General vs. Scientific Writing ELP 407 PDF

ELP 407 General vs. Scientific writing Dr. Norah Almusharraf  Communicating in science & Technology “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science & technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” – Carl Sagan...

ELP 407 General vs. Scientific writing Dr. Norah Almusharraf  Communicating in science & Technology “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science & technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” – Carl Sagan So, what’s the issue? Where’s the gap? 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology Scientists & technologists need to be able to communicate with different audiences. 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology How can that be achieved? 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology 1. Vary writing style, & match it to the needs, abilities, and motivations of differing audiences. 2. Use differing document types to convey different messages (also: convey the same message in diff. ways). 3. Use diff. channels & technologies of communication (e.g. written, online, oral, etc.). 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology To communicate scientific or tech. info, a writer must be: q Versatile q Flexible q A translator! Why? è get the message through to people from professional backgrounds that differ from your own. 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology Perils Opportunities ¥ Distort the essence of ü Grant resources and the message; funding. oversimplifying. ¥ Sound patronizing. ü Being known as a good communicator. ü Translating your work can give fresh insights. 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology Davies (2008) notes that many scientists in communicating with the wider public, operate from the deficit model, which assumes: public deficiency but scientific sufficiency. What does this mean? 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology Deficit model: a mode of thinking held by some scientists that communication with the public is top- down and one-way. 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology Important note: ­ Interaction with members of the community might demonstrate that there is not just one ‘public’ but several or many publics and those publics may have knowledge of their own, which could be useful to scientist. How? 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology Underlying principles of effective communication with the public (Davies 2008): ­ Be relevant, & relate your work to people’s lives. ­ Communicate ‘big ideas’ or key principles rather than details of your work. 9/15/24 Communicating in science & Technology Note: ¤ The ‘scientific article’ is a human-made text designed to persuade. Therefore, rhetoric and rhetorical devices, like metaphors associated with genres like literature can help science writer. 9/15/24 Writers and experts When writing sci./tech. docs.: ¤ You will be both the expert on content, and writer. 9/15/24 Writers and experts In some sci./tech. writing situations: Professional Writers work with Subject-matter specialists to produce docs. of diff. kinds 9/15/24 Writers and experts Issues that may arise between: Subject-matter specialists Professional writers May feel that subject-matter May feel that professional writers specialists do not give enough are technically literate to time, may lack respect for what understand the problem. the writer is trying to do, do not understand documentation processes or lack communication skills. 9/15/24