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This handbook accelerates the development of analytical writing skills for high school students, students in higher education, and working professionals in a broad range of careers. This handbook builds on the idea that writing clarifies thought, and that through analytical writing comes improved insight and understanding for making decisions about innovation necessary for socioeconomic development. This short handbook is a simple, comprehensive guide that shows differences between descriptive writing and analytical writing, and how students and teachers work together during the process of discovery-based learning. This handbook provides nuts and bolts ideas for team projects, organizing writing, the process of writing, constructing tables, presenting figures, documenting reference lists, avoiding the barriers to clear writing, and outlines the importance of ethical issues and bias for writers. Finally, there are ideas for evaluating writing, and examples of classroom exercises for students and teachers 11. Final products -- 10. Ethics: bias and plagiarism -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1 Writing advances thinking -- 1.2 Historical examples -- 1.2.1 Gregor Mendel: developing a base of information for analysis -- 1.2.2 James Watson and Francis Crick: working in teams and attribution -- 1.2.3 Alexander Flemming: observing the unusual -- 1.3 The goals and objectives -- 1.4 The audience -- 12. Evaluating analytical writing -- 13. Classroom exercises for teachers and students -- 2. Descriptive and analytical writing -- 2.1 Descriptive or analytical writing? -- 2.2 Analyzing information and concepts -- 2.3 The product utility -- 3. Guidelines for students and teachers -- 3.1 Inquiry-based learning -- 3.2 Subject authority not necessary -- 3.3 Provide guidance not answers -- 3.4 Some students will struggle -- 3.5 Checkpoints are necessary -- 3.6 Let students share and evaluate work from other students -- 3.7 Become comfortable with uncertainty -- 4. Choosing topics -- 4.1 Writer's choice -- 4.2 The analytical set-up -- 4.3 Choosing focused, analytical topics -- 4.4 Ordering pizza: an example of topic development -- 5. Writing teams -- 5.1 A common practice -- 5.2 Contributing to a writing team -- 6. Organization -- 6.1 Front matter -- 6.2 Introduction -- 6.2.1 Set the stage -- 6.2.2 Define the playing field -- 6.2.3 State the specific goals or objectives -- 6.3 Approach and methods -- 6.3.1 Approach -- 6.3.2 Methods -- 6.3.3 Results -- 6.3.4 Discussion -- 6.4 Back matter -- 6.4.1 Acknowledgements -- 6.4.2 References -- 6.4.3 Appendices -- 7. The writing process -- 7.1 Build a blue print for the project -- 7.1.1 Time line -- 7.1.2 Financial costs -- 7.2 Outlining -- 7.2.1 Exploratory outline -- 7.2.2 Outline modification -- 7.2.3 Further revising -- 7.2.4 Outline for manuscript draft -- 7.2.5 More revisions in the outline may occur -- 7.3 First draft -- 7.3.1 Start writing -- 7.3.2 Use the outline -- 7.3.3 The introduction may not be a good starting point for writing -- 7.3.4 Complete an entire first draft -- 7.4 Revision -- 7.5 Final drafts -- 8. Construction -- 8.1 Narrative (syntax and grammar) -- 8.2 Citations -- 8.2.1 Citation example #1 -- 8.2.2 Citation example #2 -- 8.3 References -- 8.4 Graphical elements: tables and figures -- 8.4.1 Sources of data for tables and figures -- 8.4.2 Formatting -- 8.4.3 Citation -- 8.4.4 Figures and tables in the context of a paragraph -- 8.4.5 Content of tables and figures -- 8.4.6 Figure legends and table headings -- 9. Top ten writing tips -- 9.1 Do not procrastinate -- 9.2 No "who done its?" -- 9.3 Use simple sentence structures -- 9.4 Associate pronouns with nouns -- 9.5 No contractions, slang, idioms, or jargon -- 9.5.1 Contractions -- 9.5.2 Slang -- 9.5.3 Idioms -- 9.5.4 Jargon -- 9.6 Avoid passive voice -- 9.7 Use spelling, grammar, and editing tools -- 9.7.1 Spell check -- 9.7.2 Grammar check -- 9.7.3 Track changes -- 9.8 Breaking writer's block -- 9.8.1 Get more information -- 9.8.2 Talk to people -- 9.8.3 Rethink the outline -- 9.9 Watch the units -- 9.9.1 English units -- 9.9.2 Metric units -- 9.9.3 Units of time -- 9.10 Keep a notebook of writing activities -- Bibliography -- Appendix -- About the author
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