Sariah VanderVeur

ENGL 2100 Section 403 - Jorgenson

Time 10:00 a.m.

Writing Project

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 Written Communication in Mycology
Types of Written Communication
There are many types of written communication implemented in Mycology careers, most of
which revolve around research processes and findings:
• Research Proposals: A funding request for research, detailing the rationale,
methodology, and expected outcomes
• Progress Reports: A detailed explanation of progress made toward completion of a
project
• Lab Report: A formal documentation of the experimental objective, process, findings,
and conclusions
• Abstract: A brief summary of a research paper
• Research Paper: A scholarly paper relaying original research findings and conclusions
• Research Poster: A visual aid outlining research methodology, findings, and conclusions
• Research Articles: An article reporting on original research, assessing its contributions to
the larger body of knowledge on the topic, and published in a peer-reviewed journal
• Review Articles: An article which synthesizes and analyzes published findings

Purpose
With few exceptions, the purpose of written communications in mycology mostly revolve
around communicating scientific findings in different formats:
• Research proposals: Gain funding for research
• Progress Reports: Inform granters of progress and maintain funding for research
• Lab Report: Enable other scientists to fully reproduce your experiment
• Abstract: Assist readers in understanding general concept of paper and if they want to
read it
• Research Papers, Posters, and Articles: Communicate original thesis and findings of an
experiment
• Review Articles: Teach readers about prominent scientists in the field, recent discoveries
and advancements, gaps in research, current debates, and ideas on where research
might go next.

Audiences
The audiences of written communications relating to mycology vary widely on what type of
document it is:

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 • Research Proposals and Progress Reports: A board of referees often without expertise in
mycology. They will require definitions of technical terms, clear explanations of
methodology, and background applicable to research questions
• Lab Report: Other scientists with expertise in the field. The report can, and should, have
technical terms without definitions and must enable other scientists to clearly follow
along and easily repeat said experiment
• Abstract: May be for a general or specialized audience. If it’s for a general audience
don’t use citations, abbreviations, or acronyms. If it’s for a specialized audience it should
be easily understandable but may still contain technical terms
• Review articles, research papers, posters, and articles: May be for a specialized or
general audience. If it’s for a general audience don’t use citations, abbreviations, or
acronyms. If it’s for a specialized audience, it should be easily understandable but may
still contain technical terms. If the audience’s level of specialty is unknown, find a
middle ground, still use technical terms but define them

The role of processes in writing

Process is critical to writing in mycology. Before writing, one must fully conduct their research
and experimentation, taking detailed and easy-to-understand notes along the way. Once they
have gathered all of the data, they must begin the process of writing and rewriting. It is
important that scientific writings are drafted, edited, and rewritten multiple times to ensure that
the paper is as articulate and accurate as possible. If the writing process is interfered with it may
result with an inaccurate and incredible product, misinforming the public and possibly
resulting in a loss of funding and credibility. Without proper communication of experimental
findings, they are useless as they cannot be read or analyzed by others to be peer reviewed and
backed.

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How to Improve Writing
Most writings in mycology are well written and achieve the purpose they are supposed to, often
requiring technical and complex language. Although this is appropriate in most forms of
written communication in this field, it may be less so when it comes to articles. Many scientific
articles are long, dense, and complicated, turning away most readers who do not have technical
knowledge. Writers of research and review articles may gain more readers with less specialized
backgrounds through breaking up the text with images and charts

Principles of Writing
The Scientific Style and Format style guide is the most widely used and commonly accepted
style guide within scientific writing. It contains four parts:

• Publishing Fundamentals
• General style conventions
• Special Scientific conventions
• Technical elements of publications

Professional Development Opportunities

Mycologists have a wide range of professional development opportunities to increase their
qualifications in the field:
• Many jobs in mycology require a PhD or Masters degree in Mycology, which
strengthens their understanding of mycology, and allows for further practice with lab,
field, and documentation skills.
• A studying Mycologists can develop an understanding of the experimental process,
scientific writing, and working in a laboratory and field setting.
• There are numerous Mycology Conferences around the country and world which hold
workshops and talks. During these conferences, mycologists can learn more about
different aspects and applications of mycology.
• Research can also be presented and peer reviewed at conferences. Researchers may be
able to gain new insight into techniques and specimen from other mycologists
discussing their research with them.
• Working as foraging guide may give mycologists a more practical understanding of
mushrooms, where certain species can be found, and increase chances of discovering
new species.
• Joining a mycological society provides mycologists with exclusive research magazines,
meetings, activities, and programs.

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Popular mycological societies

Best Bachelor Programs

Specialized mycology degrees are only offered in graduate programs. Aspiring mycologists
usually start off their education with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology as there are very few
universities that offer mycology programs. Most colleges offer microbiology programs, with a
few frontrunners:
• University of Wisconsin
- Offers 6 different Microbiology programs
• UC Berkley
- Offers 4 different Microbiology programs
• University of Washington
- Offers 4 different Microbiology programs

Although there are no Bachelor programs for mycology many offer more general mycology
courses:
• Intro to Mycology
• Medicinal Mycology
• Forest Pathology and Mycology