Scientific WritingScientific Writing

Andreas KämperSS 2010

9. Oral Presentations I

Div. for Simulation of Biological SystemsWSI/ZBIT Eb h d K l U i i ä TübiWSI/ZBIT, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

Recapitulation

When to use Tables

• When data cannot be presented clearlyas textas text

• When many precise numbers must be y ppresented

• When more meaningful • When more meaningful interrelationships can be conveyed by th t b l f tthe tabular format

• When putting data in the text would p gtake at least three times as much page space as presenting it in tabular formatspace as presenting it in tabular format.

J. S. Dodd (Ed.), The ACS Style Guide, 2nd ed., Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 1997, p. 300; H. Bjelland, Writing Better Technical Articles. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books.

Construction of Tables

Table 2. Planetary attributes.Title

y

Name Diameter* Mass* Box headingColumnheading

Mercury 0.39 0.06Venus 0.95 0.82Earth 1 00 1 00Earth 1.00 1.00Mars 0.53 0.11Jupiter 11.21 317.8Saturn 9 45 95 2

Stubcolumn FieldSaturn 9.45 95.2

Uranus 4.01 14.6Neptune 3.88 17.2Row

h di*Measured relative to the earth.

heading

bl fTable footnoteJ. R. Matthews, J. M. Bowen, R. W. Matthews, Successful scientific writing,

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2nd ed., 2000, pp. 79.

Arranging Tabular Material

Table 2. Planetary attributes.

Name Diameter* Mass*

Mercury 0.39 0.06Mercury 0.39 0.06Venus 0.95 0.82Earth 1.00 1.00Mars 0 53 0 11Mars 0.53 0.11Jupiter 11.21 317.8Saturn 9.45 95.2Uranus 4 01 14 6Uranus 4.01 14.6Neptune 3.88 17.2

*

Tables reading down are more easily readable!

*Measured relative to the earth.

Tables reading down are more easily readable!

Outline

• Oral Presentation– How to make a bad presentation

• Color scheme and background• Font size and type

• GrammarS i tifi l t f i– Scientific nomenclature of species

– Font choice: When to use italics

How to make a bad presentationHow to make a bad presentationGrammar corner

Color Schemes

• <irony on>Al f l h b t i t – Always use a funny color scheme, best is to use random colors

– Baby blue on pink is best– Also green is nice, although I like yellowg , g y

most

• <irony off>• <irony off>

Rule 1: Color Schemes

• Color combinations to avoidR d & G– Red & Green• Clash with each other• Very hard to read

– Orange & Blue• Colors ‘vibrate’ against each other

– Red & Blueed & lue• Not enough contrast

– Every other combination with low contrast– Every other combination with low contrast

D. Paradi, Choosing Colors for Your Presentation Slides, http://www.indezine.com/ideas/prescolors.html.

Rule 1: Color Schemes

• Good contrast with the backgroundB k d d l i l• Background and lettering colors– Should please the eyep y– Should not clash or produce eyestrain

Color combinations to prefer:• Color combinations to prefer:– Light-colored text on a dark background

(until about 2003, still often used)– Dark text on a light-colored background g g

(today)• White background is optimal if you want to g p y

print the slides (save ink)Outdated: R. H. Daffner, Am. J. Roentgenol. 2003, 181, 47.

Rule 1: Color Schemes

• Colors to avoid on white backgroundY ll (thi i t t i ll )– Yellow (this is text in yellow)• On some projectors yellow text is completely

i i iblinvisible.

– Green (RGB: 0/255/0) and in particular l h h d dlight green (this is text in standard green, this is text in light green)• Use dark green instead.

– Every other color in “light” version is hard to read (this is text in light blue)

Rule 2: Slide’s Background

• Do not use a structured backgroundB k d t t i t f ith th – Background structure interferes with the letters, making reading difficult

– Predominantly empty background is highly recommended

• Most PowerPoint design templates just detract from your message!detract from your message!

Example on previous slide: A. D. C. Chan, Presenting at your best, http://www.ee.unb.ca/Groups/AEEGS/presentation.html.

