Welcome to Writing in the Sciences Online
This "Welcome" video provides information about the Writing in the Sciences Online website, the project developers, and about what this website offers you as a writer in the sciences.
This video is part of the University of Guelph’s Writing in the Sciences (WITS) website designed to provide science researchers and post-secondary students with practical guidance on how to use clarity and precision in scientific writing. This video was created by Dr. Jodie Salter and Dr. Sarah Gibbons, and the WITS project was made possible by an NSERC Science Communication Skills Training Grant. To access the WITS website with its modules, resources, and interviews, visit https://writinginthesciences.uoguelph....
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
SG: Welcome to Writing in the Sciences Online. I’m Dr. Sarah Gibbons.
JS: And I’m Dr. Jodie Salter, and we are the project developers and co-creators of this site.
SG: With Writing in the Sciences Online, we’re aiming to provide an alternative mode of access to our content for U of G researchers and broaden our support for writers outside the University. I’m a Writing Specialist with Writing Services at the University of Guelph. I’ve been at the University since 2016. Before coming to the university, I completed a PhD in English at the University of Waterloo and before that, I worked as an editor and technical writer for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Ottawa. Since 2017, I’ve been facilitating an in-person Writing in the Sciences workshop that formed the foundation for this project.
JS: I’ve been an academic Writing Specialist since 2007. I started my career in writing centres at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and I moved to the University of Guelph Writing Services in 2010. For almost a decade, I have created and taught academic writing programs, and I am currently working on the online learning modules for the Bodies In Translation Knowledge Platform, a SSHRC-funded project. I’ve created numerous online and print resources, many of which can be found on the U of G Library website and on my own Youtube channel.
SG: With Writing in the Sciences Online, we’ve developed modules that are designed to help writers address some of the challenges that they face with scientific writing. Some of these challenges include feeling overwhelmed and uncertain of where to start, not knowing what information to include in different scientific writing genres, struggling to articulate ideas and concepts in a clear and concise way, and navigating the transition from writing course assignments like lab reports to writing publishable research articles and literature reviews.
JS: The first module we have developed is writing academic research articles in the sciences. This module consists of seven sections that walk you through the writing process from beginning to end. In our “Getting Started” section, we teach how to analyze research articles in your field, and we provide a research article mapping template to help you create a strong outline. In the sections on writing introductions, methods, results, and discussion, we outline the key components that you need to address in research articles, and we share tips on how to communicate your research effectively. In our final sections, we teach how to write concise abstracts and titles, and we provide strategies for revising and responding to feedback.
SG: Our second module, developed by ecologist Christopher Greyson-Gaito, focuses on how to use storytelling techniques from Hollywood screenwriting to write an engaging scientific research paper. This module teaches how to create a storyboard to map out your research article from beginning to end and how to use the ‘and, but, therefore’ technique to write an effective abstract.
SG: This website also houses interviews with journalists and other science communication professionals who provide insight into how to communicate your scientific research to different audiences.
JS: This project is a collaboration between the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare and Writing Services at the University of Guelph. Our work was funded by the NSERC Science Communication Skills Grant. Stay tuned for upcoming modules that will help you further strengthen your skills as a scientific writer and communicator.