wia1elp_ch07

7d Disciplinary style

Disciplinary style

Another important way to learn about a discipline is to identify its stylistic features. Study pieces of writing in the field with the following in mind:

Overall tone. How would you describe it? (See 4f.)
Title. Are titles generally descriptive (“Findings from a Double-Blind Study of the Effect of Antioxidants”), persuasive (“Antioxidants Proven Effective”), or something else? How does the title shape your expectations?
Stance. To what extent do writers in the field strive for distance and objectivity? What strategies help them to achieve this stance? (See 4d.)
Sentence length. Are sentences long and complex? Simple and direct?
Voice. Are verbs generally active or passive? Why? (See 23e.)
Person. Do writers use the first-person I or third-person terms such as the investigator? What is the effect of this choice?
Visuals. Do writers typically use elements such as graphs, tables, maps, or photographs? How are visuals integrated into the text? What role, if any, do headings and other formatting elements play in the writing? (See Chapter 8.)
Documentation style. Do writers use MLA, APA, Chicago, or CSE style? (See Chapters 49–52.)

Of course, writings within a single discipline may have different purposes and different styles. A chemist may write a grant proposal, a lab notebook, a literature review, a research report, and a lab report, each with a different purpose and style.