Writing Program

Coordinator/Contact:  William Magrino

Course Description:
Writing for the Natural Sciences/Biology is a research based, project-focused course designed to address the needs of students doing research in the natural sciences.  The course begins by covering many of the basic forms of professional writing students will encounter in their careers (including abstracts, literature surveys, research reports, and grant proposals).  Each student then develops an individual project involving research in an area of specialty, culminating in a project proposal or journal article (possibly for publication in a journal for undergraduate science).  We assume that the students in the course are or will soon be engaged in actual laboratory research in their field, and the course is designed to support that work.  Students currently engaged in research are urged to consider writing a journal article; students not yet engaged in research should write a grant proposal.

Course Texts:
Ann Penrose and Steven Katz, Writing in the Sciences
Coursepack of student papers, journal articles, and grant proposals
Victoria McMillan, Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, 3rd Edition [WPBS]

Supplemental Texts:
Robert A. Day, How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper