OCG533, Fall 2001
Homework assignment 14, due 17 October 2001
Exercise 2-2. Historical changes in style of scientific writing
Read: The articles in the seven issues of Nature that range from 1873 to 1950 (Appendix A).
Answer these questions:
1. List the main differences between the older and the newer styles of
scientific writing.
2. Do you find one of the styles easier to read than the other? If so, why?
3. What aspects of scientific research are highlighted by the old style? What aspects are highlighted by the new style?
4. Do you find that one of the styles better represents the actual conduct of the research?
5. Comment on the timing of the changes from the older style to the newer. In particular, was there any period when the style changed particularly rapidly? If so, what forces of that period might have been responsible for the changes?