There are a lot of essays based on science in different fields normally taught within the framework of ESP. You may select or modify the ones relevant to the field that is required from you.

I think finding the commonalities between your field and the other, even at a broad level, can help to bridge this understanding somewhat. Then grounding this understanding in principles of teaching, learning, and assessment (given rubric with criteria for grading assignments) can help to make more sense. Where there is a gap, then consult with an expert for further clarity.

Best,

Debra

You have to get interested in the scientific topic, and do some desk / library research yourself. E.g. send the title of the scientific paper to Google Scholar and follow the links and the links to the links.

Of course certain technical essays are beyond the scope of most of us unless we have trained in the field, but many I can access. I've been interested in science all my life and read it voraciously so I enjoy the science essays on here, and most I find very stimulating.

This is what the literature review is supposed to facilitate. I tell people that it should address all of the concepts that readers need to know in order to understand and evaluate your methodology, results and discussion.

How to find your way in a city that you visit for the first time?

- You can take a bustour: brings you to the best known places, (to the generalities)

But is that the purpose of your visit?

To learn the generalities?

Tourism often is. Site seeing.

But you need to know "paricularities" "technicalities".

For example: How do I find the way to my hotel in this strange town?

Ask a policeman, or a inhabitant, or use GPS celphone directions

= ask authorities.

How to know authorities from other?

Here comes the difficult part.

When their names are in a book they look like an authority.

If an internet algorithm shows them as being frequently quoted - they must have some autority.

You are looking for the exchage rate of values.

What is the currency,

How much does it cost?

What is this in US dollar or Euro...?

What is this data, this piece of information worth within this field?

But there is always a need, a purpose to look for technical things beyond your own field of expertise -

I know my own body better than that of any other person, because I have the experience of living in it for the past 65 years.

But when something goes wrong, when this bodily experience is not sufficient to cope with the problems I meet , - I must consult a medical doctor who knows my body "from an other angle".

So the question has te be specific when your looking for a specific answer.

Depends of the angle

Cheers!

Willy

Hello, Agnieszka,

The purpose is understanding the essays for either grading or reviewing. Ph.D. programs in English teaching will make students read large numbers of essays in a number of fields and write summaries. That is because later the studnt will have to teach people writing in all kinds of academic fields. But others need to be able to do this activity. Editors, for instance.

Gloria Lee Mcmillan , I very much understand that some research reports can be a bit intimidating if they are not a genre the someone is used to reading/studying about; but we have to acknowledge the fact that scientists of various fields are only expected to speak/write in such a manner that their colleagues will comprehend.

In my case, I make sure to Google anything that I read and do not understand; and also have a handful of friends (from other fields) and will run to them, asking if they understand.

I honestly don't have any complaint with scientists having this modus operandi; and preparing their reports to be specialized. I just went through something recently where I had to determine the taxonomic identity of a fungus that I found. If I were to write up the process and the observations that I made, I would have to remark on the different parts of the fungu' anatomy; I don't know how I would alter the wording so that someone who has no experience or education of fungal species will still understand every step I took.

shalom! - Juju.

Good points, Dear Colleague Julia,

It takes practice, as in using key words for searching.

Many thanks, Agnieszka Will geb. Gronek !

I hope grad students read this who are assigned large stacks of research essays outside their own areas.

Here are the three key parts in outline form (from my Ph.D. professor):

METHODS (note number of subjects in experiment and who is funding if noted in this or INTRO.) Who funded the study is most important when cnsidering possible biased findings or not.

DISCUSSION OF DATA AND EXPERIMENT (skim this unless needed for evaluating the text. May have difficult material such as advanced equations ans innumerbale names of chemical reactions, etc.)

CONCLUSION

The Intro, methods, and conclusion can re written in understandable langauge. If more is needed, get help from a person of that speciality.