The Science Of Scientific Writing    Set 11     Set 11-A challenge • Bases • Copremises • Evaluations • Example • Polishing • Pick your challenge • Final.

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OVERVIEW: The way to well-written science

How to do the Course

PART I: Paragraphs and Sentences

SET A: Paragraphs: The Maps Behind Them

SET B: Paragraphs: Using Maps to Meet Readers' Expectations

SET C: Paragraphs with Something Extra: Points and Tails

SET D: The Generic Section: Expectations and Maps as Blueprints

SET E: Scientific Sections: The Methods and Results

SET F: Scientific Sections: The Discussion

SET G : Scientific Sections: The Introduction

SET H : Sentences

SET I : The Paper as a Whole

PART II: The Paper and its Sections

Introduction

SET 1: Argument Parts

SET 2: Indicator Words

SET 3: Refining Claims

SET 4: Locating Arguments in Prose

SET 5: Rationale's Essay Planner

SET 6: Evidence in Arguments: Basis Boxes

SET 7: Assessing

SET 8: More on Assessing

SET 9: Analysis Maps

SET 10: Assessing Again

Synthesis 1: Position-Early Paragraphs

Synthesis 2: Position-Final Paragraphs

Synthesis 3: Writing a Discussion I

Synthesis 4: Writing a Discussion II

The essay-writing approach you've seen so far is mechanical. Very few people actually write an essay that goes like this:

The reasoning is clear, but the essay wouldn't be pleasing to read! This is so because such writing treats phrases like children's building blocks, crudely piling them one on top of each other without blending the raw pieces into a harmonious whole.

This is where you need to bring your prose and language skills to bear: polish the raw structure so that clear reasoning is expressed in more elegant words and phrases.

Here's an example:

Mechanical approach: I believe that I should go to the beach today.  This is so because I would enjoy myself at the beach, which assumes that I should do whatever I would enjoy...

Polished version: It might seem to be a good idea for me to go to the beach today, since I would undoubtedly enjoy myself there.  But if we think about this for a moment, we'll realize that such reasoning makes a major assumption, namely that I should do whatever it is that I would enjoy doing...

Content of this page drawn in whole or part from the Austhink Rationale Exercises with permission from Austhink.