Boise State University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Fall 2014
Bill Knowlton
MSE 478/598 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION IN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (1-0-1) (F).
- Course Syllabus and Objectives Instructor: Bill Knowlton, MEC 202M, 426-5705, BKnowlton@boisestate.edu
Classroom, Day and Time: MEC 309 Monday Only 9 - 10:15 am;
Office Hours: Mon: 1:30-2:30pm; Tues: 1:30-2:30pm (my office – ERB 3125); or by appointment – send email (not by
phone please)
Discussion Section: TBD
Prerequisites: Student must be pursuing research in Materials Science and Engineering and has a research mentor or
with permission of instructor.
Course Website: http://coen.boisestate.edu/bknowlton/ then click on "Course Information", then our course.
Highly Recommended Textbooks:
• Robert A. Day and Barbara Gastel, How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 6th edition, (Greenwood
Press, 2006).
• Michael Jay Katz, From Research to Manuscript – A Guide to Scientific Writing, 2nd edition (Springer, 2009).
• Hilary Glasman-Deal, Science Research Writing For non-Native Speakers of English (Imperial College Press,
2009)
Recommended Textbooks:
• Science Research Writing: A Guide for Non-Native Speakers of English (Paperback) by Hilary Glasman-Deal
(Imperial College Press, 2010)
•
William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, 50th Aniv. edition (Longman, October 25, 2008).
• Gustavii, B. How to Write and Illustrate a Scientific Paper. (Cambridge University Press, New York, 2008).
• Peter J. Feibelman, A PhD Is Not Enough: A Guide to Survival in Science, (Perseus Publishing, 1993).
Recommended by Chad Watson
Course Description: Intended for students performing research in materials science and engineering to communicate
their latest research findings to specific targeted audiences. Methods are taught to organize and compose
scientific scholarly research publication at the conference or journal publication level. Students will implement
the methods by writing a scholarly research paper. PREREQ: Student must be pursuing research in Materials
Science and Engineering and with permission of instructor.
Course Format:
• Project based.
• Focus on journal and conference publications or thesis – how to read and write them and then write one.
• Work in a group or individually.
• Required: Identify a PI that is a co-author who will mentor you.
• Required: PI must be willing to review manuscript and provide feedback and a grade at the end of the semester.
If you lose your PI mid-semester, you will need to drop the class or find another PI willing to review and grade
your work.
• Required: ability to work on your project, not only outside of class, but in class as well.
Course Materials:
• Required: Bring laptop computer to class.
• Required: Software bibliography program Endnote or another bibliography program is required.
• Required: Bring journal articles to class that are most applicable to your project.
Course Notes (on website):
• How to Write a Research Paper, Mike Ashby Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
6th Edition, April 2005, pp. 1-45
• Eschew Obfuscation: Advice on Writing Clearly, L.J. Forney & T. Hartzell, University of Idaho (presented at
the 2008 & 2009 Idaho INBRE Conference)
• Whitesides' Group: Writing a Paper, by George M. Whitesides, Adv. Mater., 16 (15), Aug. 2004, p. 13751377
• How to write a scientific article? by Prof. Antti Räsänen, University of Joensuu, Finland, presented at the
Annual Symp. of the Finnish Graduate School of Theology, Oct. 2008
• Engineering Better Writing - A workshop on Grammar & Style for Engineering Majors; presented at the
Boise State Center on Teaching and Learning
• Other assorted notes
Final Exam: There will not be a final exam. However, you will submit a complete rough draft to your mentor during
finals week.
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Boise State University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Fall 2014
Bill Knowlton
Assessment Methods:
• Literature Search and Endnote (or other bibliography program) Bibliography Library for References (15% of
grade):
• Sections of Manuscripts (85% of grade – your mentor will provide this grade):
o Title, Authors, Affiliation
o Abstract
o Introduction
o Experimental
o Results
o Discussion
o Conclusion
o Acknowledgments & References
• Grading: BSU has implemented the +/- grading system. The following grade scale for final grades will be
used: A=100-94%; A- = 93-90%; B+ = 89-87; B = 86-84; B- = 83-80; C+ = 79-77%; C = 76-74%; C- = 7370%; D = 69-60%; F = <60% (Note that decimals will be rounded)
o Grade for Sections of Manuscripts (85% of grade) – your mentor will provide this grade
o Grade for Literature Search and Endnote (or other bibliography program) Bibliography Library for
References (15% of grade) - your mentor and I will provide this grade
Course Objectives: At the end of the course, the student should be able to…
• Critique a scientific publication.
