Resource of the Week #34: Some Lessons on Scientific English

Hello again. This week’s resource is a set of 59 lessons on scientific English. These lessons can be accessed individually or as a single document.

These lessons are by Nancy A. Burnham and Frederick L. Hutson. Burnham and Hutson are now in the Department of Physics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the United States.

From 1994 to 1999, Burnham and Hutson were researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. Their colleagues, many of whom were native speakers of French or German, often asked them for help with their writing.

In response to problems they often saw in colleagues’ writing, Burnham and Hutson wrote lessons from time to time. Originally the lessons were e-mailed. Now they’re online.

Many of the lessons discuss aspects of word use. Often they focus on words that users confuse with each other. Some lessons discuss punctuation. Other topics include using collective nouns, writing mathematics, editing equations, and giving interview talks.

The lessons contain many examples. Most of the lessons end with humorous poems or quotations.

AuthorAID graduate assistant Alejandra (“Alex”) Arreola-Triana suggested this resource. Thanks, Alex!

Until the next post— Barbara