Research, Writing, and Communication in the Sciences: Resources for Communication

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THE CRAFT of Scientific Presentations, 2nd edition aims to strengthen you as a presenter of science and engineering. The book does so by identifying what makes excellent presenters such as Brian Cox, Jane Goodall, Richard Feynman, and Jill Bolte Taylor so strong. In addition, the book explains what causes so many scientific presentations to flounder. One of the most valuable contributions of this text is that it teaches the assertion-evidence approach to scientific presentations. Instead of building presentations, as most engineers and scientists do, on the weak foundation of topic phrases and bulleted lists, this assertion-evidence approach calls for building presentations on succinct message assertions supported by visual evidence. Unlike the commonly followed topic-subtopic approach that PowerPoint leads presenters to use, the assertion-evidence approach is solidly grounded in research. By showing the differences between strong and weak presentations, by identifying the errors that scientific presenters typically make, and by teaching a much more powerful approach for scientific presentations than what is commonly practiced, this book places you in a position to elevate your presentations to a high level. In essence, this book aims to have you not just succeed in your scientific presentations, but excel. About the Author Michael Alley has taught workshops on presentations to engineers and scientists on five continents, and has recently been invited to speak at the European Space Organization, Harvard Medical School, MIT, Sandia National Labs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Simula Research Laboratory, and United Technologies. An Associate Professor of engineering communication at Pennsylvania State University, Alley is a leading researcher on the effectiveness of different designs for presentation slides.

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HERE IS the essential how-to guide for communicating scientific research and discoveries online, ideal for journalists, researchers, and public information officers looking to reach a wide lay audience. Drawing on the cumulative experience of twenty-seven of the greatest minds in scientific communication, this invaluable handbook targets the specific questions and concerns of the scientific community, offering help in a wide range of digital areas, including blogging, creating podcasts, tweeting, and more. With step-by-step guidance and one-stop expertise, this is the book every scientist, science writer, and practitioner needs to approach the Wild West of the Web with knowledge and confidence.

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WANT TO learn how to present your research successfully? This practical guide for students and postdoctoral scholars offers a unique step-by-step approach to help you avoid the worst, yet most common, mistakes in biology communication. Covering irritants such as sins of ambiguity, circumlocution, inconsistency, vagueness and verbosity, misuse of words and quantitative matters, it also provides guidance to design your next piece of work effectively. Learn how to write scientific articles and get them published, prepare posters and talks that will capture your audience and develop a critical attitude towards your own work as well as that of your colleagues. With numerous practical examples, comparisons among disciplines, valuable tips and real-life anecdotes, this must-read guide will be a valuable resource to both new graduate students and their supervisors.

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THE ABILITY to communicate in print and person is essential to the life of a successful scientist. But since writing is often secondary in scientific education and teaching, there remains a significant need for guides that teach scientists how best to convey their research to general and professional audiences. The Craft of Scientific Communication will teach science students and scientists alike how to improve the clarity, cogency, and communicative power of their words and images. In this remarkable guide, Joseph E. Harmon and Alan G. Gross have combined their many years of experience in the art of science writing to analyze published examples of how the best scientists communicate. Organized topically with information on the structural elements and the style of scientific communications, each chapter draws on models of past successes and failures to show students and practitioners how best to negotiate the world of print, online publication, and oral presentation.

Mastering the art of communicating scientific information is more critical than ever for a successful career in science and technology. Scientists today must be able to effectively convey sophisticated information to a broad audience that may include students, colleagues around the world, regulatory bodies, granting agencies, legislators, and the lay public. In this engaging and lively book, the author provides a step-by-step guide to the complete process of making a scientific presentation from preparation to delivery. It offers numerous examples highlighting what to follow and what to avoid. This revised edition covers the effective use of PowerPoint and other computer-based presentation programs. It also includes a handy checklist, new illustrations, and tips on handling an audience in a foreign country."

Contents: Pt. I, Content selection. Paper and oral presentation : the difference ; Content filtering criteria -- Pt. II, Audience expectations. General audience expectations ; Scientific audience expectations -- Pt. III, The slides. Five slide types, five roles ; Slide design -- Pt. IV, The presenter. The master of tools ; Scientist and perfect host ; The grabbing voice ; The answerable scientist.

"Designing Science Presentations "guides researchers and graduate students of virtually any discipline in the creation of compelling science communication. Most scientists never receive formal training in the creation, delivery, and evaluation of such material, yet it is essential for publishing in high-quality journals, soliciting funding, attracting lab personnel, and advancing a career. This clear, readable volume fills that gap and provides visually intensive guidance at every step from the construction of original figures to the presentation and delivery of those figures in papers, slideshows, posters, and websites. It provides pragmatic advice on the preparation and delivery of exceptional scientific presentations; demonstrates hundreds of visually striking presentation techniques, giving readers inspiration for creating their own; and is structured so that readers can easily find answers to particular questions. Clear heading for each section indicates its message, highlighted with graphic illustrations Two summary paragraphs that complement the visual images and clearly discuss the main pointNumerous examples of high-quality figures, page layouts, slides, posters, and web pages to help stimulate readers' ideas for their own presentationsNumerous "before and after" examples to illustrate the contrast between poor and outstanding presentations"

Urging scientists to speak up and be heard in current debates, Cornelia Dean offers advice on public speaking, media relations and popular science writing.

This is a book for scientists and other experts who need to explain the significance and potential of their work to colleagues, committees, funding bodies or the general public. It details how to harness story-telling principles to make complex or technical content easier to communicate and fulfilling for audiences.Eight narrative ingredients, Audience, Change and Affect, Lure, World, Character, Big Hook, Plot and Structure, are illustrated with examples and exercises to demonstrate how to build a presentation, how to pitch for funds or resources, how to make a persuasive argument, or simply how to explain ideas so they CRACKLE and FIZZ for the Audience.