Scientific

Communication
Gurudutt R. Kamath
What We Do
Bridge between those who know
and those who need to know
Bridge between SMEs (Subject
Matter Experts) and lay persons
Fast growing career
Mainly known in software field
Technical Writers and Technical
Editors
Our Work
User documentation
Journals and Whitepapers
Research Reports
Books, Publications, and
Newspapers
Scientific Papers
Publish to complete research
Communicate well to be published


How to Write a Paper
1
(3
rd

edition)
Edited by George M Hall
(BywordViva)
Scientific Writing: Easy
when you know how


Why Publish?
1
Readers can
Assess the observations you make
Repeat the experiment if they wish
Determine whether the conclusions
drawn are justified by the data
IMRAD
(Abstract brief summary)
Introduction What question was asked?
Methods How was it studied?
Results What was found?
And
Discussion What do the findings mean?
Introduction
Why you have undertaken the
study?
Clarify what your work adds
Keep it short
Make sure you are aware of
earlier studies
Convince the reader
Dont baffle the reader
Methods
Study Design
Who, what, why, when, and where?
Randomisation, blind assessment
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Analysis of the Data
What hypothesis was tested?
Results
What was found?
Organize the presentation
Avoid
The results are presented in tables
X-Z and in figures A-C.
Differentiate clearly between data
and results
Republishing figures (copyright)
And General Points
Instructions to Authors
Wrong length
400 word abstract
600 word length
Audience
Generalist
Specialist
Structure and Format
Words
Structure

Discussion So What?
Summary of the field of enquiry
We conclude
This study found
Context of literature studied
Finishing off
Perhaps
Possibly
More research is needed
Heres another problem solved
Conclusion to be backed up by data
Acknowledgements
Titles
Interesting, concise, precise, not
misleading, informative,
descriptive, and appropriate for
classification
Developing a title in 4 steps
Lileyman, 1988, p44
1
Nuclear reprocessing, radiation
exposure, and childhood leukaemia: an
epidemiological study
Abstracts
200-300 words
Structured
Context, objectives, design, setting,
participants, interventions, main
outcome measures, results, and
conclusions
Authors
Vancouver guidelines
Participated sufficiently
Concept, design, analysis, or
interpretation
Drafting or revising
Final approval
Public responsibility for the content
Nothing should be inferred from the
order of authors
References
Foundation on which the work is
built
Large number
Read review articles
Take Expert help
Vancouver and Harvard formats
Numbered consecutively (1)
Name of the author (Year)
Sloppy reviewers will
Uniform Requirements
Double spacing Margins (25 mm)
Sequence
Title, abstract, key words, text, acknowledgement,
references, tables, legends to figures
IMRAD
New page section, table
Permissions (previous material)
Required number of copies
Electronic copy
Style
Clear, Accurate, Concise
Short sentences, simple words,
simple structures
Jargon only if required.
Noun clusters
Obstetric complication frequency
Frequency of obstetric complications
Say Who did What
We compared the treatment group ...

More Style
Avoid This, these, he, she, or it
If the baby does not thrive on raw
milk, boil it.
Make comparisons clear (subgroup or
whole population)
More women were alive five years
after diagnosis.
More women [than men] were alive
five years after diagnosis.

