Most of your biology courses will require written work in the form of reports and/or term papers, in addition to written exams. While your instructors will give you detailed directions for these assignments, here are some general points to keep in mind: The most important goal for writing in science is clarity. Work toward organizing your ideas logically and expressing them plainly. Flowery language and elaborate sentence structure are generally counterproductive. The Department recommends Victoria McMillan’s Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences as its official style manual. You can’t go wrong following the advice in this guide! Avoid plagiarism! Practice summarizing what you have learned in your own words. McMillan’s book offers excellent advice on this topic.

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http://www.biology.sbc.edu/handbook/written.htm This page is maintained by Linda Fink: lfink@sbc.edu Last updated July 2006