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Style Basics
PROFESSIONAL
TECHNICAL AND
SCIENTIFIC
STYLE BASICS
Choose a Style Manual
Style Manuals are discipline specific!
APA American Psychological Association
SME Society of Mining Engineers
Chicago Manual of Style
ACS American Chemical Society
MLA Modern Languages Association
AAA American Anthropological Association
… and many more!
Style
It is not just about citation…
It is also a guide to style!
Style
Some are quirky!
Like:
APA style requires authors to use the
past tense or present perfect tense when
using signal phrases to describe earlier
research. E.g., Jones (1998) found or
Jones (1998) has found...”
Style
Since v. Because
Bad: Data was incomplete since he was distracted .
Good: Data was incomplete because he was distracted
. (after that)
Good: Data has been incomplete since 2000. (time)
Style
But, many are more
general
and
are useful for
all
professional, technical
and scientific writers!
Style
Transitions
within and between sections
become critical
in showing not just
logical relationships between data
but also connections between sections of
the project as a whole.
Style
Good Transition:
While this study reveals much that earlier
efforts did not, it is unique in that it raises a
new issue in the debate engineers long though
was settled.
This transition connects back to a
previous Paragraph/Study and sets the
stage for a new Paragraph/Study.
Style
Transitions indicate very specific relationships!
Time: then, next, after
Cause-Effect: as a result, consequently
Addition: moreover, similarly, also
Contrast: however, but, although
Style
Every section of a technical or scientific
paper should be able to stand alone as a
piece of writing:
 INTRO
 BODY
 CLOSE
Style
USE AN ACADEMIC TONE and
LANGUAGE
Good: Conclusive studies remain elusive.
Bad: We just don’t know much.
Style
Avoid
Slang: bummed, hanging out
Contractions: Can’t, won’t, It’s
Colloquial Expressions: Write up v. Report
Style
Define Jargon
AMA (American Medical Association)
Remember your reader is a
general academic audience!
Style
Be concise!
Based on the fact that
->
because
Monetary deprivation
->
poverty
For the purpose of
->
for
Summarize briefly
Very few
-> summarize
->
few
Style
Be precise!
The difference between the right word and the
almost right word is like the difference
between light and the lightening bug.
-Mark Twain
Style
Precision!
At risk?
Borderline?
Gender (culture) v. Sex (biology)
Single v. living alone
Males v. 30 year old white men with red hair
The demented v. dementia group
Style
Precision!
Manic cases v. patients or persons with mania
Orientals v. Korean and Vietnamese
Subjects v. participants
Homosexuals v. gay men and lesbian
adolescents
Style
Use Gender Neutral Language
Mothering v. Parenting
Chairman v. Chair
Man the polls v. Staff the polls
Woman doctor v. Doctor
His/Her v. Their
Style
Don’t Anthropomorphize!
Tables and Figures can show or indicate,
but not compare.
Experiments can not demonstrate, control,
or interpret.
Visuals
Format Consistently!
Have titles and labels!
Use white space wisely!
Be clean and clear!
Don’t overcomplicate!
Visuals
Explain visuals in text
BUT
visuals should be
“readable”
alone.
Visuals
As the bar graph in Figure 1 shows, my
writing is improving.
Figure 1. My Writing Improvement
Make sure texts and visuals are
close to each other!
Extra Help?
The Writing Center
M-F 10-2
Sun-Wed 6-9