A Talk for Students in MICB505 A Talk for the Georgetown University Postdoctoral Association April 1

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A Talk for Students in MICB-505A Talk
for theGeorgetown University Postdoctoral
Association April 19, 2005

• WRITING TIPS
• WITH
  FOCUS ON GRANT APPLICATIONS

William Sansalone, Ph.D. Director, Division of
Grants and Faculty Development Imaging
Science and Information Systems (ISIS) Center
Department of Radiology Adjunct Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology
7-2891ws23_at_georgetown.edu
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Tip 1. Use an appropriate style manual--
and a good dictionary.

• The prescribed style manual at Georgetown is
  Chicago.
• (The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition,
  published by The University of Chicago Press.)
• A user friendly companion is Gregg. (The Gregg
  Reference Manual, 8th Edition, published by
  McGraw-Hill)
• Even more user friendly is Strunk and Whites
  little book. (The Elements of Style by William
  Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White see page 11 for full
  reference.)
• Websters Eleventh New Collegiate Dictionary is
  recommended.

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Tip 2. Omit needless words.It was both a long
ceremony and very tedious.1The ceremony was
both long and tedious.1

• Before. The project will consist of a research
  complex comprised of modular, flexible research
  modules designed for maximum adaptability to
  changing investigator needs which includes,
  specialized research areas, common equipment
  rooms, and offices.
• After. The project will consist of a research
  complex comprised of modules designed for maximum
  adaptability to changing investigator needs
  these include specialized research areas, common
  equipment rooms, and offices.
• Better alternative Recast.

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Tip 3. Use that and which with precision.
The lawn mower that is in the garage is broken.1
The lawn mower, which is broken, is in the
garage.1

• Defining. The project embodies a module that is
  designed for adaptability to changing needs.

• Nondefining. The module, which uses
  state-of-the-art
• materials, is designed for adaptability to
  changing needs.

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Tip 4. Keep related words together.
He noticed a large stain in the rug that was
right in the center.1
He noticed a large stain right in the center of
the rug.1

• Before. In a significant number of men, prostate
  cancer, refractory to androgen ablation
  re-emerges, resulting in a significant number of
  deaths as the resulting androgen independent
  prostate cancer leads to a huge increase in
  metastatic potential.

• After. In a significant number of men, prostate
  cancer refractory to androgen ablation
  re-emerges. The resulting androgen independent
  prostate cancer leads to an increase in
  metastasis--and, eventually, death.

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Tip 5. Use active voice mainly.
Active voice is usually more direct and vigorous
than passive.

• Before. If PTEN mutations can be detected in
  myeloma clinical samples and if Akt activation
  can be confirmed at late stage of patients, the
  concept for therapeutic intervention with
  inhibitors targeting the P13K/Akt pathway will be
  justified.

• After. Detection of PTEN mutations in myeloma
  clinical samples and confirmation of Akt
  activation in late-stage patients would justify
  therapeutic intervention with inhibitors
  targeting the PI3K/Akt pathway.

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Tip 6. Keep to one tense.
Record results in the past tense use present
tense for generalizations.2

• Before. Liu, Neu, and Lee (1) found that the
  transforming capacity of specific oncogenes under
  their experimental conditions is cyclin D1
  dependent. In work reported by Robles et al.
  (2), Ras-induced skin tumor formation was also
  reduced in transgenic mice deleted of the cyclin
  D1 gene. (From Section b. of a NIH application)

• After. Liu, Neu, and Lee (1) found that the
  transforming capacity of specific oncogenes under
  their experimental conditions was cyclin D1
  dependent. Later, Robles et al. (2) discovered
  that Ras-induced skin tumor formation was also
  reduced in transgenic mice deleted of the cyclin
  D1 gene.

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Tip 7. Place the emphatic words of a sentence
at the end.
This steel is principally used for making razors,
because of its hardness.1
Because of its hardness, this steel is used
principally for making razors.1

• Before. Nivene El-Koshairi will demonstrate the
  capabilities of the NIH Commons. This system
  enables investigators to electronically access
  priority scores and check proposal status.

• After. Nivene El-Koshairi will demonstrate the
  capabilities of the NIH Commons, a system that
  enables investigators to access priority scores
  and check proposal status electronically.

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Tip 8. Do not take short cuts at the cost of
clarity.
Do not use abbreviations unless you are certain
your readers will readilyunderstand them.
A good rule is to start your research plan by
writing out names in full and, when the reader
has got his/her bearings, to shorten them.

• If an abbreviation is the first word of a
  sentence, spell it out. Alternatively, recast
  the sentence.
• Examples
• Nitric oxide (NO)
• Vascular endothelial growth factor (VGEF)
• National Institute of Allergy and infectious
  Diseases (NIAID)
• NIH? Not necessary to spell out its in most
  dictionaries.

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Tip 9. Revise and rewrite.
Few of us are so expert that we can produce what
we are after on the first try.

• Before. Dr. Robin Barr of the National Institute
  on Aging (NIA) will be the guest speaker. The
  subject of Dr. Barrs talk will be the various
  grant mechanisms available to help advance ones
  professional development--and to contribute to
  the mission of the National Institute on Aging.
  Although the focus will be on NIA offerings,
  other NIH institutes offer the same mechanisms.

• After. Dr. Robin Barr, of the National Institute
  on Aging (NIA), will talk about the various
  grant mechanisms (R03s, K-awards, etc.) available
  to advance medical research--and ones
  professional development. Although the focus
  will be on NIA offerings, other NIH institutes
  use the same mechanisms.

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Tip 10. Develop an eye for layout.
Producing an attractive grant application (or
other piece) calls for a good eye as well as a
keen mind. Large blocks of print look
formidable. Use white space to make your
write-up inviting and easy to read (Indent
bullets split paragraphs give illustrations
breathing space.) Set headers in an
easy-to-comprehend, hierarchical scheme.

• Adhere to the recommendations in the NIH
  instructions (Form 398)
• The height of the letters must not be smaller
  than 10 point.
• Helvetica or Arial 12-point is the
  NIH-suggested font.
• No more than six lines of type within a
  vertical inch.
• Margins--in all directions--must be a least a
  half-inch.

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References

• Strunk, William Jr., White, E.B. (2000) The
  Elements of Style (Fourth Edition). Needham
  Heights, Massachusetts Allyn Bacon, a Simon
  Schuster Company.
• CFS Committee on Form and Style. (1964) Style
  Manual for Biological Journals (Second Edition).
  Washington, D.C. American Institute of
  Biological Sciences.
• CBE Council of Biology Editors. (1994)
  Scientific Style and Format the CBE Manual for
  Authors, Editors, and Publishers. Cambridge, UK
  CBE.