A few summary points

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.