great weekend.

Andrea

Frameworks and foundations in writing

2007-08-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hi readers

If there is one thing I have learned about writing from engineering students, it is how to structure it well with logic, order and cohesion. They know how to build a good piece of writing.

This week's Writing in the Sciences examined how structure in writing provides the predictability readers come to expect from a report, thesis, or research article.

Firstly, we explored the 'typical' sections of a piece of scientific writing - the thesis, report or research paper:

Secondly, we attempted this exercise (it's a little bit like that game you used to play at school , where you had to match the animal with its home). See if you can match the section with its properties.

Match the sections

Match the sections (colour coded) answers

Thirdly, we explored the various facets of the typical piece of scientific writing. For example:

Abstracts, Introductions and Conclusions

The literature review

'Connectors' for cohesive writing (this one has a five star ***** rating from me!)

Some important points about structure in scientific writing are:

That the predictability of the sections assists the reader

It should make wide use of numbered sections and sub sections

Ordering can be chronological or in groups of ideas (thanks Ivan for this one)

Each section should introduce the next

Each section should (where possible) mirror the next. (For example, the abstract and introduction will 'talk' to each section in order of their appearance in the report.)

Next week we will run two sessions: Using sources and Getting the most out of journal articles.

Andrea

2007-08-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hi readers

The mind mapping workshop generated a lot of interest and there was a very positive response from students. The highlight of the workshop for me was the attendance of 4 students who were using the technique successfully in completing their Mathematics Clinic 1 and 2. They discussed how they used mind mapping to quickly brainstorm their project, divide tasks and come up with solutions. The highlight of mind maps for them was the ease of use and the fact that their entire project could be seen at a single glance.

Mind maps can be used in every discipline limited only by the imagination of the user. They are great at simplifying tasks and breaking down problems into their component parts. They are also a great study and planning tool.

As well as using them in your university work they are also great for solving personal goals, and objectives, planning holidays and time management.

If you have any queries about applying or using mind maps in your work please contact me. Mind mapping is my special interest and I’ll be more than happy to help.

Susanna

Mind Map Presentation

To Google or not to Google - wise words from Wynton

2007-08-09T22:03:00.001-07:00

Wynton Heading may be an Academic Librarian who knows his onions, but he is cautious about Googling his onions.

Using databases, the perils of relying too heavily on Google for research and some rather excellent nooks and crannies of the library website were discussed with aplomb by Wynton at the inaugural Writing in the Sciences workshop for this year, held last Friday.

For more than 15 years, Wynton has been up-close-and-personal with the databases and information systems at the University of South Australia as the intrepid Academic Librarian.

Wynton and the other Academic Librarians are required to keep tabs on the 20,000 electronic journals held at Mawson Lakes for Science and Engineering. It is important to note, that the library on this campus is privileged for its vast store of electronic journals, linking student and academic alike to a vast pool of cutting edge scientific research and debate.

Firstly Wynton took yours truly and a group of 8 Science writers through some information fundamentals. The starting blocks for research include understanding the principles of sources:

primary (research data)

secondary (books, journals, reports etc)

tertiary (encyclopedias and reviews).

Once these are acknowledged as legitimate sources for finding information, he focused on the second and most often used area - the secondary source. Research data can be found published in a vast array of firstly books, secondly standards and patents and thirdly Journal articles.

Google was a 'contentious issue' for Wynton, when asked if there was a trend towards greater reliance on the mega-search engine Google Scholar - a recent addition to the Library web pages.

Wynton said 'Google is fine, but don't rely on it as your only source for research'.

'The capability of Google grows with each year but you still need to carefully evaluate the source of your information to make sure that it is credible', he said. For example, while Google Scholar provides some up-to-date links to journal articles both on the World Wide Web and in the UniSA library, it is difficult to get a full spectrum of articles. The best approach is to use a combination of Google Scholar and other library databases such as IEEE Explore.

Wynton's 'best pics and tips' for Science writers include:

To scour the bibliographies in books for relevant journal articles

McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of Science and Technology

The Libraries Australia indexes (a five star rating, from Wynton)

Emerald (mostly for business students but contains the creme de la creme of journal articles.

IEEE Explore (which is absolutely huge)

Wynton's final musing was that 'information' is an over-used term and it is appropriate that it is linked with words like 'overload' and 'glut'. He explained that science writers should never reject anything, but should avoid relying on one area of search too much.

Friday, August 13: MIND MAPPING. This WILL change your approach to writing. REGISTER NOW!

Welcome to our blog

2007-08-09T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hi students, staff and other blog devotees

This blog is for all aspiring scientific writers to explore some of the common writing issues in science.

The blog will join companion workshops, which will run through the remainder of Study Period 5 at the Mawson Lakes Campus of UniSA.

Some of the topics covered in the face-to-face workshops will include:

Finding and Using Information (what ARE the best databases, anyway?)

Mind-mapping (organising your ideas)

Frameworks (what goes into an 'introduction' anyway?)

Sources (how to use them to your best writing advantage)

Journal articles (reading for meaning and efficiency)

Technical and academic language

Critical thinking

Editing

And more...REGISTER NOW

So stay posted and please contribute to our writing community. We would like to hear from you about any workshop ideas you might have.

Andrea and Helen