Writing Guidelines Writing Exercises

In the following checklist, the numbers in parentheses refer to page numbers in The Craft of Scientific Writing. Structure/Content Organization Title orients (17-20) Introduction (27-34) Problem Statement (185-189) Assertions set up Proposed Solution Assertions are supported Proposed Solution (189-193) Proposal is pitched Objectives are clear Objectives are logical Transition/Depth/Emphasis First sentences orient (55-56) Sections stand alone (53-59) Depth achieved (59-63) Emphasis achieved (64-71) Language Being Precise and Clear (73-96) Generalities grounded (79) Needless complexity avoided (83-90) Ambiguity avoided (90-96) Being Forthright and Familiar (97-118) Terms defined (111-115) Examples given (115-118) Concrete nouns used (103) Active verbs relied on (105-107) Being Concise and Fluid (119-145) Transition words used (138) Discontinuities bridged (137-145) Sentences varied (129-136) Needless words cut (119-125) Choppy paragraphs avoided (136-137) Illustration Illustrations introduced (162-163) Illustrations discussed (164-166) Key results accented (66-67) Illustration placed properly (166-167) Key images shown (152-156, 167-168) Level of detail appropriate (159-160) Captions specific (163-164) Mechanics/Format Major Errors Run-On (258-259) Fragment Errors SV disagreement (259-260) Incorrect Usage (73-75, 268-272) Pronoun reference (93-94) Faulty parallelism (259) Missing comma (262-264) Undesired comma (262-264) Colon error (264-265) Possessive (271-272) Verb tense (261) Misplaced modifier (259) Minor Errors Unclear "This" (94) Numeral (140-141) Quotation marks (266) Typography (222-226) Layout (226-227) Back to Top

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