“Writing in the Sciences” course from Coursera
This unprecedented “free time” away from the lab can be a good opportunity to brush up on fundamental non-bench skills, like writing! This free online Coursera course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises. Topics covered include principles of effective writing (cutting unnecessary clutter and verbs), crafting better sentences and paragraphs, organization, and streamlining the writing process.
The course instructor is Dr. Kristin Sainani, an Associate Professor at Stanford University and also a health and science writer. After receiving an MS in statistics and PhD in epidemiology from Stanford University, she studied science writing at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She writes about science for a range of audiences, including authoring the health column Body News for Allure magazine and the statistics column Statistically Speaking for the journal Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.