Real-Life Communication
"In science, the idea is to question what is written, to be critical,
and to identify problems and errors," says immunologist Dr. Ben Koop.
"As
an immunologist, all of my work is reviewed by at least three or four peers,"
notes Koop. "Everything I write and all of my research is reviewed, and at
the end of three years, when I go to renew grants, that's also reviewed by
a panel of around 10 to 15 peers."
Since you're dealing with diseases
in immunology, it's crucial to be accurate. By the same token, when you're
relying on the research of someone else, an immunologist has to know that
the information is accurate. Part of ensuring accuracy is providing documentation
for the data and other information in reports.
"To be comfortable with
the credibility of things you read, you have to know where they're coming
from. So in the levels of credibility, first there are peer-review scientific
journals, which are reviewed by at least three peers. Second are 'points-of-view'
articles written by experts, and lastly are newspapers or popular literature
written by non-experts," says Koop.
In technical reports, immunologists
may borrow information from other sources. In order not to be accused of plagiarizing,
they must carefully document those sources. A documented report proves that
the researcher is giving credit where credit is due and that the findings
can be collaborated.
In your local library or on the Internet, research
how to provide proper documentation for technical writing. Be prepared to
answer these questions.
- What system of documentation is frequently used in technical writing?
- What if you can't remember where you got the information?
- Do you document a conversation?
- Where do you put the list of sources?
- How do you source books?
- How do you source magazine and journal articles?
- How do you source reports?
- How do you source correspondence or interviews?
- How do you source brochures?
- How do you source borrowed graphics?
(The answers to the questions were written by Dr. David McMurrey
and published in his Online Technical Writing guide. Used with permission.)