Title: Scientific Writing, HRP 214
1Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Bob and I were very fond of the piece.
- B. Bob and me were very fond of the piece.
2Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Bob and I were very fond of the piece.
- B. Bob and me were very fond of the piece.
3Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. That man and I were talking.
- B. That man and me were talking.
4Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. That man and I were talking.
- B. That man and me were talking.
5Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Their data was intriguing.
- B. Their data were intriguing.
6Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Their data was intriguing.
- B. Their data were intriguing.
7Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. She told Bob and me that the end was near.
- B. She told Bob and I that the end was near.
8Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. She told Bob and me that the end was near.
- B. She told Bob and I that the end was near.
9Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. I hope that she and I will reconcile.
- B. I hope that she and me will reconcile.
10Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. I hope that she and I will reconcile.
- B. I hope that she and me will reconcile.
11Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Between you and I, we should have it done in
no time. - B. Between you and me, we should have it done in
no time.
12Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Between you and I, we should have it done in
no time. - B. Between you and me, we should have it done in
no time.
13Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. He looks like Bill Clinton.
- B. He looks as Bill Clinton.
14Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. He looks like Bill Clinton.
- B. He looks as Bill Clinton.
15Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Her dresses werent worth very much compared
with her shoes. - B. Her dresses werent worth very much compared
to her shoes.
16Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Her dresses werent worth very much compared
with her shoes. - B. Her dresses werent worth very much compared
to her shoes. - mnemonic when things are inherently similar,
they are generally grouped with each other - ? Your scientific studies will more commonly be
seeking distinctions among things previously
understood to be similar (than similarities among
inherently different things)
17Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. To whom did you betray my secret?
- B. To who did you betray my secret?
18Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. To whom did you betray my secret?
- B. To who did you betray my secret?
19Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Who owns that mean dog?
- B. Whom owns that mean dog?
20Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Who owns that mean dog?
- B. Whom owns that mean dog?
21Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. The person about who you speak is a fool.
- B. The person about whom you speak is a fool.
22Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. The person about who you speak is a fool.
- B. The person about whom you speak is a fool.
23Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. People whom live in glass houses shouldnt
throw stones. - B. People who live in glass houses shouldnt
throw stones.
24Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. People whom live in glass houses shouldnt
throw stones. - B. People who live in glass houses shouldnt
throw stones.
25Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Its my head on the line.
- B. Its my head on the line.
26Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Its my head on the line.
- B. Its my head on the line.
27Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Its head was on the chopping block.
- B. Its head was on the chopping block.
28Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Its head was on the chopping block.
- B. Its head was on the chopping block.
29Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Virgil is the candidate who we hope to elect.
- B. Virgil is the candidate whom we hope to elect.
30Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Virgil is the candidate who we hope to elect.
- B. Virgil is the candidate whom we hope to elect.
31Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Your cigarette tastes good, like a cigarette
should. - B. Your cigarette tastes good, as a cigarette
should.
32Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Your cigarette tastes good, like a cigarette
should. - B. Your cigarette tastes good, as a cigarette
should.
33Scientific Writing, HRP 214
34Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Over 30 disease states can result in the
clinical characteristics of dementia. - B. More than 30 disease states can result in the
clinical characteristics of dementia.
35Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Over 30 disease states can result in the
clinical characteristics of dementia. - B. More than 30 disease states can result in the
clinical characteristics of dementia.
36Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Fewer men are in the class than women.
- B. Less men are in the class than women.
37Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Fewer men are in the class than women.
- B. Less men are in the class than women.
38Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Fewer restrictive measures are needed.
- B. Less restrictive measures are needed.
39Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Juan Zabala is a twenty-nine-year-old Mexican
whom the San Francisco police charged with
breaking into a 1991 Honda Accord. - B. Juan Zabala is a twenty-nine-year-old Mexican
who the San Francisco police charged with
breaking into a 1991 Honda Accord.
40Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A. Juan Zabala is a twenty-nine-year-old Mexican
whom the San Francisco police charged with
breaking into a 1991 Honda Accord. - B. Juan Zabala is a twenty-nine-year-old Mexican
who the San Francisco police charged with
breaking into a 1991 Honda Accord.
41Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Some Notes on Science Style
- Following are some general guidelines on
preferred style for manuscripts submitted to
Science -
- Avoid jargon explain obscure terms and define
acronyms (keep in mind that many potential
readers of your work will not be specialists in
your field). - Use active voice when suitable, particularly when
necessary for correct syntax (e.g., "To address
this possibility, we constructed a lZap library
. . .," not "To address this possibility, a lZap
library was constructed . . ."). - Write concisely (e.g., "even though," not "in
spite of the fact that").
