Best Practices

• Communication in the Biological Sciences

  • Excerpt: "Pre-writing strategies: Selecting a topic; General strategies--"Recipe for Pretty Good Scientific Writing"; Formal research manuscripts: Pointers about writing each section of a research paper (with examples); Download master checklist for formal research papers; Poster presentations: Hints for successful posters; Proposals: How to write a good research grant proposal."
• UWL Biology Guidelines for Scientific Writing (Word document)
  • Excerpt: "Sharing the results of scientific activity with other scientists is an integral part of the scientific process. You can perform a brilliant experiment, yet if you cannot clearly explain your results and convince the reader of their importance, the experiment will go unnoticed. In a recent survey of employers of scientists, a lack of communication skills (in particular written communication skills) was the greatest deficiency found in their employees."
• Clinical Sciences Peer Review Rubric (Word document)
• Excerpt: "Ideas and Content (Development): This paper is clear and focused. It holds the reader's attention. Relevant details enrich the central theme. [...] Organization: The organization enhances and showcases the central idea or thesis. The order, structure or presentation of information is compelling and moves the reader through the text."
• Clinical Sciences Departmental Writing Assessment Rubric (Word document)
  • Excerpt: "Audience/Voice: Does the writing connect with the person(s) for whom it is intended? Does it express the writer's interest and individuality? [...] Organization: Organization refers to the design of the paper/writing. Is there a clear focus to the ideas in the document? Does it follow in a logical sequential manner as it reaches the conclusion?"