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Scientific Papers and Presentations
"For the second edition of scientific papers and presentations the text has been completely overhauled with references updated and new materials and new approaches incorporated into every chapter. A new chapter has been added dealing with communication issues of international students." Scientific Papers and Presentations is an essential guide for all science graduates but especially those involved in Biology, Agriculture, Chemistry, Engineering or Health Sciences. The book can be used as a text for courses and seminars, plus it is also a valuable handy reference for anyone working in a scientific field.
Paperback
First published December 20, 1996
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March 24, 2018
Scientific Papers and Presentations is certainly a text that practices what it preaches. Namely, it is straightforward and communicates clearly. Any figurative or visual embellishments serve the message, and do not distract from it.
Personally, I found Davis' writing to have an excellent balance of generality and specific. While not straying too far into abstraction, it does remain rather general, containing few examples. This made it very congenial for me, but that is partly a matter of preference in the way I like to communicate and be communicated to. The appendices, which I did not get to read as thoroughly as the main body, certainly provide any additional concreteness that is needed.
Unfortunately, the writing is neither suspenseful nor humorous, and does not hold one's interest in the same way as a work of fiction, or have the intrigue of a nonfiction work covering a more obscure topic. Writing and communicating are rather everyday sort of things, and so hindsight bias kicks in with a vengeance, making most everything written seem obvious after-the-fact. However, one should be mindful to view this reaction as a sign of the amazing clarity and condensation of the essence of communication that Davis has achieved.
If in doubt, challenge yourself to anticipate what might be said. While patterns will emerge as reading progresses, I myself found that I could be surprised more often than expected, showing that the ideas were not common sense, but rather were incorporated into my sense of what is common, but only after reading. Nevertheless, a dry and uninteresting reading experience, regardless of the fact that it is mainly a product of my own cognitive biases, prevents this reading from earning a perfect score.
Repetition of key points is used tastefully and effectively, sometimes in the form of verbatim repetition across multiple or single chapters. Overall, I developed a new awareness for the concept and existence of "semantic environments" and all the factors external to the immediate words carrying a message that influence the meanings conveyed. I have learned to always consider the audience and purpose for any medium of communication. I will be mindful of my professional and personal ethics, and above all, I will practice preparedness.
I think that readers can benefit a great deal from Davis' experience, and the work she has done to curate and refer to further source materials covering all the topics touched upon in this book. Because of this quality, I think a copy of this book would not be out of place on my personal shelf in the future.
As a final note, I found the section for international students was thoughtful and appropriate. It was a most helpful addition to the second edition.
Personally, I found Davis' writing to have an excellent balance of generality and specific. While not straying too far into abstraction, it does remain rather general, containing few examples. This made it very congenial for me, but that is partly a matter of preference in the way I like to communicate and be communicated to. The appendices, which I did not get to read as thoroughly as the main body, certainly provide any additional concreteness that is needed.
Unfortunately, the writing is neither suspenseful nor humorous, and does not hold one's interest in the same way as a work of fiction, or have the intrigue of a nonfiction work covering a more obscure topic. Writing and communicating are rather everyday sort of things, and so hindsight bias kicks in with a vengeance, making most everything written seem obvious after-the-fact. However, one should be mindful to view this reaction as a sign of the amazing clarity and condensation of the essence of communication that Davis has achieved.
If in doubt, challenge yourself to anticipate what might be said. While patterns will emerge as reading progresses, I myself found that I could be surprised more often than expected, showing that the ideas were not common sense, but rather were incorporated into my sense of what is common, but only after reading. Nevertheless, a dry and uninteresting reading experience, regardless of the fact that it is mainly a product of my own cognitive biases, prevents this reading from earning a perfect score.
Repetition of key points is used tastefully and effectively, sometimes in the form of verbatim repetition across multiple or single chapters. Overall, I developed a new awareness for the concept and existence of "semantic environments" and all the factors external to the immediate words carrying a message that influence the meanings conveyed. I have learned to always consider the audience and purpose for any medium of communication. I will be mindful of my professional and personal ethics, and above all, I will practice preparedness.
I think that readers can benefit a great deal from Davis' experience, and the work she has done to curate and refer to further source materials covering all the topics touched upon in this book. Because of this quality, I think a copy of this book would not be out of place on my personal shelf in the future.
As a final note, I found the section for international students was thoughtful and appropriate. It was a most helpful addition to the second edition.
Displaying 1 of 1 review