Week 8: coffee cup nearly done; one article close review up next
Happy Monday. Here is a novel concept for the coffee cup problem by Sardi Design for an Italian coffee company, Lavazza.
Is this for real or just an idea meant to shake up our thinking a bit?
Tonight, you have an ER REVIEWING TASK due. A few of you have a Google doc work around to use. Please be on time for each other. I will open a parking lot for the to-be-graded coffee cup memo likely early Tuesday AM. You will have a week, as per practice for the rain garden memo. Be on time for each other. Take the week for yourself as needed to turn in the memo for a grade. Make sense?
TLDR for next topic: Use the Oxford comma. Just do it! Here is explication of this writing craft punctuation choice, with examples-->
To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.
To my parents, J.K. Rowling and God.
To my parents, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.
In a newspaper account of a documentary about Merle Haggard:
Among those interviewed were his two ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson (died last month) and Robert Duvall.
These two preceding examples are from Theresa Hayden, helpfully in a Wikipedia entry. Here is another doosie (courtesy Hayden) that cries out for a serial or Oxford comma.
The Times once published an unintentionally humorous description of a Peter Ustinov documentary, noting that "highlights of his global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector."
Now, to be clear, the serial comma does not always solve ambiguity problems. Let's look at the Sweet Betsy from Pike (ballad history web exhibt) way to think about the Oxford comma and other options (standard way to teach this in the 60s, 70s; likely regional, as in US west, like Montana).*
They went to Oregon with Betty, a maid and a cook –
- They went to Oregon with Betty, who was a maid and a cook. (One person)
- They went to Oregon with Betty, both a maid and a cook. (One person)
- They went to Oregon with Betty, a maid and cook. (One person)
- They went to Oregon with Betty (a maid) and a cook. (Two people)
- They went to Oregon with Betty, a maid, and with a cook. (Two people)
- They went to Oregon with Betty – a maid – and a cook. (Two people)
- They went to Oregon with the maid Betty and a cook. (Two people)
- They went to Oregon with a cook and Betty, a maid. (Two people)
- They went to Oregon with Betty as well as a maid and a cook. (Three people)
- They went to Oregon with Betty and a maid and a cook. (Three people)
- They went to Oregon with Betty, one maid and a cook. (Three people)
- They went to Oregon with a maid, a cook, and Betty. (Three people)
We can also look at the grocery list problem:
buying bread, jam, coffee, cream, juice, eggs, and bacon. VS
eating toast and jam, coffee and cream, juice, and bacon and eggs
Finally, we have a theme song to remember this punctuation convention. Caution: F-bomb in the chorus.
*Mb comments in slight rant about imperfection of Wikipedia as the all-perfect knowledge-pollooza.
Now, you need short research article for the next assignment! ASAP. We will speak in class about what works. Tips:
- topic you care about personally (delight-directed, personal motivation)
- from a class you are taking now (practical, study/write = knowledge uptake)
- from a lab/PI/post doc you know (participate in lab culture; ask researcher)
- from previous position or class (you already know material)
- as part of personal research (for senior thesis, etc.)
- to prep for interviews (grad school; medical school)
- Care to adopt this "shaman" article? First come/first served.
Marybeth Shea
Happy Wednesday! Today, we acknowledge the juggling of two tasks: 1) complete Assignment 2 and upload to the ER WRITING TASK AKA the parking lot; simultaneusly, 2) selecting and reading your article for Assignment 3.
Resources for reading:
How to read complex information by KE, with permission (you have seen this Google doc before in the first week of the class). This one-pager includes links that are work skimming. You will see a link to a reading guide, also linked/described here in the next resource item.
Here is a googe doc for you to copy/download to track your reading. THe article review you will write has a shape, also, with most people writing in a lemon shape with some othes writing in a pear shape. More fun detail on these fruit shapes on Wednesday.
Articles have beginnings, middles, and ends. Articles also have shapes: Think Lemon-shaped (variation is pear). Hint: how is one end of a lemon and/or a pear like the cognitive wedge? Interestingly, beginnings and ends have similarities. We have a number of options; look at these seven strategies for opening. We use these strategies with an audience in mind. Wednesday, we will talk a bit more about this audience but is based on an interdisciplinary journal club at work. Imagine Jane, all of use as colleagues, Mb as research director -- A Leaf it to Us.
Audience: who is primary audience for your article. Some rough thoughts about formality and audience type:
News article openings are good for the lay audience. Why? Several strategies related to the "seven-document" linked above:
highly visual
interesting case
hook with tidbit of interesting information
topic (timely)
For technical audiences, open with
review of logos (detail of costs, population size, enormity of problem)
controversy
new application or breaking news
Getting clear on technical, scientific prose (in contrast to literature): Let's look at this recent article in PloS One about writing scientific prose. In Science, two scientists talk about how they read articles. Ruben writes with a somewhat lighthearted approach while Pain responds to his piece with her approach. Read the comments.
Writing resources are also reading resources! Here is the open acess "bible" of writing (and reading) scientific prose: Mayfield Guide. Now, let's look/review at the basic parts of the IMRAD article using this guide. BTW, this book is hosted by MIT. I follow the MIT ethical practice of teaching openly, so that knowledge is available to all and not just tuition paying students.
As given earlier, a flow-diagram to help you. Open in a new link. Save in a draft document!
Preview of document middle (shape!) : three or four points. We will consider the cognitve magic of three. Want to read ahead? We have science on why three or found points work in communication. To prepare for that, you can skim read this Forbes piece on Thomas Jeffeson, Steven Jobs and three! If you read from a campus IP address, you have access to this widely read business magazine. If you, you likely can read under the limited-number-of-articles marketing strategy.
Hint: these two fruits show the importance of the technical/scientific article MIDDLE. And, your review of this self-selected article can also take this shape. Think of what three main points you will share in your review. Size matters, here. TBD in class.
Marybeth Shea
Happy Friday --> heading into Halloween, Day of the Dead, and Diwali all just about to unfold.
Available 9-9:50 & 11-11:50
Oxford comma, science examples.(short google doc).
Parking lot is open for one week, starting tonight, for your coffee cub memos.
Do you have a technical/scientific article? You need this NOW because next week begins Assignment 3.