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ENG 3
Focus todaycommunications, both with other scientists and the public. This includes popularizing science and scientists interaction with the media. I will cover general principles of writing relevant to both technical and non-technical texts. Also I will discuss: TV and radio interviews. Oral presentations (e.g., Lectures, Powerpoint and poster presentations).
Lets start off with some very basic general principles of written communications.
Short paragraphs
No paragraph should ever be more than a third of a page, single-spacedleast of all the first paragraph. Long paragraphs can never be reader-friendly.
If possible, use first person and the active, not passive, tense. Avoid royal we if you are the only author.
Avoid a right justified margin unless required to do so. Use a serif font except in graphs, tables or text of very small font size.
Scholarly Publications
First rule of writing up research: When you have finished your bench work and have all your data in hand, you are about half way there.
Publications
Two types: Peer-reviewed scientific papers. Popular articles that are not peerreviewed. Both are important for communications. More and more organizations, be they government agencies or private institutions like Dalhousie, seek media coverage and exposure in the popular press.
Scientific Publications
The most important fact about your first peerreviewed publication is that you got it out. The most important fact about your second publication should be that it is better than your first. Take Impact Factors seriously, if you want to be a successful careerist. Follow the Directions to Authors exactly. Review carefully the sorts of papers published in the targeted journal to make sure that your paper is appropriate for that journal.
what you are doing with their money. why it is important to them. all in a language they understand. in a way that can be summarized in two or three sentences.
For all established (=$) markets, know the rules for submission:
WritersMarket, magazines websites, agents only restriction, SASE rules, etc.
Acceptable places for scientists to publish pop science without losing credibility are:
Nature,NewScientist,AmericanScientist,Scientific American,NaturalHistory,Smithsonian,theScientist, Discover,SEED,PsychologyToday.
QED: If journalists presented your story in a realistic way, no one would want to read or hear it. Therefore count on media to present your story in an unrealistic fashion. Yet be thankful that they were interested, since overall almost all publicity is good publicity.
Oral Presentations
PowerPoint lectures and presentations. Poster presentations
What makes a good poster. How to present a poster.
Lectures
Keep classroom and research presentations that are scheduled for an hour to less than a micro-century (~ 52.6 minutes). Tell people what you are going to tell them, tell it to them, then tell them what you just told them. Outline your talk at the outset. End with a Thank You! Anticipate questions and have screens that might answer those questions already on your PowerPoint presentation ready to go after your thank you should the questions actually get asked.
Other venues
Public lectures to adults Talking to school kids Etc.
I accept virtually all such invitations and encourage you to do so also. But
Know your audience, their level of knowledge, their issues, their background.
DONT:
Paraphrase the text on your slide. Use a background color/pattern that is particularly dark. Include text that you dont expect the audience to read. Over-use animation. More often than not animation is a distraction.
Posters
The fewer the words, the better the poster. The perfect poster is like the card in the pocket in front of you on an airplane; the one that tells you how to get off the plane without using a single word. Assume at the outset that you have too many words, and too small a font on your draft poster. Assume at the outset that no one is going to read your poster, but they may stop by and talk to you about it, if it looks easy to understand and visually attractive.
Posters (cont.)
Use a block layout; do not let sections flow into each other. Use few fonts and font styles. Limit the citations. People dont need to see in a poster citations to all the background literature. Include contact info for yourself. Consider: giving out a small printed version. including a picture of yourself in the corner. Most of all, use as few words as possible.
Manning a poster
Dont just stand there; offer to explain the poster to any passersby who lingers long enough to start reading the Abstract or Conclusions. Make it a conversation, not a canned performance. Ask the viewers about their own research interests. Give them time to ask questions. Make sure they are following you. Make sure you can present the whole thing in about six minutes. Have cards or sheets with your contact info to hand out to anyone who would like additional information.
Thank you!
Other topics?
Searching for info on the Internet:
Start with long strings. If looking for an email address, include email in the search.
Letters of Reference
Long letters are strong letters. They show that the author really knows that candidate. The stronger the part of the letter about how the author knows the candidate, the more weight is given to what is written after that. Good letters are targeted and confidential, not open generic letters. Non-confidential letters of reference are seen as shallow and weak.
Emails
Keep them short! The person should be able to figure out why you are writing to him/her within three sentences. Use an informative subject line. Include contact info and a link to your webpage.