Writing Readable Research: A Guide For Social Scientists (equinox Textbooks & Surveys In Linguistics)

writing Readable Research Analyses Scientific Writing In English For Non-native And Native Speakers. The Introduction Looks At Different Layers Of Constraints In Scientific Writing In English Including Grammatical And Semantic Rules, Register, Style, Rhetoric, Textual Cohesion, Social Amenities, Mode, Field And Genre. Section I Covers The Grammatical And Sentential Structures Relevant To Scientific Genres And Those That Pose Problems For Non-native Speakers. It Explains The Function Of The Relevant Tenses, Of Voice, And Conditional Clauses And How Grammatical And Syntactic Facets Interact With Rhetorical Choices. Section Ii Looks At Problems Common To Novice Writers, Whether Non-native Or Native English Speakers, Including Neglect Of The Paragraph As An Organizing Unit, Superfluous Words And Phrases, Monotonous Sentence Structure And Inappropriateness For The Intended Readership. Many Writers Who Have Been Taught Academic English Still Find Themselves Unable To Cope With Scientific English And The Final Section Of The Book Discusses How To Analyze Various Scientific Genres, Such As Journal Articles, Oral Presentations, Abstracts, Professional Letters And Grant Proposals. This Section Also Covers The Usually Neglected Area Of Interpersonal Relations In The Scientific Discourse Community. How Do We Handle Sensitive Issues Such As Criticizing Other Researchers And Advancing One's Own Claims? Like the sound of the proverbial tree falling in a forest with no human audience, research that is not ultimately published is 'unheard' and forever lost. Moreover, published research that is not reported well may not stand a chance in today's competitive academic world. Those whose first language is not English bear a double burden in trying to make themselves heard and understood. "Writing Readable Research" tries to help users create texts that are easy to read, interesting, and dynamic, yet conform to current standards of English, to criteria of the fields of social science, and to conventions of society in general. This book gives attention to all the layers of scientific writing, from nitty-gritty problems in grammar and punctuation to sensitive interpersonal issues such as criticism of other authors and advancing one's own claims. It can be used as part of a course or independently by students. Since the intended users of this textbook are novice writers, whether graduate students or new faculty members, the practical issues are spelled out. On the other hand, since these writers are also sophisticated scientists, the book addresses their need to understand the theoretical rationale and historical background for some of the guidelines. Although "Writing Readable Research" concentrates on journal articles, it also provides valuable advice on the preparation of talks and posters for conferences, abstracts, and professional letters. Most of all, it is enhanced with a little humor, lots of authentic examples from published texts, and some challenging tasks for students to complete, presented in an easy-to-read layout Cover Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Notes Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Notes Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Notes Chapter 8 Notes Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Notes Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Notes Chapter 13 Chapter 14 References Index