Review in Weather
In the March 2011 issue of Weather, Bob Prichard, Editor, wrote a nice review of Eloquent Science, calling it “highly commendable.” That review can be read here. The issue with commas that Bob raised is referred to as the serial comma. The style of many American publishers is to use the serial comma, whereas the […]
When should you script your talk?
March 12, 2011 Filed under Blog, Featured, Presentations
For people with little experience in giving public talks, I recommend two things. First, practice, practice, practice. The more you rehearse your talk, the more confident you will be and the more likely you will give a good presentation. How many times is enough? That depends, but if you are giving your first conference-style presentation […]
When should you cite a paper?
March 12, 2011 Filed under Blog, Featured, Resources, Uncategorized, Writing
3 month thesis by James Hayton has a free guide that you can sign up to receive called “The Short Guide to Writing Fast.” Inside I found this concise quote about when you should cite a paper (p. 20): You should only cite a paper… • To support one of your arguments • To provide […]
Junk the Jargon Podcast
March 5, 2011 Filed under Blog, News, Presentations
I’ve appeared in the University of Manchester Junk the Jargon Podcast (Junkcast). You can listen or read the transcript here. In this Junkcast, I talk about how to engage an audience, giving some examples from my and others’ presentations.
Are first-person pronouns acceptable in scientific writing?
One of the most common questions I get is whether it is acceptable to use “we” or “I” in a scientific paper. “We” or “I” are first-person pronouns. Many professors tell their students not to use first-person pronouns in their writing, instead preferring a more passive tone. Instead of “We speculate that…”, these professors prefer […]
