Scientific Communication

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Scientific Communication

• Scientific Writing Literature

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Scientific Literature

• Three basic types
• Primary
• 2. Secondary
• Review papers
• Compilations and Textbooks
• 3. Popular

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Scientific Literature

• 1. Primary
• Reports original results of experiments or
  observations.
• Typically peer-reviewed
• Published in Scientific Journals or Conference
  Proceedings
• The best source for information on specific
  subjects because it is the initial report of
  findings.

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Scientific Literature

• 1. Primary
• Scientific Journals
• Usually published by a scientific society
  specializing in the specific subject
• Peer-reviewed manuscripts are sent to the
  editor, who sends it out to multiple scholars in
  the field that make comments. Those comments are
  than sent to the author(s) and they are
  addressed. The editor, with input from the
  reviewers, then decides if the manuscript is to
  be published or it is in need of additional
  revisions.

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Scientific Literature

• 1. Primary
• Conference Proceedings
• Published by the organization that organizes a
  conference or meeting
• Includes the findings that were presented during
  that meeting.
• May or may not be peer-reviewed

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Scientific Literature

• 2. Secondary
• Literature Review
• A synopsis of recent or historical primary
  literature designed to draw comparisons or
  provide a better understanding of the subject.
• Published in a variety of formats, including
  Scientific Journals, Proceedings, and Society
  Newsletters.
• May or may not be peer-reviewed

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Scientific Literature

• 2. Secondary
• Compilations and Textbooks
• Much like a Literature Review, but with a broader
  treatment of the subject.
• Typically published in book form.
• Not formally peer-reviewed, but open to criticism
  after publication. Most authors do submit their
  works to friendly peers prior to submission.
• Typically a good source of knowledge on a
  subject, incorporating primary literature into
  the overall work

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Scientific Literature

• 3. Popular
• Magazines, Newspapers, Internet Blogs, etc.
• Often a source of good practical information, but
  must be read with caution.
• Almost never reviewed for content.
• Good way to communicate scientific findings to
  laypersons who may not be as knowledgeable on the
  subject.
• Is targeted at a different audience than others.
• Utilizes a different style of writing than
  others.

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Scientific Writing

• General Rules
• Be thorough
• Be concise
• Be descriptive, but avoid fluff
• Label all figures and tables so that they can
  stand alone

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Scientific Writing

• You must be proficient at writing so that you can
  properly and professionally convey your findings
  and views to members of your respective
  community.
• Formats for written communication that are
  important to you
• Letters and E-mail
• Lab Reports and Scientific Papers
• Essays and Short Answer Questions on Exams

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Scientific Writing

• LAB REPORTS
• Will follow general form of a scientific paper
• Must follow the Instructions for Writing a
  Laboratory Report that is accessible from
  http//biology.uta.edu/cwatson .
• Must include at least two primary citation.
• You will learn how to access and search databases
  online today.
• Must draw intelligent conclusions from the data.
• No page number requirement, but should not exceed
  10 pages.

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Scientific Writing

• LAB REPORTS
• Components of a Scientific Paper
• Title
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Literature Cited

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Scientific Writing

• LAB REPORTS
• Title
• Simple, yet descriptive
• Abstract
• A brief summary of your paper
• Materials and Methods
• What materials did you use?
• What were the methods of the experiment?
• This section is what defines the experiment for
  repeatability. It is important that you are
  extremely thorough here

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Scientific Writing

• LAB REPORTS
• Results
• This is reserved simply for reporting results. No
  conclusions should be drawn from these results,
  yet.
• Discussion
• This is where conclusions and predictions are
  made.
• The meat and potatoes of the report
• Literature Cited
• What references did you use?

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Scientific Writing

• LAB REPORTS
• Literature Cited
• How do I site a reference?
• Different conventions depending on the field of
  study.
• Typically, we place the name of the author and
  the year the article was published in parenteses.
  
• Ex may not reach previous densities until
  hardwood leaf litter is present (Watson, 2005).
• This would correspond to a citation in the Lit
  Cited section

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Scientific Writing

• LITERATURE CITED
• Articles
• Watson, Charles M. 2005. Post-burn substrate
  preference of the ground skink, Scincella
  lateralis, in East Texas. Herpetological Times
  11(2). Pp 223-225.
• Books
• Soloman, Berg, and Martin. 2004. Biology, 7th ed.
  Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning. Belmont, CA

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Scientific Writing

• Tables and Figures
• Must stand alone
• If seperated from the report, it must be
  understandible as a document.
• May be cited in text as (Figure 1.) or Figure 1
  shows that.

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Prey Availability
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Synthesis
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Synthesis
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Scientific Writing

• Tables and Figures
• How to produce tables and figures in Excel
• Go over it in on computer.
• Assignment for next week
• Graphing Assignment