Newbury Victoria Kin 355 Disc 4 Submitted October 8th 2013 Lebrun Notes Scientific Writing 2 0 a reader and writer s guide Part 1 The Reading Toolkit Time memory energy attention motivation Keep reader s attention and motivation high Chapter 1 Require Less from Memory The Forgotten or Undefined Acronym o Acronyms allow us to be concise Unless it decreases clarity Irregularly used Reading is frequently interrupted o Don t expect the reader to be an expert define acronyms o Acronym used 2 3 times Don t use Unless short paper Or blatantly obvious o Used 3 times Expand on every new time Expand in headings subheadings Don t use in visuals Be conservative don t use an acronym for everything The only time you don t have to define them is if they are VERY obvious ex U S A o If well known introduce it before its definition The Detached Pronoun o Pronouns This Them It Their They o Replaces noun sentence paragraph o Shortcut to avoid repetition o Noun pronoun link can t be too long o Be specific the reader may not know who what you re referring to Unless pronoun s subject is in the near future in the reading then its ok o Reader Uses context Previous knowledge Distance between candidate and pronoun Grammar Plurality gender o When writing make sure to be clear concise and short The Diverting Synonym o Avoid synonyms use the same key words throughout your paper gets rid of confusion The Distant Background o Pretend readers have short term memory loss Background info falls out of their ears if it isn t relevant in the beginning of the paper o When a heading or subheading in your paper contains a new word requiring explanation explain it in the first sentence under the heading o Appositions are ineffective when they slow down reading and lengthen sentences The Broken Couple o Keep happy couples together Verb its object Unfamiliar word its definition Subject its verb Acronym definition Visual complete caption Noun phrase pronoun Background info what requires info o Increase reading speed Keep syntactically semantically closely related items on the same page in the same paragraph sentence line The Word Overflow o Before rewriting a long sentence to avoid what comp Programmers call memory stack overflow and humans call headache identify the intent of the author o Best way to persuade someone to let go of something familiar and adopt something new is to anticipate and respond to the most common objection people might have when considering the change o Toll on readers memory Acronyms Pronouns Synonyms Abusive detailing Background ghettos Cryptic captions Disconnected phrases Long sentences Chapter 2 Sustain Attention to Ensure Continuous Reading Keep the Story Moving Forward o Attention getter is CHANGE keeps story moving o The lake No purpose Ideas in no particular order Repeated ideas Reading slow clarity low o The whirlpool Nested detailing Takes away from main idea o The omega meander Writer goes back to a previously mentioned subject to add detail Distracting Flow of thought disrupted o The counter current Pulling previously mentioned information forward Slows reading Lengthens sentences Twist and Shout o Add subheadings o Contributive visuals o Bring changes to format and style moderation Bold Numbered list Underlined Italic text Change in font Box around text o Change sentence length o Ask questions o Change sentence syntax and length o Convey importance with words that act like pointing fingers o Keep same contribution in front of reader throughout the paper o Announce contrasted views facts o Keep enough of the unexpected difficulties to sustain interest and build in the readers mind the image of a resourceful scientist o Use numbers o Announce the alternative routes when you are about to change direction in story plot Pause to Illustrate and Clarify o Stars Summarize what s important Use examples Recreate Local Suspense o Stars Use question marks to create suspense Refocuses the mind prepares for answer Establishes the topic of a paragraph clearly Moves ideas in a given direction Question lingers in mind o Bold words things to include in writing Indirect question Unexpected findings Not yet justified claim Negative sentence Announcement of change Provocative sentences Values in a visual Antagonistic claims Roadblock Chapter 3 Reduce Reading Time Be concise and to the point Differences in perception of time o Familiarity with topic o Linguistic skills o Reading motivation o Reading habits o Reader s tiredness Less subjective to time when they look at visuals o High information bandwidth Reading slow o Writer creates reading accidents o When sentence is complex abstract o Structure is insufficient o Not familiar with topic o Extra processing time required because of the complexity of sentence syntax o Lacks conciseness Sentences that fill in knowledge gaps and have explanations for keywords will speed up reading Have detailed informative structure Unpack long compound nouns and clarify them by adding a preposition to speed up reading Paper is too fat o Words that should be a visual o Formative stage structure o Slowness of the mind o Trying to cram to much in one paper o Hurried paper o Detail given to unnecessary topics When you need to lengthen o Intro needs to set context and highlight values of contribution o Highlight aspects in every section of paper o Reveal potential impact of your contribution on science o Details that allow research colleagues to follow logic assess results Chapter 4 Keep the Reading Time Attention o Directs brain activity o Governed by motivation Fueled by need or interest Fueled when expectations are met quickly Derailed when expectations not met Syntax too obscure Initial knowledge insufficient Paper disappointing Dash or Fuel the Hopes of Your Readers Your Choice o Starts with the title Initial motivation for reader to look at the rest of your article o Dash doesn t represent your article well Reading article will take more time than anticipated Doesn t give baseline knowledge required to read paper Using prose that confuses the reader turns them away Boring the reader No variety No interesting information Boring style o Fuel fully represents your article Reading article will take less time than anticipated Gives baseline knowledge required to read article Prose that the reader will understand Is interesting to reader Dynamic style New info emphasized Text rich in stories and illustrations Meet the Goals of Your Readers to Motivate Them o Field intelligence