Simple Words
1
before prior to
more than in excess of
depends on is dependentant upon
also additionally
indicates is indicative of
Say What You Mean
After five days, the symptoms had
improved.
After five days, the symptoms had abated.
Dermatitis is less often diagnosed
Dermatitis was less prevalent
symptoms are not well correlated with
clinical disease severity.
symptoms are not related to disease
severity.
House Style
Director General or director
general
Beta-carotene or carotene
Moslem or Muslim
Mumbai or Bombay
Gurus Tips
Instructions to authors
Study a few model papers, letters
Read it out aloud
Spell-check finally and Proof-read
(missing not, or note)
FAQ and CE
FAQ
We, I, You yes personal pronouns
are fine
Common Errors
Poor references
Poor titles
Poor writing
References
1. How to Write a Paper (3rd edition)
Edited by George M Hall (BywordViva)
2. Scientific Writing: Easy when you know
how
Jennifer Peat, Elizabeth Elliott, Louise Baur, Victoria
Keena
3. Science & Technical Writing
General Editor Philip Rubens (Foundation)
4. Scientific Style and Format (6
th
edition)
Council of Biology Editors (life sciences, physical
sciences, mathematics)
Technical
Communication
Gurudutt R. Kamath
Importance
Improved productivity
Improved use of product
Increased safety
Legal protection
Reduces cost of training
Reduces support
Lesser chance of rejection
Audience
3
Analysis
Surveys, questionnaires, structured interviews,
usability tests
Characteristics
Educational, professional background
Knowledge, experience level
English language
Context
Objectives and Needs
Profile
Information Analysis
Purpose and Structure
Document Type
Marketing
Conceptual, Procedural, Tutorial, Job Aid
Referential
Frequency and Pattern of Use
Textual Features
Textual Features
Overview, summary sections
Step-by-step instructions
Narrative explanations
Conceptual models, analogies, and/or
examples
Figures, charts, and/or tables
Cross-references and/or navigation aids
Technical terminology, language
conventions, and/or symbolic conventions
Media Characteristics
Articles narrative
Booklets conversational
Brochures catchy
Newsletters journalistic
Correspondence formal, informal
Manuals action oriented
Reports formal and objective
Help systems action oriented
Wizards concise and action oriented
Websites catch and easy to use
Document Delivery
Print
Facsimile
Network
Floppy disk
FTP (file transfer protocol)
Email attachment
Website
Technical Writing Process
Document Plan
Audience ~ Objective ~Media ~
Resources ~ TOC ~ Schedule
Writing
Revising
Editing
Reviews
Peer, Technical, Domain, Quality
Publish
Tools
Microsoft Outlook email
Microsoft Word documents
Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
Microsoft PaintBrush drawings
Adobe Acrobat PDF
Microsoft FrontPage web pages
Adobe FrameMaker large, complex documents
Adobe PageMaker desktop publishing
Adobe InDesign desktop publishing
XML editors
Macromedia RoboHelp
Macromedia Flash
Technical Writing Practices
User Friendly
Appealing
Step-by-step instructions
Language and Style
Easy to Refer
Contents ~ Headings/subheadings ~ Cross
References ~ Index
Easy to maintain
Modular, reusable
Right tools and templates
Language and Style
Parallelism ~ Grammar ~Active/Passive Voice ~ You
~ Style Guides
User Friendly
Format and Structure
Headings, templates
Consistent
Headings, language, lists, cross-references, words
Lists
Bulleted, Numbered
Tables
Graphics
Instructions
Steps
Tasks
Concrete
Scenarios, Case Studies, Examples

Document Design
Template
Use plenty of white space
Maximum of 5 fonts
Serif fonts (Times) paper
Sans Serif fonts (Verdana) - online
Maximum of 5 colours
Style Guides
Chicago Manual of Style
Grammar, References, Indexing, Punctuation
Microsoft Manual of Style
Usages for the computer industry
Elements of Style
Strunk & White
Grammar and Punctuation
Writing tips
http://www.bartleby.com/141

Gurus Tips
Structure and outline (Word)
Use a template and modify it
Use references
Dictionary, Chicago MOS
Format
Perfect
Maxim of 5 errors in the document
FAQ and CE
FAQ
How can I become a technical writer?
Courses in technical communication
Common Errors
Its and its
&
Double emphasis
Verbiage
Web & Email
http://www.documentorg.com
MITWA group on Yahoo
(Mediapersons, Indexers, Translators, Writers & Associates)
mitwa-susbscribe@yahoogroups.com
Book/Column
Documentorg-subscribe@topica.com
http://lists.topica.com/list/documentorg/read
Email
documentor@vsnl.com