Sir Isaac Newton
  Physics 496
  Introduction to Physics Research
  Spring 2023

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Lecture Notes

Notes are posted after each class.
Questions about lectures notes should be directed to the lecturer:

Instructor Celia Elliott (cme)
Course Manager Jessica Raley (JLR)


January 20

Introduction to Technical Communications (cme)
Writing Effective Titles (JRL)

January 27 

Ethics for Young Scientists and Engineers (cme)
Reading (and Understanding) a Physics Paper (cme)

February 3

Evaluating Scientific Talks (cme)
Writing Effective Abstracts (cme)

February 10

How to Get Started if You Hate to Write—Outlines (cme)

February 17

How to get Started if You Hate to Write, Part II (Paragraphs) (cme)
Deciding about Graduate School, Professor S. Lance Cooper

February 24

Writing Referee Reports (cme)
Referencing Other People's Work (JLR)

March 3

Celia's Tips for Science Talks (cme)
How to Write Effective Instructions (JLR)

March 10

Effective Figures and Captions for Technical Documents (cme)

March 17

No Class—Spring break

March 24

Voice and Tense—Making Verbs Work (cme)

March 31

Rules for Writing Numbers in Technical Documents (cme)

April 7

Template for a Journal-Club Talk (cme)

April 14

April 21

CVs, Resumes, and Cover Letters for Physics Careers (cme)
Eliminating Fluff in Scientific Writing (cme)
Intellectual Property Rules for Physicists (cme)

April 28

Capitalization and Acronyms in Physics (cme)
The Last Word on "Due To" (cme)


All lecture notes are copyrighted by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and others. All rights are reserved.

Permission to use, copy, and distribute these materials exclusively for not-for-profit educational uses is hereby granted, provided the materials are not modified and proper acknowledgment is made of the source.