Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
I experienced in the face of harsh resistance to a public discussion of the mis-
use of a paradigm fundamental to educational research (Fetterman, 1982b).
Writing about art can also be an effective way to communicate. In the same
article, I used art to illustrate a conceptual point and to abstract the situation
from the reader and the observer—like Dali's painting of Dali painting, ad
infinitum. (See Clifford & Marcus, 1986, for additional insight into ethnogra-
phy as literature.)
REVISING AND EDITING
The last stages of writing always include revising and editing. Writing is both
mechanical and artistic. Paragraphs must be shifted to fit in the right organi-
zationalorconceptualsequence.Sentencesshouldbegrammatical.Participles
shouldnotdangle,andcitationsshouldcorrespondtoreferences.Phrasesmust
be carefully crafted to capture the imagination of the reader and yet remain
scientific. Examples must be compelling and precise. Titles must catch the
reader's eye and remain honest. The author must polish all these facets of the
workinadditiontomakingsuretheworkiscogent,conceptuallycoherent,and
comprehensive but concise. All these tasks take time. (For useful writing
guides, as primers see Bernstein, 1982, 1993; Strunk & White, 2000; for an
excellent graduate text, see Barzun, 2001; Pak-tao Ng, 2003.)
Proper organization can reduce the time necessary to write drafts of ethno-
graphicproducts,butrevisingandpolishingtakeadditionaltimeandatremen-
dous amount of effort.The amount of time depends on the quality of the first
drafts, the writer's talent, and the amount of time available. Time should also
be allocated for review by critical friends and colleagues.
Attention to detail, including proofing galleys, is important.The absence of
a single word or letter can inadvertently change meanings. Passages supporting
acomplexargumentcanbelostbetweencopyeditingandgalleystages.Without
sufficient attention to the role of editing manuscripts, opportunities for last-
minuteupdatescanbelost.Timedevotedtothesetasksisalwaystimewellspent.
NOTES
1. One indicator of the reduced credibility of the peer review system for journal
publication is that only 8% of members of the Scientific Research Society think that
“peerreviewworkswellasitis”(Chubin&Hackett,1990,p.192).Inaddition,accord-
ing to noted medical researcher David Horrobin, peer review “is a non-validated
