#writingtips: It isn't going to be perfect first time you write, so get something down, edit later
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Nathaniel Grubbs
@npgrubbs
I love genetics
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I think there is also a direct connection to the book bans going on now. It serves them 3-fold by justifying more defunding of public education, increased funding for "choice" programs, and the broad removal of reading materials from publicly-funded facilities.
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I don't know if politicians like and simply don't understand, or are maliciously trying to intentionally impoverish public education to keep the poor poor. Whether through incompetence or malice, they are destroying US education.
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"School choice means schools choose their students." 'School choice' is a lie meant to justify defunding public education for the benefit of private organizations (many of them religious in nature), and to the detriment of kids in poorer families.
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Had he been given a voucher, his mother couldn’t have covered the gas money to drive him to a private school, much less extra tuition. A private school probably would’ve taken one look at him and made sure he wasn’t admitted. School choice means schools choose their students.
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Here, discusses another structure useful for #WritingInSTEM. This structure could even help you think about forms beyond dissertations/publications/other forms of formal writing.
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I don't doubt my rep, , is part of this scheme to add salt in the wound for borrowers.
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It is one thing to pass a bill to overturn Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness plan.
But to make borrowers retroactively pay back the interest when their student loans were on pause the past three years is wrong.
The House isn't here to help, it is clearly out to harm.
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If you're a corporate marketing officer concerned over what's happening with Target, let me make something abundantly clear: you will never appease anti-LGBTQ extremists. They don't want *some* concessions. They want all of them. But there's a colder truth at play here.
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If you are doing STEM writing from an academic setting, keep this important factor in mind: taking care of yourself is key to doing your best writing.
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I had to intentionally remind myself that I couldn't be writing my dissertation all the time *and* do my best work. Sleep, food, and even leisure distractions were absolutely necessary for my well being and the long-term success of my writing endeavor.
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However, academia in particular can be pretty toxic when it comes to encouraging the rest the mind/body need to function best. I remember in the months leading to my defense feeling guilty whenever I wasn't at the computer writing.
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I particularly want to take a moment to reflect on the matter of trying a distraction. When I am stuck on a word, nothing helps me more than to stop thinking about the topic for a minute. So, it makes sense that the bigger the 'stuck', the bigger the distraction to get past it.
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#WritingInSTEM, like all writing types, can get stuck. Maybe it is just a word that eludes you, or maybe the whole plan has turned out wrong. Here, offers some ideas for getting unstuck.
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How many times did I witness this:
Speaker (loudly): Can everybody hear me?
Speaker (in a conversational volume that decreases with time): <delivers talk>
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This is the thing that annoyed me most about the weekly seminars I experienced in academia. So many guests refused to use the mic, leaving many of us struggling to understand them during their presentation.
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I am begging folks:
If a workshop is providing and asking folks to use a mic, please do not refuse to use the mic and ask "can everyone hear me without this?" Just use the mic. Being heard is not just about the volume but also about the clarity of being able to hear the words.
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A grad school bound student asked if I had any advice. Like many students w this opportunity, she is bright, ambitious, and prepared. So, I had only two pieces of advice:
1. Get a hobby that you can commit to at least two hours a week
2. Get a citation manager
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American voters need truth, facts, and accurate reporting ahead of the 2024 elections, not to see more hate and disinformation spread on respected news channels. do your job: stop platforming disinformers and #DumpTrump
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Even if you don't plan to the extent that Prof Thomson does, having an approximate understanding of how long it takes you to write chunks of text is useful personal knowledge, even if only to plan for today.
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Here, shares her planning method for a #WritingInSTEM publication. This method wouldn't have worked for me, but I know other writers may benefit. Early STEM writers may also benefit from the advice to learn how long their writing steps take.
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Obviously, the rules change if the abbreviation is commonly known to your audience. Like jargon, familiarity allows freer use. But, you have to know what your audience is familiar with. If in doubt, spell it out (or, avoid if you can).
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Indeed, one of the guidances I followed was to only deploy an abbreviation if you use it more than 3 times. If ≤ 3, then spell out every time, because you aren't using it enough.
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I would add: if you need to use novel abbreviations, try not to use more than one, define it clearly, and use it frequently.
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Acronyms, and abbreviations more broadly, are like jargon—use them carefully and sparingly in your #WritingInSTEM. explains why:
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Companies like collect billions in taxpayer dollars to burn trees for electricity. and Biden it's time to cut ties with the biomass scandal and invest in real climate solutions instead: bit.ly/3GWWNN9
The rollback of child labor laws, the targeting of LGBTQ+ youth, the book bans, the refusal to ban child marriage — all connected. All based on the lie that children are property to be bought, sold, and controlled instead of actual people with autonomy and dignity.
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Anti-trans is anti-woman. It is all the same patriarchal misogyny stealing personal medical and life decisions. You can't be feminist and anti-trans.
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The Alliance Defending Freedom is responsible for the anti-abortion Mifepistone ruling.
The same organization that is behind the 450 anti-trans bills this year.
These are two sides of the same coin in the same fight and the same people are fighting with the same justifications.
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This is how privileges can compound in a country and an industry that do not ensure adequate support and protection for vulnerable individuals.
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For people with healthy teeth and eyes, this may not be a problem. For others, this can result in problems being ignored until they become massively expensive fixes.
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The fact that US separates dental and vision care access from general health via individual insurances is already a problem. That the former 2 have to be paid for out-of-pocket even if the latter is a covered benefit means too many students/postdocs may not choose to be covered.
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Grad school and postdocing can have hidden expenses beyond the low pay. At minimum, increasing pay is needed to ensure grad students and postdocs can afford to get all their needs met, including planning for the future with savings and adequate healthcare.
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TL;DR
Low stipends are the tip of the financial iceburg— there are many other potential opportunity costs for attending graduate school.
I just want everyone to be aware of these when making their decisions about whether to attend graduate school, or stay in their program.
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TL;DR
Low stipends are the tip of the financial iceburg— there are many other potential opportunity costs for attending graduate school.
I just want everyone to be aware of these when making their decisions about whether to attend graduate school, or stay in their program.
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By actively looking for marginalized voices as references, writers can help ensure they aren't dominating the floor to the detriment of the conversation.
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I have seen academic writers pledging to commit to referencing a certain percentage of non-English papers, or a certain percentage of non-cis-male first authors (this one requires a certain degree of assumption).
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Even when writing, we can ask, "Who am I not listening to? Whose voices are missing from the conversation I am trying to take part in?"
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What is a more interesting part of Prof Thomson's piece is the concepts it introduces but doesn't dwell on. In particular, I want to focus on the matter of dominating the discussion.
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The primary focus of Prof Thomson's blog post is, in essence, another way to think about and stay focused on your audience. As someone who has been tapped in to the #SciComm field for a while, audience focus is something I am familiar with, and you probably are as well.
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#WritingInSTEM is about holding conversation. Some forms are obvious (emails), while others less so (academic papers). Here, discusses how thinking about conversation can help shape formal academic writing.
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