Questions to answer before watching this video

  • In what ways do you see yourself as a writer? Are you a poet? A journalist? A blogger?  What style of writing is most familiar and comfortable for you?

When I write, I am often completing an assignment for school.  I am usually writing a paper with a structured thesis and body paragraphs.  I am a very methodical person and writer, so I like to set up my arguments in a logical and organized way.

  • What is your impression of scientific writing?

Scientific writing that I have read is largely in the form of reports on experiments published in scientific journals.  These articles have a concise structure and organization that I jive well with.

Answer these questions after you watch the video

  • How do Wilson’s ideas fit with your experience or ideas about scientific writing?

Wilson’s ideas fit with my experience about scientific writing, but I did not realize how different the discussion section has the potential to be.  This can be an opportunity for the researcher to break from the journalistic narration of the experiment and explain the implications of their research.

  • What if anything surprised you about Wilson’s description of scientists, and their emotions and values as they fit into the process of science?

I was surprised by Wilson’s remark that scientists must think like a poet, record like a bookkeeper, and write like a journalist.  He claims that in order to be a good scientist there must be passion to discover, a record of all observations with painstaking detail, and a report written in a logical way that makes discoveries easily understandable.