Comments on: How to write consistently boring scientific literature http://rs.resalliance.org/2007/04/19/how-to-write-consistently-boring-scientific-literature/ coping with ecological suprise in a human dominated world Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:57:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Mehjabeen Abidi Habib http://rs.resalliance.org/2007/04/19/how-to-write-consistently-boring-scientific-literature/#comment-35434 Mehjabeen Abidi Habib Tue, 29 May 2007 05:54:10 +0000 http://rs.resalliance.org/2007/04/19/how-to-write-consistently-boring-scientific-literature/#comment-35434 Prof. Kar Sand-Jensen is absolutely right: if we as scientists don't improve our abilities to communicate with ourselves and others we will, like the UN become, obsolete dinosaurs, stuck in our own elitism and of little use to others. Our false pursuit of perfect precision, as echoed in our published works, is compromising our humility and modesty. If we don't submit to our human limitations, nature and history will wipe us out - our studies in ecology show us that fate. I am writing my PhD thesis in Pakistan with inputs from Oxford University, and shall try to pass the thesis with as much subversion of the current conventions of scientific writing in human ecology (my field) as I possibly can! Wish me luck! Prof. Kar Sand-Jensen is absolutely right: if we as scientists don’t improve our abilities to communicate with ourselves and others we will, like the UN become, obsolete dinosaurs, stuck in our own elitism and of little use to others.

Our false pursuit of perfect precision, as echoed in our published works, is compromising our humility and modesty. If we don’t submit to our human limitations, nature and history will wipe us out - our studies in ecology show us that fate.

I am writing my PhD thesis in Pakistan with inputs from Oxford University, and shall try to pass the thesis with as much subversion of the current conventions of scientific writing in human ecology (my field) as I possibly can! Wish me luck!

]]> By: Gillian Barker http://rs.resalliance.org/2007/04/19/how-to-write-consistently-boring-scientific-literature/#comment-32018 Gillian Barker Fri, 18 May 2007 19:35:07 +0000 http://rs.resalliance.org/2007/04/19/how-to-write-consistently-boring-scientific-literature/#comment-32018 Steve Shapin gives a nice discussion of this problem as it affects writing in history of science (much of what he says is generalizable) in a paper that models and describes an alternative style of writing in Isis: "Hyperprofessionalism and the Crisis of Readership in the History of Science." http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?id=doi:10.1086/431535 The abstract: There is a crisis of readership for work in our field, as in many other academic disciplines. One of its causes is a pathological form of the professionalism that we so greatly value. "Hyperprofessionalism" is a disease whose symptoms include self-referentiality, self-absorption, and a narrowing of intellectual focus. This essay describes some features and consequences of hyperprofessionalism in the history of science and offers a modest suggestion for a possible cure. Steve Shapin gives a nice discussion of this problem as it affects writing in history of science (much of what he says is generalizable) in a paper that models and describes an alternative style of writing in Isis: “Hyperprofessionalism and the Crisis of Readership in the History of Science.”

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?id=doi:10.1086/431535

The abstract:

There is a crisis of readership for work in our field, as in many other academic disciplines. One of its causes is a pathological form of the professionalism that we so greatly value. “Hyperprofessionalism” is a disease whose symptoms include self-referentiality, self-absorption, and a narrowing of intellectual focus. This essay describes some features and consequences of hyperprofessionalism in the history of science and offers a modest suggestion for a possible cure.

]]> By: Zareen Bharucha http://rs.resalliance.org/2007/04/19/how-to-write-consistently-boring-scientific-literature/#comment-25262 Zareen Bharucha Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:12:10 +0000 http://rs.resalliance.org/2007/04/19/how-to-write-consistently-boring-scientific-literature/#comment-25262 I am currently in the process of writing a literature review for my thesis. Two months into the process, with one month left to go. My draft has gone from being a series of insights and 'steps in reaasoning' that anyone could understand and most would agree with, to something choking with references, terminology, diagrams and tables. I now need to read some sentences twice over before I understand them. Is all of this happening because I'm a bad writer? I don't think so - At the very worst, I'm average, and I have been told I put things well. But the process itself detracts from my ability to keep a fixed focus on what I am trying to say. Maybe with practice, I will learn how to blend creativity, humour and clarity into these papers, rather than having lists of references many many pages long. I am currently in the process of writing a literature review for my thesis. Two months into the process, with one month left to go.
My draft has gone from being a series of insights and ’steps in reaasoning’ that anyone could understand and most would agree with, to something choking with references, terminology, diagrams and tables. I now need to read some sentences twice over before I understand them.

Is all of this happening because I’m a bad writer?
I don’t think so - At the very worst, I’m average, and I have been told I put things well.
But the process itself detracts from my ability to keep a fixed focus on what I am trying to say.
Maybe with practice, I will learn how to blend creativity, humour and clarity into these papers, rather than having lists of references many many pages long.

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