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Beyond “See Figure 1”: A Heuristic for Writing About Figures and Tables

Publication ,  Journal Article
Moskovitz, C
Published in: Journal of College Science Teaching
February 1, 2023

Visual elements such as graphs, tables, and diagrams are essential components of scientific writing. Although scientific writing textbooks and guides often contain information on how to design such visuals, little has been written on how to effectively discuss those visuals within the text. This article offers a novel heuristic for teaching students how to effectively execute these “passages about visuals” in a way that is both conceptually simple enough to be understood by novices yet rich enough to accommodate the complexity of expert scientific writing. The heuristic consists of a set of “moves”: announce, orient, observe, and explain. Following an explanation of the moves, readers are walked through a variety of examples showing the moves in context and noting the different ways the moves are arranged and executed in published scientific research articles. Pedagogical implications and approaches for using the heuristic in the classroom are then discussed.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Journal of College Science Teaching

Publication Date

February 1, 2023

Volume

52

Issue

3

Start / End Page

67 / 74

Location

USA

Publisher

NSTA

Related Subject Headings

  • 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy
 

Citation

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Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Moskovitz, C. (2023). Beyond “See Figure 1”: A Heuristic for Writing About Figures and Tables. Journal of College Science Teaching, 52(3), 67–74.
Moskovitz, Cary. “Beyond “See Figure 1”: A Heuristic for Writing About Figures and Tables.” Journal of College Science Teaching 52, no. 3 (February 1, 2023): 67–74.
Moskovitz C. Beyond “See Figure 1”: A Heuristic for Writing About Figures and Tables. Journal of College Science Teaching. 2023 Feb 1;52(3):67–74.
Moskovitz, Cary. “Beyond “See Figure 1”: A Heuristic for Writing About Figures and Tables.” Journal of College Science Teaching, vol. 52, no. 3, NSTA, Feb. 2023, pp. 67–74.
Moskovitz C. Beyond “See Figure 1”: A Heuristic for Writing About Figures and Tables. Journal of College Science Teaching. NSTA; 2023 Feb 1;52(3):67–74.

Published In

Journal of College Science Teaching

Publication Date

February 1, 2023

Volume

52

Issue

3

Start / End Page

67 / 74

Location

USA

Publisher

NSTA

Related Subject Headings

  • 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy