Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences

1
Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences

• An introduction to Biological research and paper
  writing

2
Chapter Seven Drafting and Revising

• The First Draft
• Devise a working title
• Make an outline
• Start with the easiest section
• Brainstorm with others
• Have someone else proofread your paper

3
Chapter Seven Drafting and Revising

• Content and Structure
• Make sure the paper flows - avoid choppy
  sentences
• Get rid of stuff you dont need
• Make sure you have all parts of the paper
• Be consistent - dont contradict yourself in your
  paper
• See list of questions you should be able to
  answer on pages 71 and 72

4
Chapter Seven Drafting and Revising

• Paragraphs
• Make paragraphs coherent
• Find a balance between length and structure
• Make sure paragraphs flow
• Combine short choppy sentences to help with flow

5
Chapter Seven Drafting and Revising

• Sentences
• Use the correct words - use a dictionary!
• Most common misused words are in the packet - pay
  attention to this section
• Dont use slang
• Follow basic rules of writing from language arts
• Be careful of plurals (see page 76)
• Get to the point, write in a straightforward
  manner

6
Chapter Seven Drafting and Revising

• More Structure
• Dont be wordy
• Dont be repetitive
• Use the passive voice to avoid using I, but
  active voice is allowable
• See packet for hints on verb usage

7
Chapter Seven Drafting and Revising

• Punctuation - pay attention to
• Commas
• Semicolons
• Colons
• Dashes
• Parentheses
• Quotes