Contents
Preface
Papers
Journals and Scientific Papers
Basic Structure of Research Papers
Examples and Reading Exercises
Scientific Writing
Shortening Articles
Translation
Presentation
1. Time control
2. Organization
3. Preparing transparencies
4. Showing transparencies
5. Presentation practice
Poster presentation
Grammar Notes
Syntax(句法)
Declarative Sentences(陈述句)
Punctuation(停顿)
By the numbers
Phrases(短语)
Abbreviations and Acronyms(缩写与首字母缩写)
Preface
We are used to using textbooks for whatever courses. Yet there is no textbook about "Scientific English" for graduate students. It is taken for granted that I should write one, for I am the teacher delivering this course in the department of Physics.
It is quite difficult, however, to write a textbook practically useful for graduate students. To me, science and language are different subjects. Although we learn English by doing exercises in each lesson in language text book, just as we study science by solving problems in each chapter of science textbook, learning English is quite different from studying science. For example, we have to do exercises again and again until we can handle it with ease, even though we may have understood it before doing that exercise. But we solve the same problem just once or twice until we understand it. If a student solved a problem of how an apple falls from a tree and hits the earth day after day, there would be something wrong with him or her.
This applies to Scientific English too. I do not think that putting together several representative papers, as intensive reading materials, would be good enough for a textbook of Scientific English. To improve one's Scientific English, large amount of extensive reading is necessary. Since extensive reading is time consuming for students whose mother language is not English, the reading materials should be well chosen and deserve spending time to read. Graduate students have to do paper-investigation that means a heavy reading of research papers. They may have to write their own research papers. As examples I choose some recently published papers that reflect some research frontiers of physics and involve frequently used rules in language. I hope these reading materials would be helpful to students to renew and expand their knowledge in science while practicing their English. I therefore have to update the materials each year. I would like to summarize the rules and usage of language in those materials to construct a framework of a guide of Scientific English for graduate students. It includes structure, organization, expression, and grammar. I hope the guiding principles could help students to read, to write and to present. I expect that students can learn both English and lately developed science through reading and exercising.

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