286-2 Teaching Scientific Writing in a Petrology Course: Introducing the Writing Process Through Iterative Assignments

Session: Balancing Tradition and Innovation: Evolving Geoscience Curricula for a Changing World, Part II

Presenting Author:

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Abstract:

The process of scientific writing is difficult for most students at first. The rules and writing styles are different from what they learn in English and composition courses, and the content is more technical. Students often express feelings of frustration, intimidation, and being overwhelmed at the process. I have utilized my upper-division Igneous & Metamorphic Petrology class to introduce the scientific writing process through a series of small foundational assignments that culminate in a topical review paper of a “Famous Rock” in petrology. Students choose a “Famous Rock” that has geological (and sometimes cultural) significance (e.g., Acasta Gneiss, Carrara Marble). Students are given a series of assignments throughout the semester that simulate how a more experienced academic researcher would approach the writing process. The first set of assignments are designed to 1) get students into the library or database and choose a relevant paper, 2) build a set of references by “mining” the works cited and reverse searching articles that cite their own paper, and 3) practice citing information within the text and in their own list of works cited. Assignments 1-3 are designed to give students the basics for navigating the literature and assembling enough articles for a thorough review of their topics. The remaining assignments help students begin the writing process. These include exercises in how to write an introduction that informs the reader of the paper’s main objectives. Students then attempt a draft of their introduction and outline the main sections of the rest of their paper. Next, students fill in their outlines into a rough draft and meet with the professor one-on-one to go over their rough draft and address any areas of concern, formatting, discussion of images, etc. At this point, students are tasked with writing an abstract of their paper to include with their final draft. For many students, this project is their first scientific writing endeavor. Those who have found the idea daunting at first have expressed appreciation for parceling out assignments into manageable sized tasks. Students have also expressed using this method for papers in their other classes.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

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