Overview

In The Forgotten Tribe: Scientists as Writers, Lisa Emerson offers an important corrective to the view that scientists are ""poor writers, unnecessarily opaque, not interested in writing, and in need of remediation."" She argues that scientists are among ""the most sophisticated and flexible writers in the academy, often writing for a wider range of audiences (their immediate disciplinary peers, peers in adjacent fields, a broad scientific audience, industry, and a range of public audiences including social media) than most other faculty."" Moreover, she notes, the often collaborative and multidisciplinary nature of their work results in writing practices that ""may be more socially complex, and require more articulation, mediation, and interpersonal communication, and more use of advanced media and technology than those of faculty in other disciplines."" Drawing on extensive interviews with scientists, Emerson argues that writing scholars have ""engaged in a form of cultural appropriation"" that has worked against a deeper understanding of the contexts in which scientists work and the considerations they bring to their writing. Emerson grounds her analysis in the voices of scientists in a way that allows us to understand not only how they approach writing but also how we might usefully teach writing in the sciences. The Forgotten Tribe offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of scientific writing, allowing us to hear voices that are seldom included in our discussions of this critical area.

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9781607326434

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One of the strongest attributes of this work is the acknowledgement of the humanities influence running throughout strong, persuasive science writing. . . . a most welcome addition to collections in journalism, mass media and communications, science education, and curricula, where communicating science is a high priority. --CHOICE ?Whether you are a graduate student seeking to better manage your own education, an emerging scientist looking for a ?'heads up?' about what to expect in the life ahead, an academic looking to better? integrate disciplinary writing into the curriculum, or a senior scientist looking to broaden your reach or better help those you supervise, The Forgotten Tribe has much to offer. ? --Technical Communication

One of the strongest attributes of this work is the acknowledgement of the humanities influence running throughout strong, persuasive science writing. . . . a most welcome addition to collections in journalism, mass media and communications, science education, and curricula, where communicating science is a high priority. --CHOICE â Whether you are a graduate student seeking to better manage your own education, an emerging scientist looking for a â 'heads upâ ' about what to expect in the life ahead, an academic looking to betterâ integrate disciplinary writing into the curriculum, or a senior scientist looking to broaden your reach or better help those you supervise, The Forgotten Tribe has much to offer. â --Technical Communication

One of the strongest attributes of this work is the acknowledgement of the humanities influence running throughout strong, persuasive science writing. . . . a most welcome addition to collections in journalism, mass media and communications, science education, and curricula, where communicating science is a high priority. --CHOICE

Author Information

Lisa Emerson is Associate Professor in the School of English and Media Studies at Massey University. Her scholarly interests include science writing, scientists as writers, academic writing, plagiarism, and transitions to academic literacy. Her work has appeared in Double Helix, Curriculum Matters, and Higher Education Research and Development as well as in edited collections.

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