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Communicating As A Scientists

Scientific communication is an integral part of a scientist's work and takes many forms. Written papers and oral presentations allow scientists to share their research findings with peers and stay up to date in their fields. Communication also includes drafting proposals, keeping lab notebooks, and using notations to organize ideas. Additionally, scientists are increasingly expected to communicate with broader audiences to increase public understanding of science. This unit aims to help scientists improve their English communication skills for various purposes and audiences through understanding communication fundamentals and applying strategies for different contexts.

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Ahmad Abba
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464 views3 pages

Communicating As A Scientists

Scientific communication is an integral part of a scientist's work and takes many forms. Written papers and oral presentations allow scientists to share their research findings with peers and stay up to date in their fields. Communication also includes drafting proposals, keeping lab notebooks, and using notations to organize ideas. Additionally, scientists are increasingly expected to communicate with broader audiences to increase public understanding of science. This unit aims to help scientists improve their English communication skills for various purposes and audiences through understanding communication fundamentals and applying strategies for different contexts.

Uploaded by

Ahmad Abba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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5/30/13 Unit 1 of English Communication for Scientists | Learn Science at Scitable

www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientist-14053993/communicating-as-a-scientist-14238273 1/3
PROGRESS
Unit1:CommunicatingasaScientist
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Communicationisanintegralpartoftheresearchyouperformasascientist.Yourwrittenpapersserveasa
gaugeofyourscientificproductivityandprovidealonglastingbodyofknowledgefromwhichotherscientists
canbuildtheirresearch.Theoralpresentationsyoudelivermakeyourlatestresearchknowntothe
community,helpingyourpeersstayuptodate.Discussionsenableyoutoexchangeideasandpointsofview.
Letters,memos,andrsumshelpyoubuildandmaintainrelationshipswithcolleagues,suppliers,employers,
andsoon.
Scientificcommunicationisnotlimitedtoformalpapersandpresentationsforyourpeers.Asascientist,you
engageincommunicationactivitieswithyourself,too.Draftingaresearchproposal,forexample,helpsyou
understandthecontextandmotivationforyourfutureworkandhelpsyoufocusonspecific,realistic
objectives.Addingentriesinyourlaboratorynotebookhelpsyoucrystallizeyourideasandcreatesatrack
recordofyourthinkingorexperiments.Usingmathematicalorchemicalnotationshelpsyoutacklecomplex
concepts.Graphingdatahelpsyouanswerresearchquestions.
Finally,scientistsareincreasinglyconsideredtobeaccountabletosocietyatlargehence,youmustknow
howtocommunicatesuccessfullywithpeoplefromavarietyofbackgrounds.Forexample,youmayfind
yourselfcommunicatingintheclassroomtohelpstudentsdeveloptheirknowledge,sharpentheirskills,and
refinetheirattitudes.Youmayalsovolunteerorbecalledupontowriteorspeakaboutscienceforabroader,
nonspecialistaudience.
ThisNatureEducationseriesonEnglishCommunicationforScientistsaimstohelpyoucommunicatemore
effectivelyasascientist,specificallyintheEnglishlanguage.Althoughitwasdevelopedwithnonnative
speakersofEnglishinmind,itshouldproveusefulfornativespeakers,too.Itincludesthefollowingsixunits,
allillustratedwithcommentedexamplesofdocuments,presentations,andsoon.
CommunicatingasaScientist(thepresentintroductoryunit)willhelpyouunderstandwhatmakes
communicationeffectiveandwillhelpyouidentifyyourpurposeandanalyzeyouraudience,amongothers,in
termsofitslevelofspecialization.Itthenproposesbasicstrategiestoaddresslessspecializedaudiencesand
EnglishCommunicationforScientists Contents
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5/30/13 Unit 1 of English Communication for Scientists | Learn Science at Scitable
www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientist-14053993/communicating-as-a-scientist-14238273 2/3
mixedaudiences,whetherorallyorinwriting.
WritingScientificPaperswillhelpyouselectandorganizeapaper'scontent,draftitmoreeffectively,and
reviseitefficiently.Amongothers,itoffersadviceonusingverbsoptimally,providesgeneralrulesfortext
mechanics(abbreviations,capitalization,hyphens,andsoon),andpointsoutfrequentshortcomingsfor
speakersofspecificlanguagegroups.
WritingCorrespondencewillhelpyouwriteaneffectivefirstcontactemail,demonstrateyourqualifications
forajobinanapplicationletterandrsum,andprepareclear,accurate,andconcisememosandprogress
reports.Inparticular,itdiscusseshowtoselectanappropriatetoneforcorrespondinginEnglish.
GivingOralPresentationswillhelpyouselectandorganizethecontentofanoralpresentation,create
effectiveslidestosupportit,deliverthepresentationeffectively,andanswerquestionsusefully.Italsooffers
tipsonhowtodeliverapresentationasanonnativespeakerofEnglishandhowtohandlestagefrightand
mishaps.
InteractingDuringConferenceSessionswillhelpyoucreate,promote,andpresentscientificposters
effectively,chairaconferencesessionormoderateapanel,andfinallytakepartinapaneldiscussion.It
includesadviceonhowtointroduceandwrapupsessions,introducespeakers,andmanagetime.
CommunicatingintheClassroomwillhelpyouprepare,run,andevaluateyourclassroomsessions.Asan
alternativetomerelecturing,itfocusesondefininglearningoutcomes,designinglearningactivities,and
facilitatingactiveclassroomsessions.
InThisUnit
UnderstandingCommunication
IdentifyingYourPurposeand
Audience
WritingorSpeakingfor
SpecificAudiences
Summary
TestYourKnowledge
LearningActivities
5/30/13 Unit 1 of English Communication for Scientists | Learn Science at Scitable
www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientist-14053993/communicating-as-a-scientist-14238273 3/3

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