Written communication

Objectives

The objective of this course is to train students in writing techniques, i.e., all the rules for producing and structuring a scientific written document, to improve the readability of a text and its comprehension by a reader. ; Written communication is a transversal skill for data scientist students. In addition to the importance of being able to communicate and explain one’s results, i.e., to produce comments on statistics (indicators, tables, graphs, etc.) and the methods used in a comprehensible manner, written work allows students to clarify and organize their ideas, to deepen analyses and the production of meaning. ; Finally, written communication also involves images. Thus, students will be made aware of the issues of graphic representation, computer graphics and the presentation slideshow for the defense.

Course outline

The scientific report or study ; Commenting on results and presenting methods ; Laws of proximity ; The structure of a text: inverted pyramid, essential message, angle, etc. ; Introducing a topic, concluding a report ; Readability rules: adopting an active style, constructing short sentences, avoiding nesting and instrumental logic, etc. ; Heading ; Illustrations: tables and graphs ; Computer graphics ; Presentation material for the defense ;The first practical exercise is an application of these techniques using examples from publications and/or statistical work. The second and third practical exercises aim to work on the report that each group must write as part of the "Statistical Project" course.

Prerequisites

Descriptive statistics