Rule 3: Font Sizes

• <Irony on>• A small font size is great! Hey, you can put so much information on the slide. Perfect, if you A small font size is great! Hey, you can put so much information on the slide. Perfect, if you

want to read everything, instead of presenting. (This is 14 point)

• Look, how much information you can put on a single slide! (This is 12 point)

• This text illustrates that it is easy to load a slide with lots of information! (This is 10 point)

• However, even more can be placed on a single slide when the font is small. (This is 8 point)

• <Irony off>

Rule 3: Font Sizes

• Main body: Typical font size should be 28 to 32 point (this is 32 point)28 to 32 point (this is 32 point)– Sub item: Should be slightly smaller, 24 to

28 point (this is 28 point)• Second sub-level: Again slightly smaller, 24 to

26 point (this is 24 point)

• The smallest font on a slide should have at least 20 point– This is a 20 point font, used only rarely during this course!p , y y g

• Slide titles should use a larger font, about 36 to 44 point (here: 36 point)about 36 to 44 point (here: 36 point)

D. Paradi, How to Select and Use Fonts on Presentation Slides, http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/articles/select_and_use_fonts.htm.

Selection of Font Types

• <irony on>Th l d l (???)– This text is easily readable (???)

– Why can’t you read this?– But this is better, isn’t it?

• <irony off>• <irony off>

• Do not use any sort of script fonts!

Rule 4: Font Types

• SerifsN t t l d t il th d – Non-structural details on the upper and lower ends of some of the strokes that

k l ttmake up letters

Example serif font (seriffed font):

Seriffed font example, (GNU Free documentation license, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Serif_and_sans-serif_03.svg).

Rule 4: Font Types

• When to use serif fonts?P i t d t t– Printed text:• Seriffed fonts are easier to read in print• The majority of books and newspapers is

printed in a serif font

• When to use sans-serif fonts?– Computer screenCo pute sc ee

• Default font for web pages, e.g. Wikipedia

– Presentation slides– Presentation slides• Easier to read from the distance (less

ornamental)ornamental)

Rule 4: Font Types

• Sans Serif fontsA i l– Arial

– Verdana– Trebuchet MS (used

here))

• Serif fontsTi N R– Times New Roman

– Garamond– Baskerville Old Face

Helvetica specimen (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:HelveticaSpecimenCH.png); Times Roman specimen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Times_New_Roman.png).

Rule 4: Font Types

• Use not more than 2 different fontsO f h di– One for headings

– One for everything else

• Better: Use only a single font throughout the presentationthroughout the presentation

Rule 5: Highlighting Text

• <irony on>I h ld b hi hli ht d – IMPORTANT TEXT should be highlighted, one way or the other

– Highlighting is important, as was outlined

beforebefore– So why don’t we highlight important g g

messages?

i ff• <irony off>

Rule 5: Highlighting Text

• The method of choice: Bold face f bl l i d li i• Less favorable alternative: Underlining

• Why not italic fonts?Why not italic fonts?– Special meanings in science (see today’s

grammar corner)grammar corner)– Harder to read than fonts in roman

• Why not all-CAPITAL letters?– Considered as shouting, impoliteConsidered as shouting, impolite

• How about shadows and word-art?H d d i– Hard to read ignore

Rule 5: Highlighting Text

• One type of highlighting is sufficienti hli h i b bi d• Highlighting types may be combined

– Throughout this course: bold text in blueg

How to make a bad presentationHow to make a bad presentationGrammar

When to use Italic Typefaces (I)

• To emphasize a word or phraseE l S d i i d i t – Example: Send in your revised manuscript within two weeks.

• For a term being defined or introduced– Only the first time it appears in the text!Only the first time it appears in the text!

• Titles and abbreviations of periodicals d b kand books

– Also refer to the Instructions to Authors

Italicization and Underlining, http://dictionary.reference.com/writing/styleguide/italics.html.

When to use Italic Typefaces (II)

• Genus and species names (binomial nomenclature) of animals plants and nomenclature) of animals, plants, and microorganisms– Detail below

• Foreign words that have not been fully • Foreign words that have not been fully adopted by the English language

D t il b l– Detail below

Italicization and Underlining, http://dictionary.reference.com/writing/styleguide/italics.html.

