Sir Isaac Newton
  Physics 496
  Introduction to Physics Research
  Fall 2019

link to course home page link to course syllabus link to lecture notes link to homework assignments link to writing workshop assignments link to tools and online resources link to Ms. Particular's micro-lectures on style and usage

Lecture Notes

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

(NM) Professor Nadya Mason
(cme) Instructor Celia Elliott


August 30

Course Overview (NM)
What Makes a Good Talk (NM)
Effective Titles (cme)

September 6

How to Read a Physics Paper (NM)

September 13

How to Get Started if You Hate to Write—Outlining (cme)
Making Estimates in Research (NM)
Technical Writing 101 (cme)

September 20

How to Write Effective Abstracts (cme)
Mass, Count, and Collective Nouns (cme)

September 27

Avoiding Plagiarism (NM)
Reference Rules and Styles for Physics (cme)
Capitalization and Acronyms in Physics (cme)    Check Yourself

October 4

How to Get Started if You Hate to Write, Part II (cme)
Scientific Arguments (NM)

October 11

Figures (NM)
Figure Captions (cme)
Peer Reviewing (NM)

October 18

Tips for Giving Better Science Talks (cme)
Revising Technical Manuscripts (cme)
Writing Numbers in Technical Documents (cme)

October 25

How to Present a Journal Club Talk (cme)
Making Verbs Work (cme)

November 1

Collaborative Writing (cme)
Acknowledgments in Publications, Talks, and Posters (cme)
Intellectual Property Rules for Physicists (cme)

November 8

Writing Instructions (cme)
A Framework for Ethical Decisions (cme)

November 15

CVs, Resumes, and Cover Letters (cme)
Writing a Statement of Purpose and Getting Admitted to Graduate School (cme)

November 22

November 29—No Class, Fall Break

December 2

December 9


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.