Scientific Writing
Research Experiences for
Undergraduates
Schedule for July 7
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Effective Scientific Writing
AIP Guidelines
REU Report Format
Peer Review of Intro
Schedule for July 14
• Q & A on REU Reports
• Writing an Effective Graduate School Essay
• Writing Effective Resumes and Letters
Guidelines for Effective Writing
in Physics
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Be clear
Be concise
Be complete
Put yourself in the reader’s place
Good Scientific Writing
• Use active voice
• Be economical/concise
• Provide forward momentum
Order
Transitions
Sentence & paragraph length
• It was thought that magnetoresistance could
provide an answer.
• McCray believed that magnetoresistance
could provide an answer.
• due to the fact that
BECAUSE
• There are clear advantages to our mapping
regarding the strong-coupling regime.
• Clear advantages to our mapping exist
regarding the strong-coupling regime.
• The development of nanofabrication
techniques for thin metallic wires has
renewed interest in one-dimensional
electron systems. Such systems differ
fundamentally from those in three
dimensions, where electron-electron
interactions can be absorbed into a local
Fermi-liquid description of weakly
interacting quasiparticles.
• (“hook and eye” construction)
Using Transitions
• Use the appropriate transitions to show the
relationships between ideas within
paragraphs and between paragraphs
• Use a variety of transitional words and
phrases
Achieving coherence in your
writing
• Use transitions carefully
• Use “hook and eye” construction within a
paragraph
• Use coordination and subordination to show
the relationship between 2 ideas
Coordination & Subordination
• Putting 2 ideas together with a coordinating
conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
shows equality.
• Putting 2 ideas together with a
subordinating conjuction (because, when, if,
although, since, while, etc.) shows
inequality.
• Before a particle gets to any chamber
in CMS, it will have to make it through
the detector’s absorbers that form the
calorimeter system (energy
measurements). These absorbers will
stop just about any particle except
muons. Hundreds of different particles
will spray from the collision point, but
they are mostly hadrons (particles
composed of quarks). Because
hadrons interact strongly with matter,
they cannot penetrate very far into the
absorbers.
Major parts of the report
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Title
Abstract
Introduction
Body of the paper
Acknowledgments
References
Considerations
• Use graphics purposefully and correctly
• Use topical headings to guide the reader
• Keep your reader in mind (undergrad
physics major with no specialist knowledge
of your topic)
Major AIP Rules
• Keep verb tense consistent, especially
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within a passage
Use variety in words and sentences
Treat the word “data” as plural
Use the serial comma
Use the number rule
• General rule: 0-9, use the word; 10 and above,
use the numeral
Writing Effective Graduate
School Essays, Resumes, and
Application Letters
General format for grad school
essays
• Brief intro that makes your purpose clear
• Paragraph about background
• Academic qualifications
• Research and volunteer experience
• Paragraph about professional goals
• Paragraph that ties your background and goals to
program you are applying to
• Brief conclusion which reinforces your confidence
in your ability and the choice you have made
Application Letters
• Introduction
• Purpose of letter
• Overall qualification for job/program
• Body paragraphs
• Key qualifications – be selective and detailed
• Conclusion
• Thanks the reader for consideration
• Indicates interest in position
• Provides contact info
Resumes
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Vital stats: Name, address, phone, email
Education
Experience
References (optional)