{"id":562,"date":"2014-07-02T14:16:12","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T21:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dereviankogroup.com\/?p=562"},"modified":"2014-07-02T17:05:41","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T00:05:41","slug":"algorithmic-approach-to-scientific-writing-style-structure-of-a-paragraph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dereviankogroup.com\/dereviankogroup\/rightthere\/algorithmic-approach-to-scientific-writing-style-structure-of-a-paragraph\/","title":{"rendered":"Algorithmic approach to scientific writing style: the structure of a paragraph"},"content":{"rendered":"

With three of my students writing their theses this year, I decided to formalize some advice on a clear writing style. Yes, writing is an art form, yet I find that following these simple rules would produce understandable technical writing - a vast improvement over not following rules at all.<\/p>\n

Here are my\u00a0notes on\u00a0how to make a paragraph flow.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Pick a keyword\/phrase\/concept\/idea that you would want to\u00a0focus in the paragraph. This keyword should remain the focus of individual sentences throughout the paragraph. \u00a0This simple trick helps the paragraph \u201cflow\u201d.<\/li>\n
  2. The first sentence of a\u00a0paragraph\u00a0should announce what you intend to communicate in the paragraph. For example, \u201cBelow we show that \u2026\u201d. Remember you are writing to be easily understood.<\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0The last sentence should summarize the paragraph and possibly pre-announce what would happen in the following paragraph tying the paragraphs together.<\/li>\n
  4. \"Square\" rule - typically a paragraph should not occupy more than a \"square\" on a printed page, i.e., the height\u00a0of the paragraph should not exceed the column\u00a0width. Shorter paragraphs are fine. If longer, strongly consider breaking the paragraph in two.<\/li>\n
  5. Read \u00a0the paragraph ALOUD - even a non-native speaker would be able to tell if the\u00a0writing \"feels\" right.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Additional notes:\u00a0Do not mix passive and active voice in a\u00a0paragraph.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    With three of my students writing their theses this year, I decided to formalize some advice on a clear writing style. Yes, writing is an art form, yet I find that following these simple rules would produce understandable technical writing - a vast improvement over not following rules at all. Here are my\u00a0notes on\u00a0how to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nAlgorithmic approach to scientific writing style: the structure of a paragraph - 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