Films on Writing as
an Engineer or Scientist 

Given below are links to a collection of short films on how to write as an engineer or scientist. Created after extensive surveys and interviews of students, faculty, and alumni in engineering and science, these films help bridge the gap between what you already know from general writing courses such as first-year English and how you as an engineer or scientist are expected to write in your courses and internships. For those of you who are faculty, please know that you are more than welcome to assign these films in your courses. 
​
Scientific Writing in General
Importance of Writing of Engineers and Scientists (2:00) 
Why the Study of General Writing Is Not Enough (2:00) 
Analyzing Audience (3:59)
Analyzing Purpose (3:52)
Analyzing Occasion: Length and Format (5:57)
Making the Writing Process Effective and Efficient (6:43)

Reports: Tutorial and Instructor's Page
Organization of Reports in Engineering and Science (5:05)
​Writing in Sections (5:29)
Incorporating Illustrations (3:47)

Language: Being Precise, Clear, and Concise
Being Precise and Clear (4:32)
Avoiding Ambiguity (4:30)
​Cutting Needless Words I (4:33)
​Cutting Needless Words II (3:10)

Language: Choosing Strong Verbs
Choosing Strong Verbs: Position in Sentence (5:16)
Choosing Strong Verbs: Allowing Inanimate Objects to Act (4:17)
​Choosing Strong Verb: Use the First Person (4:14)
Choosing Strong Verbs: Summary (4:52)
​
Language: Making Connections
Connecting Ideas: Overview (6:06)
Connecting Ideas: The Problem (5:23)
​Connecting Ideas: A Strategy (2:16)
Transitional Phrases (4:07)
Connecting with Different Sentence Openers I (4:51)
Connecting with Different Sentence Openers II (4:11)
​Connecting with Different Sentence Openers III (5:09)
Connecting Ideas: Conclusion (2:33)

Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage
Why Grammar Matters (6:00)
Part I of Grammar: Writing Sentences, Not Fragments (5:30)
Part I of Grammar: Phrases and Dependent Clauses (5:47)
Part II of Grammar: Adding Phrases and Clauses (3:26)
Part II of Grammar: Writing Sentences, Not Run-Ons (8:53)
Punctuation: Periods and Commas (9:22) 
Punctuation: Advanced Punctuation (8:46)
Usage: Basic Word Choice (4:43)
Usage: Advanced Word Choice (3:20)
Usage: Verb Tense (4:28)
Usage: Expressing Numbers (4:40)

Research Papers: Tutorial
Knowing Your Audience (2:55)
Organization of Research Paper (3:15)
Introduction of a Research Paper (9:11)

Emails: Tutorial
Analyzing What the Audience Knows (2:04)
​Analyzing Why the Audience Is Reading (1:19)
​Analyzing How the Will Read (2:31)
Subject Lines (4:34)
Opening Paragraph (4:34)
​Writing the Middle (3:13)
Writing the Ending (1:15)

Presentations: Tutorial
PowerPoint's defaults are weak (5:01)
Build your scientific talks on messages (4:52)
​Support your messages with visual evidence, not topics (4:30)
Use slides only when they are necessary (3:28)
Structuring a Scientific Talk (6:36)

Sample Writing Film: Analysis of audience in engineering and scientific documents.

Sample writing film: Organizing reports in engineering and science.

Sample writing film: Organizing a research paper.

Sponsors and Editors

Sponsors
     Leonhard Center, College of Engineering, Penn State
​     National Science Foundation, NSF EAGER Award  1752096

​Editors
     Michael Alley, Teaching Professor, College of Engineering, Penn State
     Marissa Beighley, B.S. in Computer Science, 2022, Penn State

Film Editors
     Richelle Weiger, College of Engineering, Penn State
     Casey Fenton, College of Engineering, Penn State
​     Elaine Gustus, College of Engineering, Penn State