Writing Science: Implications for the Classroom

Abstract

Writing is a pervasive aspect of a career in science: research scientists’ careers are determined by their capacity to write papers, reviews and grants, and to engage with both their disciplinary community and the broader scientific community (Bazerman, 1992). For science graduates who choose a career outside of research, writing and communication remain critical professional skills: extension scientists and consultants must communicate with farmers, growers and industry; food scientists must communicate with the health industry and with the public; engineers must write reports and compliance documents (Bernhardt, 2004). Indeed, Berhardt, like Olson (2009 cited above) argues that, in the face of global crises, the capacity of scientists to communicate, within their own discipline and with the wider public, has never been more important. (Abstract taken from first paragraph of document)