Scientific Names of Species (I)

• Today’s species names were introduced by Carolus Linnaeus introduced by Carolus Linnaeus

• The scientific name of a species pconsists of two parts (binomial/ binary nomenclature): binary nomenclature): – A genus name and a specific descriptor

(specific name/epithet)(specific name/epithet)• Humans belong to the genus Homo

H ’ ifi d i t i i• Humans’ specific descriptor is sapiens

– Together they form the species name• Humans’ species name is Homo sapiens

Figure: Alexander Roslin, Carl von Linné 1707-1778, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_von_Linn%C3%A9.jpg (public domain).

Scientific Names of Species (II)

• Species names are written in full at their first occurrencetheir first occurrence– Staphylococcus aureus

• Genus names can be abbreviated by their initial and a period at every later their initial and a period at every later occurrence in the text

S h ti d S id idi– S. saprophyticus and S. epidermidis

• Genus, species, and subspecies or , p , pvariety names are written in italics– Felix silvestris lybica (the African wildcat)Felix silvestris lybica (the African wildcat)

Scientific Names of Species (III)

• Organisms only identified to the generic level can be abbreviated by “sp ” level can be abbreviated by “sp.” (plural: “spp.”). Both are not italicized:– Staphylococcus sp.– Oophaga spp., such as Oophaga spp., such as

Oophaga pumilio, belong to the family of poison frogs t e a ly o po so ogs (Dendrobatidae).

• New speciesA i d i i i – Actinomadura nitritigenes sp. nov.

Example new species: A. Lipski, K. Altendorf, Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1995, 45, 717;figure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oophaga_pumilio-Tortuguero1.jpg (GNU FDL).

Scientific Names of Species (IV)

• The name of a genus is a noun in the nominative singular or treated as suchnominative singular or treated as such– Always written with an initial capital letter

• The specific descriptor is an adjective/modifier of the generic nameadjective/modifier of the generic name– It is never used alone

N i i li d– Never written capitalized

International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Vienna Code), Article 20.1 and Article 60, Recommdation 60F (electronic version: http://ibot.sav.sk/icbn/main.htm).

Scientific Names of Species (V)

• Names of higher taxa (family, order, class phylum/division kingdom)class, phylum/division, kingdom)– Capitalized– Roman font (not italicized)– Example: Canis lupus, family CanidaeExample: Canis lupus, family Canidae

• Do not use italics when genus and i d dj ti l species names are used adjectival or as

common nouns– Staphylococcal infection.– The bone tissue was infected by bacilli.The bone tissue was infected by bacilli.

Foreign Words (I)

• Use italics for isolated foreign words and phrases not assimilated by the and phrases not assimilated by the English language– Knäckebröd is Swedish for crisp bread.– I prefer tarte au citron for dessert.I prefer tarte au citron for dessert.

• Loan words/phrases with common use in English do not require italicizationin English do not require italicization– Examples: samurai, kindergarten– Rule of thumb: if the word appears in

Merriam-Webster Online it is not italicized

Rule of thumb from: Wikipedia Manual of Style (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_%28italics%29).

Foreign Words (II)

• Commonly used Latin abbreviations are increasingly being used without italicsincreasingly being used without italics– i.e. (id est, that is)– cf. (confer, compare, consult)– e.g. (exampli gratia, for example)e.g. (exampli gratia, for example)– et al. (et alii, and others, and co-workers)

R f t th St l G id f l • Refer to the Style Guide for rules on italicization of common Latin terms– ACS: no italics for i.e., cf., e.g., et al., a

priori, ab initio, in situ, in vivo, …p , , , ,

J. R. Matthews, J. M. Bowen, R. W. Matthews, Successful scientific Writing, 2nd Ed., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000, p. 183;J. S. Dodd (Ed.), The ACS Style Guide, 2nd Ed., American Chemical Society, Washington D. C., 1997, p.92.

Mathematical Notations

• Variables, constants and functions are written in italics (or the math type) in written in italics (or the math type) in the text– The acceleration ai of the ith component.– Avogadro constant (NA)Avogadro constant (NA)

• Axes, planesTh i i di l l P– The y axis is perpendicular to plane P.

• Components of vectors and tensors, p ,elements of matrices

a m– ai, mijk

Special Rules

• Do not use italic type forM ( l t ti )– M (molar concentration)

– N (normal concentration)– pH

J. S. Dodd (Ed.), The ACS Style Guide, 2nd Ed., American Chemical Society, Washington D. C., 1997, p.93.