42Scientific Writing, HRP 214Sentence-editing
warm-up
- Recent research suggests that these two
disorders may not be as distinct as previously
was thought and the degree of overlap may be
considerable. -
43Scientific Writing, HRP 214Sentence-editing
warm-up
- Possible rewrite
- Recent research suggests that these two
disorders may overlap considerably.
44Scientific Writing, HRP 214Sentence-editing
warm-up
- The study of Barrett et al. (1997) is considered
to be methodologically sound. In that study,
1,000 bacteria were transformed with the novel
gene.
45Scientific Writing, HRP 214Sentence-editing
warm-up
- Possible rewrites
- In a methodologically sound study by Barret et
al. (1997), 1,000 bacteria were transformed with
the novel gene. (passive voice) - Using sound methods, Barret et al. (1997),
transformed 1,000 bacteria with the novel gene.
(active voice)
46Scientific Writing, HRP 214MORE WARM-UP
- 1. A progressive decrease in the death rate
occurred. - The death rate progressively decreased.
- 2. These agents exert their action by inhibition
of synthesis of cholesterol by the liver. - These agents inhibit cholesterol synthesis by the
liver.
47Scientific Writing, HRP 214WARM-UP
- 3. There are many scientists who dont like to
write. - Many scientists dont like to write.
- In classic epidemiology, the case-control can
provide efficiencies when the occurrence of
disease in the population is relatively rare. - ? In classic epidemiology, the case-control study
is efficient for rare diseases.
48Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Lecture Three
- Punctuation, Parallelism, and the Good Sentence.
49Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- For those of you reading Sin and Syntax(from
Salon magazine) - Rather than a beepOr a rude error message,These
words File not found. - A crash reducesYour expensive computerTo a
simple stone.
50Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- The code was willing,It considered your
request,But the chips were weak. - Errors have occurred.We won't tell you where or
why.Lazy programmers.
51Scientific Writing, HRP 214and a few from Car
Talk
- Four-wheel drive pickupI remember his last
wordsHold my beer, watch this! - I'm writing Haikugoing 80 miles per hourIs that
safe to do? - I have an old car.It rattles, coughs and
sputters. I smile. No payments.
52Scientific Writing, HRP 214and a few from Car
Talk
- Hilltop. Lake below.My car sinks so slowly.
Thank god it's a rental. - "Check engine" light on.Unscrew the dash. Stab
with pen."Check engine" light off. - Just one more exitGas prices will be
lowerCheapskate starts walking
53Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Lesson One Our friends the dash, colon,
semicolon, and parenthesis
54Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Note A clause is a unit of grammatical
organization next below the sentence in rank. A
clause has a subject and a predicate.
55Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Increasing power to separate
- Comma
- Colon
- Dash
- Parentheses
- Semicolon
- Period
56Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Increasing formality
- Dash
- Parentheses
- The Others (Comma,Colon,Semicolon,Period)
57Scientific Writing, HRP 214Semicolon
Semicolon Indicates a pause, typically between
two main clauses, that is more pronounced than
that indicated by a comma. Example Kennedy
could be a cold and vain man, and he led a life
of privilege. But he knew something about the
world he also cared about it.
58Scientific Writing, HRP 214Parentheses
Parenthesis (parenthetical expression) A word,
clause, or sentence inserted as an explanation or
afterthought into a passage that is grammatically
complete without it. ? If you remove the
material within the parentheses, the main point
of the sentence should not change.
59Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Colon
- Use a colon after an independent clause to
introduce a list of items, an explanation, an
amplification, or an illustrative quotation. - The colon has more effect than the comma, less
power to separate than the semicolon, and more
formality than the dash.--Strunk and White
60Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Colon (list or
explanation)
- The hydrogen bonds are made as follows purine
position 1 to pyrimidine position 1 purine
position 6 to pyrimidine position 6. - These pairs are adenine (purine) with thymine
(pyrimidine), and guanine (purine) with cytosine
(pyrimidine). - From A structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic
AcidWatson and Crick 1953
61Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Colon (list or
explanation)
- Washington has a simple solution to most
governments it doesnt like isolate them, slap
sanctions on them, and wait for their downfall. - The woman suffers from lack of experience and a
chronic Democratic disease compound sentences. -
62Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Colon (list)
- Cross-sectional studies that have measured BMD in
formerly anorectic women or elite athletes up to
25 years after diagnosis or cessation of
competition have found mixed results, including
normal BMD values for age (5,6,7), moderately
reduced BMD (8), and unexpectedly high
proportions of osteopenia and osteoporosis
(9,10,11).
63Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Colon (quote,
list)
- The Ask not line follows right after an
exhortation modeled on Franklin Roosevelts
rendezvous with destiny In the long history
of the world, only a few generations have been
granted the role of defending freedom in its hour
of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this
responsibilityI welcome it. The note throughout
is one of alarm The trumpet summons us again
the burden of a long twilight struggle that
uncertain balance of terror.
64- NOTE The rule of threes for lists and
examples. - Example They dramatically reduced the number of
series in production in 1935, fourteen series
were circulating in 1940, nine by 1980, when
the syndicate was in its final years, only four.
65Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Colon (to amplify
or interpret)
- Join two independent clauses with a colon if the
second interprets or amplifies the first
Companies use Marsh for the same reason that home
sellers use real-estate agents the agents
knowledge and experience is supposed to help the
client get the right deal at the right price.
66Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Colon Practice
- Evidence-based medicine teaches clinicians the
practical application of clinical epidemiology,
as needed to address specific problems of
specific patients. It guides clinicians on how
to find the best evidence relevant to a specific
problem, how to assess the quality of that
evidence, and perhaps most difficult, how to
decide if the evidence applies to a specific
patient.
67Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Colon join and
condense
- Evidence-based medicine teaches clinicians the
practical application of clinical epidemiology,
including how to find the best evidence relevant
to a specific problem, how to assess the quality
of that evidence, and how to decide if the
evidence applies to a specific patient.
68Scientific Writing, HRP 214Colon misuse
- EXAMPLE, what not to do!
- Two aspects of alcohol use are related to brain
injuries as a factor associated with risk of an
injury such as a motor vehicle crash, and as a
factor in TBI diagnosis, recovery, or survival
after injury. - ?
- Two aspects of alcohol use are related to brain
injuries its association with risk of injury,
such as motor vehicle crash, and its post-injury
influences on TBI diagnosis, recovery, or
survival after injury.
69Scientific Writing, HRP 214Colon misuse
- EXAMPLE, what not to do!
- In one project we have a nutritionist, a
psychologist, statisticians, a computer
specialist, and dietitians a whole range of
specialties. - ?
- In one project we have a whole range of
specialties a nutritionist, a psychologist,
statisticians, a computer specialist, and
dietitians.
70Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or
interruption and to announce a long explanation
or summary. Helps add emphasis. - A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a
comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed
than parentheses.Strunk and White - Use a dash only when a more common mark of
punctuation seems inadequate.Strunk and White - i.e. Reserve this tool for the really tough
jobs!
71Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- The drugs did more than prevent new fat
accumulation. They also triggered overweight
mice to shed significant amounts of fatup to
half their body weight. (emphasis) - To establish that the marrow cellsalso called
adult stem cells or endothelial precursor
cellscan colonize the eye, Friedlander and his
colleagues first transplanted stem cells from an
adult mouse into the eyes of newborn mice. (long
summary) - How would the feel of these sentences change with
parentheses or commas?
72Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- With commas instead(clunky and long)
- The drugs did more than prevent new fat
accumulation. They also triggered overweight
mice to shed significant amounts of fat, up to
half their body weight. - To establish that the marrow cells, also called
adult stem cells or endothelial precursor cells,
can colonize the eye, Friedlander and his
colleagues first transplanted stem cells from an
adult mouse into the eyes of newborn mice.
73Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- With parentheses instead(buries the info.)
- The drugs did more then prevent new fat
accumulation. They also triggered overweight
mice to shed significant amounts of fat (up to
half their body weight). - To establish that the marrow cells (also called
adult stem cells or endothelial precursor cells)
can colonize the eye, Friedlander and his
colleagues first transplanted stem cells from an
adult mouse into the eyes of newborn mice.
74Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- Researchers who study shipworms say these
mislabeled animalstheyre clams, not wormsare
actually a scientific treasure. (emphasis and
added information) - The storewhich is windowless and has clusters
of unsmiling security guards standing at its
entrances, as if it were the embassy of a
particularly beleaguered nationcaters to rich
Brazilians, members of the ten per cent of the
population who command nearly half the national
income, and wear Chanel, Valentino, or Dolce
Gabbana. (long description)
75Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- Commas instead
- Researchers who study shipworms say these
mislabeled animals, theyre clams, not worms, are
actually a scientific treasure. (commas arent
strong enough to set off a clause) - The store, which is windowless and has clusters
of unsmiling security guards standing at its
entrances, as if it were the embassy of a
particularly beleaguered nation, caters to rich
Brazilians, members of the ten per cent of the
population who command nearly half the national
income, and wear Chanel, Valentino, or Dolce
Gabbana. (too long-winded without an abrupt
pause)
76Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- Researchers who study shipworms say these
mislabeled animals (theyre clams, not worms) are
actually a scientific treasure. (buries the
information) - The store (which is windowless and has clusters
of unsmiling security guards standing at its
entrances, as if it were the embassy of a
particularly beleaguered nation) caters to rich
Brazilians, members of the ten per cent of the
population who command nearly half the national
income, and wear Chanel, Valentino, or Dolce
Gabbana. (takes away from the description)
77Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- Baseball is the only game thats played every
day, which is why its season often seems endless,
right up to the inning and the outthe little
toss over to first basewhen, wow, it ends. - Comma instead
- Baseball is the only game thats played every
day, which is why its season often seems endless,
right up to the inning and the out, the little
toss over to first base, when, wow, it ends. (no
emphasis on the image) - Parentheses instead
- Baseball is the only game thats played every
day, which is why its season often seems endless,
right up to the inning and the out (the little
toss over to first base) when, wow, it ends.
(makes it seem unimportant)
78Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- While all these steps are small and easily
reversibleLibya is still ruled by a wacky
megalomaniacthere is some real movement here. - Comma instead
- While all these steps are small and easily
reversible, Libya is still ruled by a wacky
megalomaniac, there is some real movement here.
(run-on sentence) - Parentheses instead
- While all these steps are small and easily
reversible (Libya is still ruled by a wacky
megalomaniac) there is some real movement here.
(buries the best part of the sentence!)
79Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash Practice
- Finally, the lessons of clinical epidemiology are
not meant to be limited to academic
physician-epidemiologists, who sometimes have
more interest in analyzing data than caring for
patients. Clinical epidemiology holds the
promise of providing clinicians with the tools
necessary to improve the outcomes of their
patients.
80Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash
- Finally, the lessons of clinical epidemiology are
not meant to be limited to academic
physician-epidemiologists, who sometimes have
more interest in analyzing data than caring for
patients. Clinical epidemiology holds the
promise of providing clinicians with the tools
necessary to improve the outcomes of their
patients.
81Scientific Writing, HRP 214The Dash join and
condense
- Finally, clinical epidemiology is not limited to
academic physician-epidemiologistswho are
sometimes more interested in analyzing data than
caring for patients-but provides clinicians with
the tools to improve their patients outcomes.
82Scientific Writing, HRP 214 The Dash some
technical details
- HYPHEN (1 unit) to connect compound words or
non-range numbers to break word that will
continue on next line - ? little-known fact, en-dash, 723-8222
- EN-DASH (2 units) to indicate range (numbers,
dates, time) or collaboration - ? pages 1 9 , open 9 am 5 pm, MorrisHayes
lab, SinoSoviet pact - ? not a compound name of an individual, as in
Catherine Zeta-Jones - EM-DASH (3 units) to represent a sudden break in
thought that causes an abrupt change in sentence
structure - ? The m-dash is longerthe length of the letter
m.
83Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Lesson 2 Use Parallel Construction
84Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Unparallel
- Locusts denuded fields in Utah, rural Iowa was
washed away by torrents, and in Arizona the
cotton was shriveled by the placing heat. - Vs.
- Parallel
- Locusts denuded fields in Utah, torrents washed
away rural Iowa, and blazing heat shriveled
Arizonas cotton.
85Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Make a choice and abide by it!
86Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Pairs of ideastwo ideas joined by and, or,
or butshould be written in parallel form. - Cardiac input decreased by 40 but
- blood pressure decreased by only 10.
- SVX but SVX
87Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Pairs of ideastwo ideas joined by and or or
butshould be written in parallel form. - We hoped to increase the response and
- to improve survival.
- Infinitive phrase and infinitive phrase.
88Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Lists of ideas (and number lists of ideas) should
be written in parallel form.
89Scientific Writing, HRP 214Parallelism
- Not Parallel
- If you want to be a good doctor, you must study
hard, critically think about the medical
literature, and you should be a good listener. - Parallel
- If you want to be a good doctor you must study
hard, listen well, and think critically about the
medical literature. (imperative, imperative,
imperative) - Parallel
- If you want to be a good doctor, you must be a
good student, a good listener, and a critical
thinker about the medical literature. (noun,
noun, noun)
90Scientific Writing, HRP 214Parallelism
- Not Parallel
- This research follows four distinct phases (1)
establishing measurement instruments (2) pattern
measurement (3) developing interventions and (4)
the dissemination of successful interventions to
other settings and institutions. - Parallel
- This research follows four distinct phases (1)
establishing measurement instruments (2)
measuring patterns (3) developing interventions
and (4) disseminating successful interventions to
other settings and institutions.
91Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Lesson 3 The case of the buried predicate
- One study of 930 adults with multiple sclerosis
(MS) receiving care in one of two managed care
settings or in a fee-for-service setting found
that only two-thirds of those needing to contact
a neurologist for an MS-related problem in the
prior 6 months had done so (Vickrey et al 1999).
92Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- The case of the buried predicate
- One study found that, of 930 adults with
multiple sclerosis (MS) who were receiving care
in one of two managed care settings or in a
fee-for-service setting, only two-thirds of those
needing to contact a neurologist for an
MS-related problem in the prior six months had
done so (Vickrey et al 1999).
93Profile writing exercise
- Pick one person to be the interviewer and one to
be the interviewee (well swap next time). - Interview question What brought you to
Stanfordspiritually, literally, or otherwise? - Then each take 10 minutes to write up a 1-2
paragraph mini profile (SHORT, PUNCHY, CLEVER,
HUMOROUS) of the other person. Use at least one
dash or colon and at least one sentence with
parallel construction.
94Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- And finally
- This weeks top 5 countdown
95Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- 1. Farther v. further
- Farther is used for distance. (think far)
- Further is used for time or quantity. (think
future) - I can throw a ball farther than you.
- I am pursuing that research further.
96Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- Other similar words
- FORWARD v. FORWARDS v. FOREWORD
- TOWARD v. TOWARDS
- ? Some sources prefer adverbs forward and toward
to forwards and towards (a bit more formal
without the s s more common in UK) foreword
preface to a book
97Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- 2. Die of v. die from
- People and animals die of, not from, specific
diseases. - She died of a heart attack.
98Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- 3. compliment v. complement
- Compliment is to praise or to present with a
token of esteem. - Complement is to mutually complete each other.
- She complimented his haircut.
- That dress complements your eyes.
- In complement, think of complete-ment
- proteins completing antibodies (complement
cascade), angles combining to reach 90 degrees,
or musical intervals completing an octave
99 100Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- A comic interlude, for illustration
- A man walks into a bar and sits down. He orders
a beer and begins to drink it, when he hears a
mysterious voice You're looking very handsome
this evening. The man looks around, but theres
no one else nearby. That suit is quite
magnificent," continues the voice. And what a
delightful tie! - The man calls the bartender over and confides,
somewhat sheepishly, I keep hearing voices but I
don't seem to be able to work out where they're
coming from! - The bartender replies, "It's the nuts, sir.
They're complimentary."
101Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- 4. Comprise v. compose
- Comprise means to contain. Comprise implies a
complete listing, whereas include may signal an
incomplete listing. - Compose means to make up.
-
- The parts compose (make up) the whole the whole
comprises (contains) the parts. - The USA comprises 50 states. (the whole contains
the parts) - Fifty states compose the USA. (the parts make
up the whole) - The USA is composed of 50 states. (the whole is
made up of the parts) - Fifty states are comprised in the USA. (the parts
are contained in the whole)
102Scientific Writing, HRP 214
- 5. locate v. localize
- Locate is to determine the position of something
to find its location. - Localize is to confine or fix in a particular
area or part. - The police located the suspect at the edge of
town. - Iodine tends to localize in the thyroid.
103Scientific Writing, HRP 214HOMEWORK
- Read
- Read chapters 9-10 of Sin and Syntax (pp.
129-168) - Read Chapter 7 of Successful Scientific Writing
-
- Revise edited news story (3-unit students)
- Mini-exercises more sentence rewriting
104Scientific Writing, HRP 214Preview to next time
- For next time
- We continue our systematic review of the basics
of writing. - Words? sentences? paragraphs