9/1/2015

Writing in the Sciences | Stanford Online

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WRITING IN THE SCIENCES

Date:
Tuesday, September 1, 2015 to Friday, November 6, 2015

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Course catalog (/courses)

Go to Course
(https://lagunita.stanford.edu/courses/Medicine/SciWrite./Fall2015/about)

Platform:
Stanford OpenEdX (http://online.stanford.edu/courses/platform/stanford%20openedx)
Course topic:
Medicine & Health (http://online.stanford.edu/courses/topic/9)

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical
examples and exercises. Topics include: principles of good writing, tricks for
writing faster and with less anxiety, the format of a scientific manuscript, and
issues in publication and peer review. Students from non-science disciplines can
benefit from the training provided in the first four weeks (on general principles of
effective writing).

COURSE FORMAT
In the first four weeks, we will review principles of effective writing, examples of
good and bad writing, and tips for making the writing process easier. In the
second four weeks, we will examine issues specific to scientific writing, including:
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Writing in the Sciences | Stanford Online

authorship, peer review, the format of an original manuscript, and

communicating science for lay audiences. Students will watch video lectures,
complete quizzes and editing exercises, write two short papers, and edit each
others work.

COURSE SYLLABUS
Week 1 - Introduction; principles of effective writing (cutting unnecessary clutter)
Week 2 - Principles of effective writing (verbs)
Week 3 - Crafting better sentences and paragraphs
Week 4 - Organization; and streamlining the writing process
Week 5 - The format of an original manuscript
Week 6 - Reviews, commentaries, and opinion pieces; and the publication
process
Week 7 - Issues in scientific writing (plagiarism, authorship, ghostwriting,
reproducible research)
Week 8 - How to do a peer review; and how to communicate with the lay public

PREREQUISITES
The course has no prerequisites other than fluency in English.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will I get a Statement of Accomplishment?
Yes, students who score at least 60 percent will pass the course and receive a
Statement of Accomplishment.
Students who score at least 90 percent will receive a Statement of
Accomplishment with distinction.
How much of a time commitment will this course be?
You should expect this course to require 4 to 8 hours of work per week.
Any additional textbooks/software required?
There is no textbook for this course. Students who would like additional reading
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Writing in the Sciences | Stanford Online

may enjoy:
- On Writing Well, William Zinsser
- The Elements of Style, Strunk and White
- Sin and Syntax, Constance Hale
- Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers, Mimi Zeiger
- http://www.aacc.org/publications/clin_chem/ccgsw/Pages/default.aspx
(http://www.aacc.org/publications/clin_chem/ccgsw/Pages/default.aspx)

- Science and Society: An Anthology for Readers and Writers, eds: NelsonMcDermott, LePan, Buzzard
- We recommend taking this course on a standard computer using Google Chrome
as the internet browser. We are not yet optimized for mobile devices.

INSTRUCTOR(S)
Kristin Sainani (/instructors/kristin-sainani)
Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford University
Kristin Sainani (ne Cobb) is a clinical assistant professor at Stanford University
and also a health and science writer. After receiving an MS in statistics and PhD
in epidemiology from Stanford University, she studied science writing at the
University of California, Santa Cruz. She has taught statistics and writing at
Stanford for a decade and has received several Excellence in Teaching Awards
from the graduate program in epidemiology.

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