Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
science is, ultimately, nothing more than writing that is easy to understand. Most of
the points in these chapters are about the fundamental aims of science writing: to be
clear, unambiguous, correct, interesting, and direct.
Economy
Text should be taut. The length of a paper should reflect its content—it is admirable to
use only as many words as are required. Every sentence should be necessary. Papers
are not made more important by padding with long-winded sentences; they are made
less readable. In the following example, the italicized text can be discarded without
affecting the intent.
The volume of information has been rapidly increasing in the past few decades.
While computer technology has played a significant role in encouraging the
information growth, the latter has also had a great impact on the evolution
of computer technology in processing data throughout the years. Historically,
many different kinds of databases have been developed to handle information,
including the early hierarchical and network models, the relational model, as
well as the latest object-oriented and deductive databases. However, no matter
how much these databases have improved, they still have their deficiencies.
Much information is
in
textual
format
. This unstructured
style of
data,
in
contrast to the old structured record format data,
cannot be managed properly
by
the
traditional database models. Furthermore,
since so much information is
available,
storage and indexing are not the only problems. We need to ensure
that relevant information can be obtained upon querying
the database
.
Waffle, such as the italicized material above, is deadwood that readers must cut away
before they can get to the meaning of the text.
Taut writing is a consequence of careful, frequent revision. Aim to delete superflu-
ous words, simplify sentence structure, and establish a logical flow. That is, convey
information without unnecessary dressing. Revise in a critical frame of mind, and
avoid a sense of showing off or being clever. Be egoless—ready to dislike anything
you have previously written. Expect to revise several times, perhaps many times.
If someone dislikes something you have written, remember that it is readers you
need to please, not yourself. Again, it helps to set aside your ego. For example, when
you are making changes to a paper in response to comments from a reader, you may
find that the reader has made a claim that is wrong or meaningless. However, rather
than telling yourself “the reader is wrong”, ask yourself “what did I write that led the
reader astray?” Even misguided feedback can tell you something about your writing.
Text can be condensed too far. Don't omit words that make the writing easier to
understand.
Bit-stream interpretation requires external description of stored structures.
Stored descriptions are encoded, not external.
Interpretation of bit-streams requires external information such as descriptions
of stored structures. Such descriptions are themselves data, and if stored with
the bit-stream become part of it, so that further external information is not
required.
