Human Physiology/Formatting

Goal: Excellent Writing Style
One of the challenges we face in making this textbook is creating chapters that flow logically from one to another and that maintain a consistent format and style throughout. We can begin by making sure our individual chapters are as well-written as possible. This is not an English class, but we are all using writing as a teaching and learning tool and will gain more from this process if we pay attention to the quality of our writing. To guide us in this process, here are descriptions of outstanding writing and weak writing, from my colleague N. Straight, who teaches in the English department.

Outstanding

 * The essay will be thoughtfully structured with logical and coherent organization, have an excellent beginning and ending, and earn its conclusions. [. . .] There will be smooth transitions, varied and forceful sentences, fresh diction, compelling voice, and an appropriate tone. The reader will respond by thinking seriously and critically about the arguments.

Weak

 * The writing is unfocused, and the thesis is too general, vague, or confusing. Weak writing often begins with a thesis that is a topic rather than an argument.  The argument may be incomplete or superficial, with flawed reasoning and insufficient supporting detail.  There may be areas where the writer supplies inappropriate or extraneous information.  The writer does not really have a point to make, or the essay merely exploits the obvious.  This writing may be largely summary or description rather than argumentation.  There are major errors in mechanics, usage, logic, or sentence structure that interfere with the communication of the argument.

Templates for use: A note from Whiteknight
Your Human Physiology book looks fantastic! I am very impressed with all the work that is being put into it. Because all your students are getting more advanced with editing here, I wanted to point out some useful templates that Wikibooks provides for working with text:

Also, you can create floating text boxes on the left or the right side of the page. The text from your page will automatically wrap around this floating boxes. To create a floating box on the left, use

However, if you want to create a box on the right, you can use the template to put it on the right. Inside a floating box, you can use formatting like normal. Here is a good example:

Sections to Include in Each Chapter
The true story (about me!) in the sidebox is to remind you to make a little case study at the start of your chapter to draw your reader in. We want our chapters to be so compelling that readers will be anxious to read more. We want our chapters to be so well-organized and well-written that readers will easily gain new understandings about how the body functions. We want them to see new connections between body systems and be in awe of the millions of chemical reactions that are continuously happening within their cells to keep them alive. ~Kevin

Overview
A single paragraph that describes your system in a nutshell, and perhaps highlights some key physiological processes that will be introduced

Headings and subheadings for your content
Note that this is a subheading. Headings have two = signs on each side and show up as a distinct section with a line beneath.

Review Questions
We will have an appendix to enter your answers to review questions. Should we do open-ended questions? I think that would be easier than multiple-choice.

Glossary or Key Terms
What do you think we should call this section? Where should we put it? I prefer it at the end of the chapter so it is out of the way but easily found if you need it, but others might feel it is best at the beginning of the chapter so you can have an overview of the vocabulary before you dive into the content.

Formatting for the glossary should be consistent between chapters (hit "edit" to see code)
 * human physiology :study of the functions and processes of the human body
 * Phrynosoma :The genus of a group of 14 species of horned lizards, commonly referred to as "horny toads"

Professional Associations

 * The American Physiological Society
 * The American Urological Association Foundation
 * American College of Cardiology

Other?
Share your thoughts about other formatting questions either by directly editing this page or contributing to the discussion tab for it. Provophys 22:42, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * I'm thinking it would be good to have links to some professional journals and professional associations for people who take a particular interest in the topic, as well as any high-quality external links that would provide additional information to interested readers. Provophys 02:35, 3 August 2006 (UTC)