What we will be doing for the semester.

Week 1, February 4

First Class - get to know you meeting. Discussion of the peer-review process and "how to" for reviewing papers. Read and be prepared to discuss these letters about the peer review process and come to class ready to argue for or against anonymity as well as propose ideas on who to deal with gender inequity! 1. Read these comments on whether peer reviewing should be anonymous (download PDF) and 2. Read this comment on publishing peer reviews (download PDF) and 3. Read this piece from Nature about gender bias in peer reviewer selection. (download PDF)

Week 2, February 11 Working Life Essays – lessons from scientists

This is a new genre for me as a scientist. I’d always love reading these essays (admission here, I read the back page of Science first every week) but never thought I’d write one until I came back from Cuba and felt like I had something to say about how much I learned from my time there. Guess I got hooked. When UVM proposed to terminate Geology, I wrote another one.
These are editing intensive pieces. Both took nearly a dozen back and forths before they were published. We’ll start that process here with a pitch, then two step revision cycle while learning how to write in a new and different way!

Assignment. Go to: https://www.sciencemag.org/careers-career-article-genre/working-life Read at least 10 of these essays from the last couple years and pick your favorite. Don’t worry, they are quick easy reads (hint, hint). By MONDAY night, send a link to Paul for your favorite essay – one that really grabbed you. I will post on the class website. Everyone should read the essays your classmates picked before class and be ready to discuss them. For class, prepare a 3-minute analysis of the essay you picked. Why do you think it worked as a piece of writing? What drew you into the piece? What techniques did the author and editor use to make the writing accessible and convincing? What did you learn by reading it?

Week 3, February 18 Discussion with Katie Langin, Science editor, Careers

Go to the class web page and read the first drafts of my essays and the final published drafts and have a look at how much they changed! Be warned, this is a revision-intensive process. Your third draft might not look much like your first draft. We’ll spend the first part of class talking about the process of crafting these essays from my point of view, as the author. Katie will join us for the second part of class.

Assignment. Bring to this class your idea for writing a “Working Life” piece as a one-minute (strict limit!) pitch to the class (and Katie). Get feedback. Learn more about Katie at: https://www.sciencemag.org/author/katie-langin
". She edits these pieces for Science. (see also https://www.katielangin.com)

Week 4, February 25 Write a first draft Working Life pieces

Assignment. Prepare your Working Life piece and send it to Paul by SUNDAY night as a PDF. Everyone should edit every one of the posted drafts, send your edits to the author before class, and be ready to discuss your suggestions. In class, we’ll spent 5-10 minutes discussing each person’s draft. Take notes. Be wide open to change! The goal here is to make your piece the best it can be

Week 5, March 4, Revising your Working Life pieces

Here are the first drafts of both my Working Life essays so you can see just how much they changed! thanks to Katie. Cuba draft. Cuba draft Termination draft. Termination draft

Assignment. Use the suggestions you received by email and in class and create a revised version of your Working Life piece and post it to Google Drive by SUNDAY night. There will be three groups. Everyone should edit all the second drafts in THEIR GROUP by TUESDAY night. Prepare a third and final draft PLACE IT IN THE FOLDER by WEDNESDAY night so everyone can have the draft for class. If you have time before class to quickly read everyone's final draft that would be awesome so we can talk through them. In class, we’ll spent 5-10 minutes discussing everyone’s third drafts and focus on how we all changed in response to constructive critiques from our peers. The goal at the end of this is for anyone who is comfortable to submit their draft to Katie and see if any of them get any traction! Lofty goal but…you might just get published, in Science.  

Week 6, March 11 Abstracts

A. Read these two views of how what an abstract should contain and be ready to dicuss whether you agree or disagree with the authors.
The Abstract by Dr. Margaret Procter. download PDF
Down to Earth" Research Advice by Dr J. Mark Tippett. download PDF

B. Read the two abstracts below, one of which I prepared for the small meeting in Denmark several years ago and the other of which Lee Corbett (once a UVM MS student, back now with us now running the cosmogenic lab) prepared for the 2010 GSA meeting in Denver. Come to class with a series of notes ready to discuss how these two abstracts differ and what information they were designed to communicate.
Using in situ cosmogenic 10Be to understand deglaciation timing and glacial erosion efficiency near Jakobshavn Icefjord, Western Greenland by Corbett et al. download .doc
Cosmogenic isotopes and the interpretation of Greenland’s long-term weathering history by Bierman et al. download PDF

C. Write an abstract (200 words or less!) about either the project you are working on now or a project you have done in the past. Email Paul your abstract by MONDAY night and I will post here. Download, read, compare and prepare to discuss these abstracts in class. Please provide at least one strength and one way in which each abstract could be improved. Using the Tippett advice piece (linked above) code each abstract for the 5 following types of information (colors work great): Background, Problem, Methods, Results, Implications. See this example of a coded abstract from a UVM MS student.

Week 7, March 18 student paper(s)

Week 8, March 25 student paper(s)

Week 9, April 1 student paper(s)

Week 10. April 8 student paper(s)

Week 11, April 15 student paper(s)

Week 12, April 22 student paper(s)

Week 13, April 29 student paper(s)

Week 14, May 6 student paper(s)