scientific writing aaron wendelboe david m. thompson faculty seminar department of biostatistics and...
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Even professional writers trip over syntax, and make outrageous, if humorous, statements. 3BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012TRANSCRIPT
Scientific WritingScientific Writing
Aaron WendelboeAaron WendelboeDavid M. ThompsonDavid M. Thompson
Faculty SeminarFaculty SeminarDepartment of Biostatistics and EpidemiologyDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
March 29, 2012March 29, 2012
Writing wellWriting well
• Consider sentence logicConsider sentence logic• Prefer the active voicePrefer the active voice• Use verbsUse verbs
moon.ouhsc.edu/dthompso/writing/write.htm
22BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
Even professional writers trip over syntax, and make outrageous, if humorous, statements.
3BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
The Wall Street Journal printed some bad news for aging athletes, who may misunderstand the negative social impact of their aquatic workouts:
4BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
“According to a Johns Hopkins study, older men produce more deformed sperm, but they swim faster, passing on certain genetic abnormalities."
5BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
Writing shouldn't be subjective, but that doesn’t excuse concealing the subject.
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and the troops have been withdrawn."
the first draft of a statement, prepared for release by the Allied commander, in case amphibious operations failed in Normandy (June 6, 1944)
6BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops."
the second draft of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's statement.
7BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
Eisenhower never released either draft.
Will, G. (1998). Bunts. New York: Scribner, p.127.
8BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
"Prefer the active voice."
9BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
Use verbs instead of nouns
Writers are more direct and concise when they use verbs instead of nouns or strings of nouns.
10BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
ExamplesOne of the most significant toxicity reductions achieved in head and neck radiotherapy by the use of IMRT has been in the functional preservation of uninvolved salivary glands. The use of IMRT significantly reduced toxicity and preserved function in the uninvolved salivary glands [of patients undergoing radiotherapy of the head and neck].
11BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
In the UK-vaccinated group, LF titer is, for the first time in a human population, significantly and independently predictive of in vitro neutralization. The UK-vaccinated group is the first human population in whom both LF and PA titers independently predict in vitro LT neutralization.
12BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
The results obtained using the conservative alpha investing were different from both forward selection and aggressive alpha investing at each initial alpha wealth value.
Conservative alpha investing obtained, at each value for initial alpha wealth, results that differed from both forward selection and aggressive alpha investing.
13BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
All participants completed an initial screening following a 10-hour overnight fast that began with attainment of informed written consent. Following a 10 hour overnight fast, participants completed an initial screening that began with attainment of written consent.
14BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
According to a Johns Hopkins study, older men produce more deformed sperm, but they swim faster, passing on certain genetic abnormalities. According to a Johns Hopkins study, older men produce more deformed sperm which, because they swim faster, pass on certain genetic abnormalities.
BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012 15
• Consider sentence logicConsider sentence logic• Prefer the active voicePrefer the active voice• Use verbsUse verbs
moon.ouhsc.edu/dthompso/writing/write.htm
16BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012
• No prior studies have examined the impact of the FDA boxed warning on the patient behavior of adhering with antidepressant medications. It is possible that patients remain off antidepressant due to the fear of increased suicidality, without informing their health care providers. In that case, patients’ behavior would be another independent contributing factor to unintended consequences that have been observed after the FDA boxed warning.
• No studies have examined FDA boxed warning’s impact on the patient adherence to antidepressant medications they have been prescribed. Some patients may stop taking prescribed antidepressant ,due to the fear of suicidal thoughts and behavior , without informing their health care providers. Such behavior would contribute to the unanticipated increase in suicide that has been observed after the FDA boxed warning.
17BSE Faculty Seminar - March 29, 2012