Toward Better Written Technical Communication
G. K. Suraishkumar Department of Biotechnology Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036
What is Communication?
Conveying thoughts and feelings such that they are understood by the receiver And the receiver responds likewise
Talking/Oral presentation
Listening
Writing
Reading
Why do we write papers/theses/reports?
To Communicate our Work
`Work that is not written up is effectively lost’
Suggestion: Write papers as you progress: thesis automatically falls in place
Types • Research progress reports, theses • Journal papers, conference papers, technical reports • Research proposals for funding
Journal Papers • Regular article • Review article • Letters (e.g. Science/Nature) • Rapid Publications … Not all journals are equal
Parts of a regular article • Title (and key words)
( Some material from Squires, 1999)
• Abstract • Introduction • Materials and Methods • Mathematical Model • Results and Discussion (combined or separate) • Conclusions (optional) • Nomenclature • References • Short Appendices (if any)
Title: preferably short, self explanatory
Keywords: for appropriate classification of the work
Abstract -
For those in the area: to decide whether they want to read the paper For gen. audience: work summary Scope, final numerical results, main conclusions In about 100 – 250 words
Introduction
- Brief background to highlight the significance of the work (not a complete literature survey) - Motivation (why did you do the work) - Is it novel? - Overall aim and specific objectives of the work - Contributions
Materials and Methods
- Apparatus, if standard, do not describe in detail; if novel, give full details - Same as above for procedures Procedure, if new, needs to be validated - Nevertheless, experiments need detailed description - But, thesis should contain all information in great detail
Results
- Give REPRESENTATIVE data, not all data - Present data in graphs or tables that effectively make your point (not necessarily in the way they were obtained e.g. not A vs. t, B vs. t when you are interested in A vs. B)
Discussion (students find this usually difficult to do)
- Comparison with other data/theories - Interpret your data/trends along with known literature information to bring out non-obvious facts/probable occurrences - Status of the field in light of your data
Format requirements
- Depends on the journal - Needs to be strictly followed; otherwise it will not be sent for review - Line spacing, font, numbering, Units, Nomenclature, Tables, Graphs, References in text, Reference List, ‌ Squires, G. L. (1999) Practical Physics, 3rd edn., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 169-175. Suraishkumar, G. K. (2004) Improving Coherence in Technical Writing, Chem. Eng. Ed., 38, 162-166. Kies, D. http://papyr.com accessed on 1st March 2003
Language
-Write correct language (grammar/spelling) – Take the help of a computer or a friend - Active vs. passive voice - Scientific vs. person-to-person
Good communication (written)
- Know your (average) reader level
CONTENT, KNOWLEDGE - Use correct language (spelling/grammar)
- Tell
a story (present coherently)
If you are naturally good, stick to your style
Cinderella Cinderella was that girl with a red shoe
The Prince found her with her lost shoe
She went to the Ball
A fairy godmother helped her
The fairy turned a pumpkin into a chariot and mice into horses
She had to return home by midnight, otherwise‌
She had a wicked step-mother and step-sisters
Typical student writing Usual sources of sentences, and ideas, initially: • web • papers • other reports (II order worse)
When the student realizes that material cannot be taken from elsewhere: A strategy that has been widely discussed to partially offset the constraints of the traditional teaching method, is the use of open-ended problems. The creativity aspect is limited to finding various solutions to a particular, instructor-assigned, and thereby, instructor limited problem. Traditional teaching methods involving only lectures and problem sets neither promote the creativity nor develop the independent thought processes that are desirable for the students’ future endeavors in the `real world’. Most open-ended problems are limited by the instructor. ...
Common exasperation: `What are you trying to say here?’
It can be ... Traditional teaching methods that use only lectures and problem sets neither promote the creativity(1-3) nor develop the independent thought processes that are desirable for the students’ future endeavors in the `real world’. One of the strategies that has been widely discussed to partially offset the constraints of the traditional teaching method, is the use of open-ended problems. Nevertheless, most open-ended problems are limited by the instructor; for example, the creativity aspect is limited to finding various solutions to a particular, instructor-assigned and thereby, instructor-limited, problem. ...
Adapted from: Sureshkumar, G. K. 2001. A Choose-Focus-Analyze Exercise in ChE Undergraduate Courses. Chem. Eng. Ed. 35: 80-85
How was the communication improved?
A structured approach to achieve coherence in technical writing Focus: journal m/s, thesis
Make sure that you have the knowledge/information/content This is an absolute pre-requisite
In addition, a significant no. of your discussion points (50%) must be clear to you before you start writing
Beginning to write Drink a glass of water. Take a few blank sheets, a pencil, and an eraser. Sit in a calm place where you will not be disturbed. Take a few deep breaths, always exhaling much more slowly than inhaling ...
