If an experiment takes place in the woods (or the lab), and you never share the results, did it ever happen? No. At least, it may as well not have. Scholarly research is a communal activity. It is meant to be shared with a public audience through speaking and writing, and because the community is global, writing is often far more important. The Reed thesis experience reflects that reality. Although you will spend two delightful hours at the end of the year speaking with a group of faculty, the true measure of what you accomplish will be taken from what you write down.

The preparation of thesis document can be as trying as the laboratory or field research, or perhaps even more so. It is often the case that the writing of the Introduction overcomes some initial apprehension and inertia. The Introduction also provides a review of previous work in the field and motivates the experimental work to follow. It is typically about 15-20 pages long and is built from 20-30 literature sources, but this is only a rough suggestion. Perhaps a more useful goal is to produce an Introduction that thoroughly covers all the scholarly aspects of your project according to the scope by which your project is defined. Producing that Introduction is the most significant activity of the first semester.

To help the process along, the department has set up two library sessions early in fall semester to acquaint you with literature searching and to provide you with access to the materials upon which your Introduction will be built. Your participation in these sessions is expected. These sessions are intended to feed directly into the writing process, which will begin immediately. These sessions only provide you with access to information. Organizing and editing that information into an original document is your responsibility. Along with these sessions, you should develop an outline and discuss writing goals and deadlines with your adviser. Keep in mind that the Biology Department guidelines specify that you must submit a completed draft of your Introduction by the first day of classes of the spring term.

Numerous resources are available to you as a writer:

1. Most immediately, you have the words of others. Although review articles should not be the basis of your introduction, itself a review, they are examples you can use to shape your own ideas. Pay attention to language as well as organization. Scientific writing occasionally deserves its bad reputation, but many articles are well written, concise and not devoid of wit. Read broadly, pay attention, and you will have many teachers to draw from. Your adviser may recommend previous Reed theses for you to use as a model. Keep that in mind as you write and strive to make your thesis worthy of enlightening future Reedies.
   
   
2. Beyond these primary sources, secondary sources are also available. Take a weekend to read a book on writing. They are excellent guides to expressing your ideas. The classic writing guide is The Elements of Style by W. Strunk and E.B. White. This is possibly the most valuable book you can own. Buy it, read it, and keep it handy for reference. Also invaluable is Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (Ref T11 .S386 2006). In addition, there are numerous useful guides to scientific writing.
   
   
3. Use the writing center. Although your English major friends will have no idea what a degenerate HOMO is, they will recognize dangling participles, split infinitives, verbless run-on sentences and other delights of the scientific mind. Often the best editor is a person who ignores your ideas and focuses on your phrasing.
   
   
4. Consult your adviser often. Establish a regular schedule but also feel free to show up with urgent or exciting questions or discoveries as they arise. The thesis is a big deal for your adviser as well as for you. Your adviser will share your enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment (the reason you came to Reed) and your project will blossom.
   

Finally, and most importantly, write early and often. Writing is as much an experiment as any laboratory or field procedure you'll run this year. You need to put something on paper to see if it works. Be prepared to modify it, edit it and even throw it out if it doesn't suit your needs. By these means, you'll be able to assemble a thesis with little grief, and have the pleasure of throwing a big pile of drafts on the bonfire in April.

Contact: Linda Maddux, Science Librarian & Steve Arch, Biology Professor