Alessia Maggi

@amaggi.bsky.social

14 Followers 45 Following

A professor at the university of Strasbourg, I write mainly on scientific writing, but also at times on natural hazards. Check out my newsletter for early-career researchers : https://earth-echoes-am.org/sci-write-news-signup

Screenshot essay titled '3 Reasons to put old information before new when writing science'. The essay explains the importance of structuring sentences with familiar information (old) before new information. It starts with two examples showing the difference in clarity, emphasizes that this strategy helps readers connect ideas, makes reading easier, and creates better flow. It highlights that starting with familiar concepts allows readers to grasp new ideas more efficiently, making complex scientific content easier to understand. Each section discusses benefits: helping readers understand and focus, improving citation likelihood, and enhancing the engagement and clarity of scientific writing.
Screenshot essay titled 'A problems vs. tasks framework that could help relieve common paper-writing struggles'. The content discusses challenges in writing papers, highlighting the distinction between writing problems and writing tasks. It features insights from Cathy Mazak, suggesting that writing problems involve deep thinking and decision-making, such as determining the paper's story, required figures, and outline structure. It indicates these should be addressed away from the computer. In contrast, writing tasks are about executing a plan, like writing an abstract or constructing figures, and are more predictable in timing. The essay concludes with the advice to separate writing problems from tasks for better writing efficiency.
Screenshot essay titled 'Start writing as late as possible: the single best tip for writing papers and proposals with fewer drafts, no complete rewrites, and minimal aggravation.' The image contains several paragraphs outlining a writing strategy. The author suggests delaying the actual writing of papers or proposals until the last viable moment but clarifies this is not about procrastination. Key points include the importance of brainstorming, outlining, discussing ideas, creating storyboards, and focusing on structure before writing. The text emphasizes that following this method will lead to less time spent writing and fewer revisions needed afterward.
Screenshot essay titled '4 Essential Skills for Effective Data Presentation in Scientific Papers' discusses the importance of figures over text in scientific fields. It emphasizes that clear data visualization is as crucial as writing, highlighting that the writer must simplify the reader's task. Four essential skills are outlined: 1) Proficiency in data visualization tools, which affects figure quality; 2) Selecting impactful data while avoiding cherry-picking; 3) Creating clear graphs and charts for reader interpretation; and 4) Writing informative figure captions to aid understanding without referring to main text. The essay encourages practicing these skills with each figure created.
Screenshot of an essay titled 'Test yourself on key natural hazards and risks concepts'. The text discusses the importance of testing knowledge on natural hazards and risks. It references prior definitions of key terms: hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and risk. The essay presents a challenge for the reader to identify correct usage of the italicized terms in four sentences related to vulnerability, exposure, and hazards in different contexts. It includes a poll link for anonymous answers and invites readers to discuss their thoughts in the comments.
A screenshot of an essay titled 'Timeless advice from writing masters to make your scientific articles stronger, bolder, and more vigorous.' The essay discusses the importance of strong writing, quoting W. Strunk and E.B. White's advice on conciseness and clarity in writing, emphasizing that every word should serve a purpose. It includes a blockquote that states, 'Vigorous writing is concise...' and another blockquote from W. Zinsser highlighting the pitfalls of unnecessary words and constructions in sentences that weaken them. The final note warns against clutter in manuscripts.
Screenshot of an essay titled 'A simple Q&A framework for early career researchers to nail the structure of papers out of the gate.' The essay discusses the common problem of poor structure in drafts by students. It presents a question and answer framework for structuring a standard research paper, with each section addressing specific questions: Introduction (Why is the study conducted?), Geological/Geographical Context (Where is the study based and why?), Data & Methods (How was the study conducted?), Results (What were the findings?), Discussion (What insights have emerged?), and Conclusion (What is the take-home message?). The abstract is highlighted as a concise summary that answers these questions in sequence.
Screenshot essay titled 'The app I can’t live without for documenting research and outlining drafts'. The body text discusses the benefits of the app Obsidian, highlighting its multi-media note-taking system, plugins for various functions, local file storage for security, absence of a lock-in mechanism, and free access with optional paid upgrades for syncing. The content is structured with headings, paragraphs, and a bulleted list, emphasizing the reasons to use Obsidian for research journaling and note organization.
Screenshot essay titled 'A simple framework for understanding natural hazards and risks'. The text explains the distinction between natural hazards and natural risks, emphasizing that risk is the combination of a hazard, exposed assets, and their vulnerabilities. Key points outline that assets can be physical or social constructs, hazards are measurable phenomena with associated probabilities, exposure refers to the number of assets in danger, and vulnerability indicates the potential damage to an asset under specific hazard conditions. The overall message highlights the importance of understanding how hazard, exposure, and vulnerability together create risk.
Screenshot essay titled '3 Books that helped me write science as a graduate student'. The text details three influential books: 1) 'The Elements of Style' by W. Strunk and E.B. White, described as a tiny but impactful guide that helped the author shift from data analysis to writing. 2) 'On Writing Well' by W. Zinsser, noted for its conversational style and practical writing tips that engage readers. 3) 'Writing Science' by J. Schimel, which emphasizes the importance of mastering scientific writing as much as traditional writing. The author reflects on re-reading these books annually.
A screenshot essay titled '3 Quotes by William Zinsser on writing science that every early-career researcher should take to heart'. The body includes an introduction stating three favorite quotes from Zinsser's book 'On Writing Well'. The first quote emphasizes that many doctorate holders in physics struggle with writing not due to inability but reluctance to learn the English language's precision. The second quote discusses how scientific material can be accessible if sentences are structured properly, highlighting the importance of clarity. The third quote asserts that writing is a form of clear thinking, making science another nonfiction subject. The conclusion stresses the significance of writing in the scientific field and encourages the use of clear writing tools for publishing papers and completing theses.
A screenshot essay titled '3 Books that helped me write science as a graduate student.' The essay discusses the author's interest in scientific writing and highlights three influential books: 'The Elements of Style' by W. Strunk and E.B. White, which reframed the author's approach to writing; 'On Writing Well' by W. Zinsser, noted for its engaging style and practical tips; and 'Writing Science' by J. Schimel, emphasizing the need for scientists to master writing just like traditional authors. The author encourages others to read and revisit these books.
Screenshot essay titled '3 scientific writing skills early career researchers should develop to publish better papers.' The body text discusses three key skills for improving manuscript quality: 1. Identifying the core problem or 'problem statement' to engage readers from the introduction. 2. Communicating complex information clearly across text, tables, and figures for better retention and use by readers. 3. Organizing information logically across various manuscript sections, paragraphs, and sentences to facilitate understanding. The text emphasizes the importance of practicing these skills in all writing opportunities.
Screenshot essay titled 'If you want to write science well, adopt this mindset' discusses the importance of prioritizing the reader in scientific writing. It highlights that the writer's goal is to make the reader's job easier by structuring text logically, writing clearly, and engagingly. The essay includes an ordered list outlining how this perspective aids in structuring arguments, enhancing clarity, and creating vivid imagery for better retention. The author emphasizes the use of simple language and active voice over jargon and passive constructions to improve understanding. The closing remarks encourage writers to focus on the reader instead of the subject matter.