The Craft of Scientific Writing Michael Alley Springer, 3rd edition, 1996 Summary by: Jay Fenwick

Outline Difficulties Constraints Tools Complexity of subject and language Constraints Audience, Format, Mechanics, Politics Tools Structure Organization: Beginnings, Middles, Ends Transitions, Depth Language Being Precise, Clear, Fluid, Straightforward Illustration

Difficulties Complexity of subject matter Complexity of language Circuit board construction Virtual memory mechanism Data link network layer protocols Complexity of language TCP Page fault Finite state machine

Constraints Audience dictates: Format Words you define, illustrations you use, depth YOUR AUDIENCE: CS major ready for 3481 Format 7-10 double spaced pages, 1” margins Cover & bibliography pages (not part of page limit) At least 5 references (numerical reference in text) Example: This can result in exponential growth. [1]

Constraints Mechanics Politics Rules of grammar (e.g., one is & many are) Rules of punctuation (commas, semicolons, etc.) Politics “remain honest” Referencing doesn’t allow copying Paraphrase: No direct quotes (almost)

Stylistic Tools Structure Language Illustration Strategy of document: Organization and more… Depth of details, transitions between details MOST IMPORTANT element of style Language Word choice and arrangement Strive for being: precise, clear, straightforward Illustration Figures and tables AND meshing of those with the language (not just pasting picture into paper) Increases “efficiency” of writing vs. complex language

Structure: Organization Beginnings of Documents Title Single most important phrase 1) Identifies field of study, 2) separates from others Abstract/Summary (not required for us) Introduction Defines full boundaries of work Show why work is important (sales) Necessary background information (must be selective) How will work be presented (roadmap)

Structure: Organization Middles of Documents Simply presents the work Convey logical strategy via (sub)headings Chronological (time) Spatial (shape or form of a thing) Flow (of some variable – e.g., energy – through system) Division/Classification (into parallel parts) Cause-effect (good for examining “why”) Comparison-contrast (good for showing several options)

Structure: Organization Ends of Documents Analyze key results (from middle!) Results as a whole, not individually (that’s in middle) No new findings!! Perspective of future impacts/work Bibliography: Author(s), “Title,” Publication, detail (e.g., pages, dates, etc.)

Structure: Transition, Depth, Emphasis Handling of details Handout A sentence is a single statement; a paragraph is a logical ordering of related statements; a section is a logical ordering of related paragraphs, etc. Sentences have to transition well from one to the next. So do paragraphs. So do sections.

Language: Being Precise Choosing the right word its/it’s: it’s = it is; its = possessive (e.g., its height) exponential: not all rapid growth is exponential “centers around”: an oxymoron Beware overuse of synonyms (dictionary preferred over thesaurus!) Level of Detail Balance between general statements and specific details Don’t overwhelm with details, select details that inform.

Language: Being Clear Needless Complexity Ambiguity Words: utilize vs. use Phrases: too many adjectives Sentences: too long (beware Dick & Jane though!) Ambiguity Word placement: Only I tested the bell jar for leaks today. Pronouns: There should be NO DOUBT as to what the pronoun refers. Punctuation (esp. comma)

Language: Being Fluid Vary sentence “rhythms” Vary sentence structure: Avoid sentences that: all begin the same way, have the same length, have same arrangement of nouns, verbs, phrases. Vary sentence structure: Simple sentences Compound sentences (2 independent parts) … and … “Complex” sentences (1 independent, 1 dependent part): “Although …, the …”

Language: Being Fluid Transitions between ideas: Same direction: also, moreover, first-second-third Pause: for instance, for example, in other words Opposite direction: however, on the other hand Vary sentence and paragraph length

Language: Being Straightforward Purpose is to inform – be sincere Simple, not pretentious, words and phrases: dihydrogen monoxide, “of course” Avoid silliness and cliches: “come up to speed” Use concrete nouns and active verbs; avoid noun and verb “phrases” “computer modeling capabilities” (computer models) “made the decision” (decided) Passive-to-active: flip subject and object “The voltage was displayed on the oscilloscope.”

Summary Difficulties: Complexity of subject and language Constraints: Audience, Format, Mechanics, Politics Tools Structure: Organization Beginnings: full scope, sales title Middles: logical strategy (e.g., chronological, cause-effect) Ends: no new results, future Structure: Transitions: Handout, s2s, p2p Language Needless complexity, right word, detail level/balance, sentence rhythms/structure/transition, straightforward Illustration