1. What is the main idea to be communicated? Free radicals (A) can be used as a novel means to improve bioreactor (B) productivity
2. How should it be communicated? In various sections (normally fixed by a required format: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Mathematical model, Results and Discussion, Conclusions, etc.,.)
3. Take one section at a time and ask the question: what do I want to communicate in this section? e.g. What do I want to communicate in the Introduction?
In the Introduction Novelty of the strategy Contributions Motivation for the work Relevant background on free radicals
Overall aim and objectives of the work
Now, put yourselves in the reader’s position and order them: 1. Relevant background on free radicals 2. Motivation for the work 3. Novelty of the strategy 4. Overall aim and objectives of the work along with contributions Other levels: Suraishkumar, G. K. (2004) Improving Coherence in Technical Writing, Chem. Eng. Ed., 38, 162-166.
Scientific Communication is linear: Simple
Tools for coherence
Only after the material is well structured
Good writing The following passage is from The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell: 1872-1914 (pp. 3-4). (Kies, http://papyr.com) Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy — ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness — that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what — at last — I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine .... A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Tools: Repetition Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy — ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness — that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what — at last — I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine .... A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Tools: Antonymy Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy — ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness — that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what — at last — I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine .... A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Tools: Pro-forms pronoun Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy — ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness — that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what — at last — I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine .... A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Tools: Collocation commonly paired words Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy — ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness — that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what — at last — I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine .... A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Tools: Enumeration Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy — ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness — that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what — at last — I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine .... A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Tools: Transition Link sentences with particular logical relationships with conjunctions or equivalent
Cause and Effect: therefore, so, consequently, as a consequence, thus, as a result, hence, it follows that, because, since, for The data in the graph is highly scattered. There is no correlation between the two variables.
Opposition: indicates a contrast. but, yet, however, nevertheless, still, though, although, whereas, in contrast, rather The idea is elegant. It is impractical.
Addition: indicates continuation. and, too, also, furthermore, moreover, in addition, besides, in the same way, again, another, similarly, similar, the same We have demonstrated a novel strategy for productivity improvement. We have presented the molecular mechanism for the improvement.
Exercise 1 The map shows the Great Lakes in correct relative positions, but their shapes are somewhat distorted. On the wall above my desk at home I have a map of Canada prepared by the cartographer Guillaume de L’isle in 1720. But incomplete as this map was it doubtless served explorers, government officials, and scholars of that time. Much of the region, known at that time as La Nouvelle France, had been only partially explored, and consequently the map is clearly imperfect in the eyes of the 20th century American. Subsequent explorations, many of them by canoe, led to better and better maps as the unknown gave way to the known. The region to the west of Lake Superior was unknown in 1720.
R. B. Bird, Book Writing and Chemical Engineering Education: Rites Rewards, and Responsibilities, Chemical Engineering Education, Fall 1983.
Exercise 1 (A) The map shows the Great Lakes in correct relative positions, but their shapes are somewhat distorted. (B) On the wall above my desk at home I have a map of Canada prepared by the cartographer Guillaume de L’isle in 1720. (C) But incomplete as this map was it doubtless served explorers, government officials, and scholars of that time. (D) Much of the region, known at that time as La Nouvelle France, had been only partially explored, and consequently the map is clearly imperfect in the eyes of the 20th century American. (E) Subsequent explorations, many of them by canoe, led to better and better maps as the unknown gave way to the known. (F) The region to the west of Lake Superior was unknown in 1720.
Exercise 1 – a soln. B–A–D–F–C-E On the wall above my desk at home I have a map of Canada prepared by the cartographer Guillaume de L’isle in 1720. It shows the Great Lakes in about the correct relative positions, but their shapes are somewhat distorted. Much of the region, known at that time as La Nouvelle France, had only been partially explored, and consequently the map is clearly imperfect in the eyes of a 20th century American. The region to the west of Lake Superior was unknown in 1720. But incomplete as this map was it doubtless served explorers, government officials, and scholars of that time. Subsequent explorations, many of them by canoe, led to better and better maps as the unknown gave way to the known.
Exercise 2 I thought it might be useful to use this lecture to focus attention on the `rites, rewards, and responsibilities’ of book authorship. We hear very little about the activity of book-writing, which ought to be included as a third principal activity of a university teacher since it is concerned directly with the production, evaluation, organization, and dissemination of new knowledge. Since I have had the good fortune to co-author several books perhaps I can offer some appropriate words of encouragement to aspiring writers and even a few helpful suggestions regarding the art of writing. In educational circles today we hear a great deal about teaching and research. Maybe I can help others avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made.
