SCIENTIFIC WRITING (THEORY)

Paper Code: 
HFN 422
Credits: 
03
Contact Hours: 
45.00
Max. Marks: 
100.00
Objective: 
This course will enable the students to:
To develop and improve the scientific and technical writing skills.
To enable to produce clear and effective scientific documents.  
To enhance the level of technical communication and practices 
6.00
Unit I: 
Key elements of scientific writing
1. Key elements of scientific writing
Quality information
Nature of language
Structure
2. Characteristics of scientific writing 
Clear and precise use of language
Accessibility to the intended audience
Correct information
Logical sequencing of information
Use of correct grammar
Appropriate use of technical terms, illustrations or diagrams
10.00
Unit II: 
Drafting a scientific document
3. Drafting a scientific document
Research the document
Gather information
Plan the format
Create an outline
Write first draft
Check the accuracy
Revise and amend the document
4. Type of academic journal articles
Letters/communications
Research notes
Articles
Supplemental articles
Review articles
12.00
Unit III: 
Writing effective scientific documents
5. Writing effective scientific documents
Reports (Research/Progress)
Scientific paper (Journal/Conference)
Review paper
Abstracts
Theses
Electronic/Web based document
6. Elements of scientific documents
Sections/subsections
Headings/subheadings
Front matter (Title, Title page, Abstract, Table of contents, List of figures, List of tables, List of terms, Acknowledgements)
Body (Introduction, Review of literature, Methodology, Results, Discussions, Summary, Conclusion, Recommendations)
End Matter (References, Appendices, Indices) 
10.00
Unit IV: 
Ethics and scientific publication
7. Ethics and scientific publication 
Permission
Data fabrication and falsification
Plagiarism
Redundant and duplicate publication
Conflict of interest
Authorship issues
Animal and human welfare concerns
Reviewer responsibility
8. Oral Presentation
Format of oral presentation (Informal/formal)
Visual aids – LCD projector, overhead projector (OHP) and transparencies or other display media
Delivery –  Voice projection, Body language, Spoken v. written language, Notes, Time limit
 
6.00
Unit V: 
Writing a project proposal for grants
9. Writing a project proposal for grants
Rationale and importance of research
Empirical and  Theoretical conceptualization
Presenting pilot study/ data
Research proposal and time frame
Clarity and specificity of method
Clear organization
Outcome of research and its implications
Budgeting
Available infrastructure and resources 
Executive summary
 
References: 
1. Robert A. Day. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 5th edition, Oryx Press, Phoenix, 1998.
2. Martha Davis. Scientific Papers and Presentations. Academic Press. 1997
3. Michael Alley. The Craft of Scientific Writing, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall, Inc., 1996.
4. Janice R. Matthews, John M. Bowen, Robert W. Matthews. Successful Scientific Writing: A Step-By-step Guide for the Biological and Medical Sciences, University Press, 2000.
5. Peter J. Gosling. Scientist's Guide to Poster Presentations, Kluwer academic/Plenum publishers, 1999
6. Edward Barrett, Leslie Perelman. The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing, McGraw-Hill, 1997. 
 
Academic Year: