Writing in the Science(二)

3.1 Experiment with punctuation

• Our friends the dash, colon(冒号), semicolon(分号), and parenthesis(插入语)
• Use them to vary sentence structure.

eg-- good example:But what really grabbed me about the film is that it shows how humans--through out ingenuity, our commitment to fact and reason, and ultimately our faith in each other--can science the heck out of just about any problem.

eg--original: Many types of cells and tissues develop a kind of directionality. Certain events happen toward one end of the cell or tissue or the other. It's a phenomenon called cell polarity.

Using a colon:Many cells and tissues develop a kind of directionality called cell polarity: certain events happen toward one end of the cell or tissue.

• Increasing power to separate(Ascending): Comma, Colon, Dash, Parentheses, Semicolon, Period
• Increasing formality(Ascending):Dash, Parentheses, the others(Comma, Colon, Semicolon, Period)
• Semicolon: connects two independent clauses; also used to separate items in lists that contain internal punctuation.
• Parentheses: Use to insert an afterthought or explanation(a word, phrase, or sentence) into a passage that is grammatically complete without it.
• if you remove the material within the parentheses, the main point of the sentence should not change.
• parentheses give the reader permission to skip over the material.
• Colon: use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list, quote, explanation, conclusion, or amplification.
• Dash: use the dash to add emphasis or to insert an abrupt definitino or description almost anywhere in sentence. Just don't overuse it, or it loses its impact.

eg: The drugs did more than prevent new fat accumulation. They also triggered overweight mice to shed significant amounts of fat--up to half their body weight.(emphasis)

eg: Researchers who study shipworms say these mislabeled animals--they're clams, not worms--are actually a scientific treasure.(emphasis and added information)

3.2  Practice, colon and dash

3.3 Parallelism(排比)

• Pairs of ideas joined by "and", "or", or "but" should be written in parallel form.
• Lists of ideas should be written in parallel form.

eg--Unparallel: Locusts denuded fields in Utah, rural Iowa was washed away by torrents, and in Arizona the cotton was shriveled by the placing head.

Parallel: Locusts denuded fields in Utah, torrents wased away rural Iowa, and blazing head shriveled Arizona's cotton.

• Make a choice and stick to it.

eg--Unparallel: Bates describe the five principles for the success of decision support systems in clinical settings: speed, real-time delivery, integration into workflow, simplicity and to avoid data entry.

Parallel:Bates describes the five principles for the success of decision support systems in clinical settings: speed, real-time delivery, integration into workflow, simplicity and the avoidance of data entry.

3.4 Paragraphs

• 1 paragraph = 1 idea
• The reader appreciates short paragraphs and white space on the page.
• Give away the punch line early.(早点把你论文的亮点展示出来)
• Paragraph flow is helped by: logical flow of ideas; parallel sentence structures; if necessary, transition words.
• scientists over use transition words, transition words aren't strong enough to fix underlying logic that's not sound.
• Your reader remembers the first sentence and the last sentence best. Make the last sentence memorable. Emphasis at the end.
• Logical flow of ideas: Sequential in time(Avoid the Memento approach!) ; General-->specific (take-home message first!); Logical arguments （if a then b; a ; therefore b）

3.5 Paragraph editing 1

3.6 Paragraph editing 2

3.7 A few more tips

• a note on repetition... when you find yourself reaching for the thesaurus to avoid using a word twice within the same sentence or even paragraph, ask: (1)Is the second instance of the word even necessary? （2）If the word is needed, is a synonym（代名词） really better than just repeating the word?
• Challenges/difficulties  Illustrate/demonstrate teaches clinicians/ guides 
• Repeat key words! eg: names of comparison groups; variables; or instruments
• Acronyms（缩略词）/Initialisms（首字母缩略词）

1. It's OK to repeat words. Resist the temptation to abbreviate words simply because they recur frequently!
2. Use only standard acronyms/initialisms（eg,RNA）,Don't make them up!
3. If you must use acronyms, define them separately in the abstract, each table/figure, and the text. For long papers, redefine occasionally(as readers don't typically read start to finish)