Exercise 2 (A) I thought it might be useful to use this lecture to focus attention on the `rites, rewards, and responsibilities’ of book authorship. (B) We hear very little about the activity of book-writing, which ought to be included as a third principal activity of a university teacher since it is concerned directly with the production, evaluation, organization, and dissemination of new knowledge. (C) Since I have had the good fortune to co-author several books perhaps I can offer some appropriate words of encouragement to aspiring writers and even a few helpful suggestions regarding the art of writing. (D) In educational circles today we hear a great deal about teaching and research. (E) Maybe I can help others avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made. Also, add the missing transition tools (link words)
Exercise 2 – a soln. D–B–A–C-E
In educational circles today we hear a great deal about teaching vs. research. Nevertheless, we hear very little about the activity of book-writing, which ought to be included as a third principal activity of a university teacher since it is concerned directly with the production, evaluation, organization, and dissemination of new knowledge. Therefore, I thought it might be useful to use this lecture to focus on the `rites, rewards, and responsibilities’ of book authorship. Since I have had the pleasure and good fortune to co-author several books perhaps I can offer some appropriate words of encouragement to aspiring writers and even a few helpful suggestions regarding the art of writing. Maybe I can help other avoid some of the mistakes that I’ve made.
Exercise 3
Meanwhile we do make do with the currently available books, recognizing that mistakes and misconceptions contained in them will occasionally result in confusion and disaster – just as the errors in the Canadian maps have plagued the canoeist. The 1720 map over my desk serves as a constant reminder that current books on science and engineering represent only an imperfect summary of our present knowledge and that beyond the covers of these books is a vast unknown which will be explored and charted by those who follow us. The books of the future will reflect new discoveries and will present the subject material in sharper focus and in better perspective.
Exercise 3 (A) Meanwhile we do make do with the currently available books, recognizing that mistakes and misconceptions contained in them will occasionally result in confusion and disaster – just as the errors in the Canadian maps have plagued the canoeist. (B) The 1720 map over my desk serves as a constant reminder that current books on science and engineering represent only an imperfect summary of our present knowledge and that beyond the covers of these books is a vast unknown which will be explored and charted by those who follow us. (C) The books of the future will reflect new discoveries and will present the subject material in sharper focus and in better perspective.
Exercise 3 – a soln. B–C–A
The 1720 map over my desk serves as a constant reminder that current books on science and engineering represent only an imperfect summary of our present knowledge and that beyond the covers of these books is a vast unknown which will be explored and charted by those who follow us. The books of the future will reflect new discoveries and will present the subject material in sharper focus and in better perspective. Meanwhile we do make do with the currently available books, recognizing that mistakes and misconceptions contained in them will occasionally result in confusion and disaster – just as the errors in the Canadian maps have plagued the canoeist.
What order would you place the paragraphs in? 1–3-2 On the wall above my desk at home I have a map of Canada prepared by the cartographer Guillaume de L’isle in 1720. It shows the Great Lakes in about the correct relative positions, but their shapes are somewhat distorted. Much of the region, known at that time as La Nouvelle France, had only been partially explored, and consequently the map is clearly imperfect in the eyes of a 20th century American. The region to the west of Lake Superior was unknown in 1720. But incomplete as this map was it doubtless served explorers, government officials, and scholars of that time. Subsequent explorations, many of them by canoe, led to better and better maps as the unknown gave way to the known. The 1720 map over my desk serves as a constant reminder that current books on science and engineering represent only an imperfect summary of our present knowledge and that beyond the covers of these books is a vast unknown which will be explored and charted by those who follow us. The books of the future will reflect new discoveries and will present the subject material in sharper focus and in better perspective. Meanwhile we do make do with the currently available books, recognizing that mistakes and misconceptions contained in them will occasionally result in confusion and disaster – just as the errors in the Canadian maps have plagued the canoeist. In educational circles today we hear a great deal about teaching vs. research. However, we hear very little about the activity of book-writing, which ought to be included as a third principal activity of a university teacher since it is concerned directly with the production, evaluation, organization, and dissemination of new knowledge. Therefore, I thought it might be useful to use this lecture to focus on the `rites, rewards, and responsibilities’ of book authorship. Since I have had the pleasure and good fortune to co-author several books perhaps I can offer some appropriate words of encouragement to aspiring writers and even a few helpful suggestions regarding the art of writing. Maybe I can help other avoid some of the mistakes that I’ve made.
- How to write coherently - How to improve writing using coherence tools
Initially, it takes a lot of practice to write well If you are naturally good, stick to your style For 99% of the students I have seen, good technical communication is a learned skill