(photo: Mandy Kong)
Now under the aegis of the Norwegian Research School for Climate-Informed Innovation and Decision Making (“Climate-Informed”), the annual science-writing workshop was held 23—27 March. It was the 15th annual meeting of the workshop. There were nine participants, one joining remotely from Ethiopia. All were avid, open minded, and—vitally important—generous in their attention to each other’s submitted drafts. It was thus a pleasure to work with them.
We began the discussions of each paper addressing the science itself, not writing per se. The science writer’s sole stylistic obligation is clarity. So we asked, “Do we understand precisely what new science the writer is purveying and what gap it fills in previous knowledge?” If we did not, why? Was it due to the writers’ incomplete understanding of their own science, or was it a matter of the science getting lost in unclear writing, sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph? This led to discussions of how do new writers—with a clear idea of what they want to say—decide how to say it. It didn’t take long for these smart people to begin thinking like writers about science.
We also discussed the important fact that, unlike in other kinds of writers, science writers know their intended readership; they are the writers’ colleagues. So we can ask, “What kind of writing do you want from a science article in a technical journal?”
But first comes the science, before ever launching into a full draft. If the scientific thinking is not clear and complete, there’s no chance the writing will be. This “science first” approach would not be possible without the help of volunteer faculty members (a different scientist for each student paper), many of whom have contributed their time and attention for over a decade. These people provide another benefit: they bring real-world experience in the publishing process itself, therefore can offer practical advice—and encouragement. As always, and on behalf of the new writers, thank you.
I had never been to Bergen in March. It rained every day. No one was surprised.
My thanks to Mandy, to Noel, Lea, and best wishes to Climate-Informed, Dallas Murphy
———————————————————————————–
Here’s how two participants said about the course:
The course provided a great opportunity to re-examine our writing with the objective of achieving a clear, concise final product. The weeklong intensive course created a perfectly immersive and motivating environment, allowing us to truly focus on our work and connect with our peers. Dallas Murphy provided invaluable insight into the writing process making it relevant beyond the classroom hours. You acquire skills and tools that are universally applicable for any future projects. – Fiona Richer
This course has given me a new perspective on academic writing. By reading manuscripts from peers at various stages of completion, I’ve learned something different and unique from every single one. The most valuable insight from Dallas during this week is that using clear and direct writing allows us to share information more effectively. Ultimately, our goal is to tell the story of our findings to the world. – Yangfan Zhou
————————————————————————————–