Word Reduction Editing in Second-Language Scientific Writing by East Asian and South Asian Chemistry Graduate Students

David G. Churchill
Department of Chemistry and School of Molecular Science (BK 21), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea
J. Chem. Educ., 2006, 83 (7), p 1022
DOI: 10.1021/ed083p1022
Publication Date (Web): July 1, 2006
History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

A recursive scientific writing project was undertaken in a second-year, graduate-level course to teach students who were non-native English speakers to write scientific communications clearly and concisely in English. The instructor returned students' brief texts with editorial revisions marked to show how increased clarity may be achieved through word reduction. Peer editing, class discussion, and reading effective writing examples from the primary scientific literature augmented the instructor's editing as means to improve students' science writing in English. Over the course of six assignments, the word counts of students' writing decreased. Anonymous student evaluations indicate that the students had positive attitudes towards the exercises, found them to be useful, and believed that their writing ability and confidence in writing science communications in English improved by practicing word reduction editing.

Keywords (Audience):

Graduate Education / Research

Keywords (Domain):

Curriculum

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Communication / Writing
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  • Received: August 03, 2009

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