Welcome to the REU Writing Workshop
Why a workshop on scientific writing? Consider the following from F. Peter Woodford:
Some of the worst [articles] are produced by the kind of author who consciously pretends to a "scientific scholarly" style. He takes what should be lively, inspiring, and beautiful and, in an attempt to make it seem dignified, chokes it to death with stately abstract nouns; next, in the name of scientific impartiality, he fits it with a complete set of passive constructions to drain away any remaining life's blood or excitement; then he embalms the remains in molasses of polysyllable, wraps the corpse in an impenetrable veil of vogue words, and buries the stiff old mummy with much pomp and circumstance in the most distinguished journal that will take it. Considered either as a piece of scholarly work or as a vehicle of communication, the product is appalling. (Science, Vol. 156, No. 3776 (May 12, 1967), pp. 743-745)
Woodford finishes the paragraph with the question: "Does it matter?" Nearly 45 years after his complaint, we are still asking the same question, and still answering "Yes, it matters". It matters because scientific progress depends on evidence and consensus -- the success of evidence relies on experimental design, but the success of the consensus turns solely on communication. Brigham Young University puts it this way:
What is real?
The work on your [research report] is perhaps the closest thing to a "real-world" experience that you will have in college. Nobody solves textbook problems or takes exams for a living. Soon, others will judge you primarily by your research initiative and on your ability to communicate; your college grades will be superfluous. For the first time (and far from the last) you will be expected to craft and define a problem which inevitably will be murky in the beginning. You will have to find and explain the context for that problem, including a clear summary of the related works of others. You must justify your choice of problem. The research for a [written report] will require initiative and imagination. You will have the opportunity to develop a clear description of your work and a coherent and concise argument for its conclusions. (http://www.physics.byu.edu/Undergraduate/Thesis.aspx/[research/written report] are "senior thesis" in orginal)
Good scientific writing is more than a hypothetical concern.
This workshop addresses the immediate need to produce a written research report at the end of your research experience. It will also furnish you with transferable skills -- writing skills that will last the rest of your academic career. Why am I so confident of this? Because writing across the sciences require the same basic pieces of information delivered with the same basic style needs. This workshop will address these needs. You will leave knowing the structure of a scientific report, the template for building that structure, and the process for writing research efficiently and effectively.
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