Writing in the Biological Sciences

   Bob Hudson of the biology department gives students an early writing tip: to use in-class notetaking to organize the subject and their understanding of the material. He tells them to synthesize by writing notes in their own words, not the professor's, and suggests reworking their notes each night.

   Special writing assignments in biology ask writers to search the literature, organize their thoughts, present these thoughts in a logical manner, reveal their attitude toward an issue by taking sides, and present procedures in written form. Term papers, such as review papers, briefly explore materials in a given area and synthesize and narrow a topic. Primary research papers, such as lab reports and independent honors research, record actual lab procedures and data interpretation.

   Some characteristics of writing in biology include the frequent use of tables and figures that show data and help readers read data quickly. The writer comments on highs and lows in the text but does not put all the data in the text. Line graphs help readers see trends. Biologists also use headings and subheadings as organizational tools. Unlike students writing about literature, who often use direct quotations as evidence, biology students need to paraphrase ideas in their papers.

   The biology department requires all majors to take two courses to learn the process of writing in biology. The first, Library Research Methods in the Biological Sciences introduces the students to the use of the library and other sources for scientific research.The course uses the text Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences by Victoria McMillan. Students in Library Research Methods develop skills in writing a comprehensive, well-documented scientific paper and in presenting an effective formal scientific presentation. Topics covered in the course include taking notes, avoiding plagiarism, paper format, drafting and revising, the mechanics of writing, and oral presentation. Students in that class bring their introductions to the Writing Center for help with clarity, coherence, and eliminating wordiness.

   The Seminar in Biology, taken in the fall of the senior year, is the capstone writing and presentation experience for each biology major. Students write review papers with an abstract, an introduction to the problem; the body, which includes subheaded themes of current and past research with some methodology; and a conclusion in which the writer may judge the validity of the direction the research is heading. Students are not allowed to use a topic covered in the last three or four years. Students receive an extremely detailed assignment sheet and, at the same time, an evaluation sheet listing the grading criteria for the oral presentation and the paper. Guidelines for the review paper are very specific so that students learn to "follow an exact format, similar to those required by a scientific journal," said Hudson.

   Susan Haynes, a senior biology major, says that "the courses focusing on writing sharpened my skills in communication." Planning to go to medical school after taking a year off, she notes, "The importance of clarity in written communication will extend beyond papers at PC and into my career."