Re: [Phys-l] Writing a review or lab report

[William Robertson <wrobert9@ix.netcom.com>]

I'm a writer. I spent many years supervising writers. One of the major  
hurdles I had to overcome in the beginning stages of that career was  
getting rid of the passive voice in my writing. Some of the people I  
supervised never got it. My daughter struggles with converting to  
active voice in her college writing. Please don't contribute to this  
major problem that plagues writers at all levels by actually requiring  
passive voice in any kind of writing. I grant that a great deal of  
"scientific" writing (in all subject areas) is passive, but the best  
writing, as John states below, is active.

As for lab reports themselves, I always used either oral reports  
supported by graphs and data or lab summaries that detailed at least  
one major concept the student learned. Never was crazy about standard  
purpose, materials, procedure, etc.

Bill



On May 2, 2011, at 11:09 AM, John Mallinckrodt wrote:

> Scientists do not write in the passive voice out of modesty and/or  
> objectivity.  Scientists write in the passive voice because OTHER  
> scientists write in the passive voice and have for a long time.   
> Some instructors TELL their students that it is important to use the  
> passive voice because it takes the researcher out of the picture and  
> implies objectivity, but to the extent that that is true, it is  
> intentional subterfuge.  A reputation for objectivity is not--or at  
> least should not be--achieved by writing in the passive voice; it is  
> achieved by demonstrating skepticism towards one's own results and  
> being open to criticism.
>
> The downside of writing in the passive voice is that it becomes mind- 
> numbing in large doses.  Take a look at a really good textbook  
> (e.g., those by David Griffiths, Eugene Hecht, or Dan Schroeder) and  
> you'll appreciate the beneficial effects of a strong, clear, ACTIVE  
> voice.
>
> John Mallinckrodt
> Cal Poly Pomona