The Science of Science Writing

The Science of Science Writing

On Monday and Thursday afternoons, when most classes are done for the day, Room 206 remains a bustling and lively place. Home of the Upper School Writing Lab, this invaluable space provides students with a supportive environment as they work independently on academic, personal and professional writing projects, including papers, essays, short stories and other written pieces.

Attending Writing Lab is one of several ways US scholars can demonstrate academic engagement and receive credit toward their final grades, explained English teacher Amber Bryant. In her role as the lab’s facilitator, she is available to students who need help during the planning, writing and revising stages. When she assists students with class work outside of her own curriculum, the students share with her the original assignments from their teachers.

In addition to self-directed activities, Ms. Bryant strives to enhance the student experience by inviting guest speakers to give special workshops on a variety of topics from structuring a cogent argument to formulating a strategic business plan and writing an eye-catching resume. “The students love a theme,” she noted.

A recent two-part workshop focused on an area of keen interest: scientific writing. After an enthusiastic group of students in Classes 9-12 entered the second-floor classroom, taking nearly every seat, Ms. Bryant kicked things off. “Thank you so much for coming,” she said, directing the group’s attention to the front of the room.

“We were excited to put this session together for you,” remarked one of the special visitors, Dr. Stephen Oh. In addition to serving as Assistant Professor of Surgery in the division of Pediatric Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and Assistant Attending Surgeon at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Oh is also a Chapin parent.

In their informative presentation, Dr. Oh and his colleagues offered step-by-step pointers for producing captivating, well-organized and elegantly crafted articles for scientific journals. When writing a scientific paper, Dr. Oh emphasized, “it’s important to build a strong foundation.”

He began to click through a series of slides, which were projected on the classroom’s two screens, pausing at one showing headshots of two women. “Residents and medical students are the most fun to work with,” he said, before introducing the other visitors: Dr. Solange Bayard and Dr. Genevieve Fasano, who are both surgical residents at Weill Cornell. Each specializes in breast cancer, as well as racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare.

From their spots in the circle of chairs, the residents shared a little about themselves (Dr. Bayard grew up in Massachusetts and loves sports; hailing from New Jersey, Dr. Fasano initially wanted to be a veterinarian) and their experiences in medical school and beyond. “It’s been quite a journey,” remarked Dr. Fasano. “Don’t be deterred by the length of time it takes.” The students also discovered that there are only 33 surgical residents at their institution, narrowed down from an astounding 4,800 applicants. “We beat the odds,” she added.

The participants were asked to introduce themselves and share their science backgrounds and what fields they were most excited about. One by one, the students, who wore nametags and masks as did the guests, listed their favorite classes and any experience they had with scientific writing.

Dr. Oh segued into the comprehensive talk, which touched on vital topics like the value of learning to write scientifically; different types of papers; and how to conduct a robust literature search. The students learned about databases like PubMed.gov, a free search engine maintained by the National Library of Medicine, and how to achieve optimal results.

The speakers also gave tips for structuring multi-part scientific papers. “Having a framework and an outline for your writing is crucial,” Dr. Bayard told the students. The speakers suggested using “why, how, what, and so what” prompts to guide their ideas, while synthesizing their main findings in 2-3 concise sentences. In the results section, they added, “it’s important to state what you found without elaborating.”

For the last few minutes of this absorbing presentation, the group had the opportunity to examine a scientific article from the journal “JAMA Pediatrics” that analyzed a study about the likelihood of Black children to be physically restrained in emergency departments. An important discussion about bias in research followed. There was also time for thoughtful questions and final words of advice from these warm and accessible experts. “Feel free to reach out to any of us,” said Dr. Oh.

Their second session, which aims to help students develop and apply specific skills to their prose, is coming up later in the month. Based on the success of this first installment, Room 206 might be standing-room-only.