New York University: Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health
Food Writing -- FOOD-GE 2021.002
Seminar in Writing for Research Publications in Nutrition,
Food Studies, and Public Health
Spring 2012
Mondays 4:55-6:35 p.m., 3 credits, @4l1 Lafayette, small conference room
Marion Nestle, Instructor
, blog @marionnestle
Office hours by appointment, 411 Lafayette, 5th Floor
This is an advanced writing seminar for graduate students in nutrition, food studies, or public health who would like to prepare (a) research articles or reviews for professional journals, (b) book chapters, (c) book proposals, (d) thesis chapters, or any other research-based professional publication. Students will develop the project over the course of the semester, submit sections for feedback from the instructor and fellow students every week, and expect to have the project ready to submit to the appropriate venue by the end of the semester.
Course objectives:
- Explain how to report research ideas and accomplishments in professionally appropriate ways.
- Describe and apply the basic elements of professional writing about food, nutrition, or public health: organization, paragraph and sentence structure, grammar.
- Explain how research is used to support professional work and how professional writing explains, summarizes, and cites research.
- Explain how to use research to support a point of view about evidence-based issues in food, nutrition, and public health.
- Describe and apply the basic elements of research publications: purpose, experimental design, methods, results, discussion, and reference citations.
- Describe how to use feedback from readers or editors to improve writing structure and clarity.
- Identify the basic elements of professional editing and apply them to text revision.
- Prepare a substantial research-based paper for submission or publication.
Books
Phyllis Goldenberg. Writing a Research Paper: A Step-by-Step Approach, 2004.
William Strunk, Jr and E.B. White. The Elements of Style, 4th ed, 1999 or any other edition.
Other readings
Instructor and students will bring in pieces of professional writing for discussion.
Submission of work
All work—no exceptions—must be double-spaced, one side of paper, at least one-inch margins all around, not right justified, two spaces between sentences, pages numbered. It must be submitted on time in the required number of copies, stapled.
Course organization
Every week, students will submit work for review as well as reviews of the work of other students. This will be organized during the first class session and during subsequent sessions depending on individual needs. By the end of the class, all students will have given and received feedback from all other class members, more than once.
Course expectation
By the end of the course, all students will have prepared and completed a finished piece of professional writing ready to submit.
PROFESSIONAL WRITING CLASS SCHEDULE, SPRING 2011 (Rough Outline)
CLASS / DATE / TOPIC / ASSIGNMENTSThese should be completed and ready to discuss by the indicated class date.
1 / January 23 / Introduction: organizing the course
2 / January 30 / Identifying the topic / Read (browse) “Writing a Research Paper” to page 70.
Read: Strunk & White section I
Write: 2-page summary of your project, 2 copies
3 / February 6 / Introducing the topic / Read: Strunk & White sections II and III
4 / February 13 / Introductions, continued / Read: Strunk & White sections IV and V
Read: “Writing a Research Paper” parts 6 and 7
February 20 / President’s Day
5 / February 27 / Introductions / Draft of complete Introduction (with references); outline of remainder
Finish: “Writing a Research Paper” parts 8-10
6 / March 5
March 12 / Spring Break
7 / March 19 / First draft of final paper
8 / March 26
9 / April 2 / Second draft for review
10 / April 9
11 / April 16
12 / April 23 / Third draft for review
13 / April 30 / TBA
14 / May 7 / Submit final paper