Writing Conventions

We first write conventional nuclear reactions for each step in the decay series. 

Writing conventions specific to a genre that dictate the appearance and physical placement of written elements in, for example, tables, figures, references, headings, and number/unit combinations. 

Writing conventions may seem a bit picky to you at this point however, by adhering to the writing conventions of chemists, you take an important step toward sounding like an expert chemist. If you submit a journal article, for example, with improperly formatted units and figures, incorrect abbreviations, and inappropriate verb tenses (e.g., present tense in sentences that are conventionally written in past tense), readers may judge you as a careless scientist and dismiss your work. 

Look back at the sentence(s) that you wrote in exercise 1.5. List any special writing conventions that you used. Would others interested in this topic know and... 

The fourth component of genre analysis addressed in this textbook relates to grammar and mechanics. Unlike writing conventions, which vary across genres, grammar and mechanics are governed by rules that apply to many... 

Read and analyze the following excerpt from a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for barbecue lighting fluid. Comment on as many of the five essential writing components as you can audience and purpose, organization, writing conventions, grammar and mechanics, and science content. 

Additional language tips—related to audience and purpose, writing conventions, and grammar and mechanics—are included in appendix A. Each tip has explanatory notes, examples, exercises, and an answer key, making self-study easy. Appendix B repeats, for easy reference and accessibility, the move structures included in the textbook. 

Methods). Consider the audience, organization, writing conventions, and grammar and mechanics used in the excerpt as you answer the following questions ... 

In part 1, we analyze excerpts move by move, focusing on levels of detail, formality, and conciseness (including the noticeable absence of ordinal language), writing conventions (including capitalization, abbreviations, numbers, and units), and grammar and mechanics. 

Move 1 of the Methods section, because it describes compounds and materials, is an excellent place to examine writing conventions regarding capitalization. As you read excerpts 3B-3J, you probably noticed that chemists are a bit picky... 

Two writing conventions apply to the Methods section as a whole the use of tense (past or present) and voice (passive or active). Past tense and passive voice predominate in the Methods section however, in some cases, present tense and/ or active voice are also used. Like other writing conventions, the proper use of tense and voice reveals authors familiarity with the expectations of the held, their objectivity, and more expert-like writing abilities. 

Writing conventions Check to be sure that you have used voice (mostly passive) and tense (mostly past tense) correctly. Check your formatting of units and numbers, use of abbreviations and acronyms, and capitalization of compounds and vendors. 

Which writing conventions have you used before ... 

Which writing conventions do you have to make an effort to remember ... 

In examining Results sections move by move, we looked at how authors refer to hgures and tables, how they use compound labeling, and how they highlight trends in the data. We examined how to report values below detection limits and how to use R to consolidate reactions in a synthesis paper. In this part of the chapter, we analyze a few writing conventions that are characteristic of the entire Results section, including verb tense, voice, and word choice. 

Writing conventions Check to be sure you have used voice and tense correctly (see table 4.1). Are your graphics formatted correctly Refer to chapter 16 to review formatting conventions. 

How do those writing conventions assist writers in achieving their purposes ... 

With the audience, purpose, and organization of the Discussion section in mind, we are ready to analyze excerpts of Discussion sections from the chemistry literature. We begin by analyzing the excerpts move by move and then examine a few writing conventions common to the entire section. 

Here, we examine writing conventions that are common throughout the Discussion section. We focus on tense and voice in addition to two word-choice issues, the use of we and hedging words. 

Writing conventions Check to be sure that you have used voice and tense correctly. 

Read the following two passages. "Which move in the Introduction does each passage correspond to (Consult hgure 6.1.) Rewrite each passage so that it follows the writing conventions of the corresponding move more closely ... 

Identify common writing conventions in the conference abstract... 

We are now ready to read and analyze abstracts in more depth. We begin by looking at a set of abstracts to identify similarities and differences in organization, emphases, and content. We then summarize writing conventions that run across most conference abstracts. 

Many of the writing conventions used in conference abstracts are those used in other chemistry genres. Important conventions are summarized here. 

Do not submit your abstract until it has been peer reviewed and you have had the chance to improve it. Some online abstract submission programs allow you to edit your work up until the abstract deadline. After that date, no revisions are allowed. Before the deadline arrives, double-check your word count, capitalization, spelling, punctuation, units, and other writing conventions. See chapter 18 for additional hints on finalizing your work. 

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