• Perform a literature search using various databases.
• Identify appropriate journals in which to publish.
• Build a reference library using Endnote or another bibliography program.
• Provide an overview of the anatomy of a scientific paper.
• Write a scientific paper.
Course Content:
Presenter
Title of Presentation
Week
Comments
Covered
Bill
1. Overview of Course
1-8/25
Review syllabus, discuss why
Knowlton
2. Motivation for
publication is an obligation;
Publishing
discuss academic, scientific
and professional misconduct;
3. Ethics – Academic,
discussion of bibliography
Scientific and Professional
programs for citing and
Misconduct
4. Bibliography Program
managing articles;
Bill
2-9/1
Presentations – 1. Top Reasons
• Advice on Writing
Knowlton
to Increase Probability to
• Anatomy of a Journal
publish; 2. Anatomy of a Journal
Article
Article
Additional Notes:
Guidelines – Anatomy of a
Journal Article & Journal Article
Template - Anatomy of a Journal
Article
Other Posted Notes:
How to Write a Research Paper,
Mike Ashby Engineering
Department, University of
Cambridge, Cambridge 6th
Edition, April 2005; Whitesides'
Group: Writing a Paper, by
George M. Whitesides, Adv.
Mater., 16 (15), Aug. 2004, p.
1375-1377
Bill
Knowlton
• How to Read a Journal
Article
3-9/8
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Brief Overviews of: How to Read
a Journal Article & Anatomy of a
Boise State University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Bill
Knowlton
Bill
Knowlton
Bill
Knowlton
Bill
Knowlton
Bill
Knowlton
Bill
Knowlton
• Anatomy of a Paragraph
Introduction Section:
Assessing good & bad;
Approach to writing one
No Presentation
Abstracts, Titles,
Affiliations; assessing good
& bad abstracts; approach
to writing abstracts (maybe
Acknowledgments &
References)
Experimental Section:
assessing good & bad;
approach to writing one
No Presentation
Results Section: assessing
good & bad; approach to
writing one
Fall 2014
Bill Knowlton
4-9/15
Paragraph
Brief Overview of an
Introduction
5-9/22
6-9/29
Work in class
Brief Overview of an Abstract
7-10/6
Brief Overview of an
Experimental or
Materials/Methods Section
Work in Class
Brief Overview of a Results
Section
8-10/13
9-10/20
No Presentation
Discussion Section:
assessing good & bad;
approach to writing one
No Presentation
No Presentation
No Presentation
Conclusion Section:
assessing good & bad;
approach to writing one;
Acknowledgment &
Reference Section
10-10/27
11-11/3
Work in class
Brief Overview of a Discussion
Section
12-11/10
13-11/17
11/24
14-12/1
Work in class
Work in class
Thanksgiving Break
Brief Overview of a Conclusion
Section
Brief Overview of an
Acknowledgment & Reference
Section
No Presentation
No class
15-12/8
Finals
Week
Work in class
Final Rough draft due on
Wednesday 12/17
Academic Professionalism in Class:
Respect goes both ways – Please be respectful to everyone in class (not disruptive to class) and I will be respectful
when interacting with you.
Class Disruption:
Class disruption includes, but is not limited to, arriving late to class, attempting to hand in homework late, cell phone
use (e.g., ringing in class, talking on, texting), and talking to other classmates during lecture. Either cell phones are not
brought to class or they are turned off and put away.
Academic and Scientific Misconduct:
Information on: Academic Honesty and Dismissal & Student Code of Conduct - Section 18 - Academic Misconduct (see 5-6)
•
Scientific and Professional Misconduct:
o
Troubling News - Rise & Fall of Bell Labs Physicist - 2002
o
Rise & Fall of Renowned Stem Cell Researcher - 2006
Go to course website: http://coen.boisestate.edu/bknowlton/course-information/82-2/
Please read and make sure you understand the Student Code of Conduct- Section 18 - Academic Misconduct. Any
form of academic misconduct or dishonesty is unacceptable and will be dealt with harshly.
Days I might be Traveling: (work done outside of class)
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Boise State University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
•
Hopefully, no traveling
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Fall 2014
Bill Knowlton