3.3.Q Quiz yourself to conquer Technique F3

Read the following two sentences. While you read the second sentence, think about which words represent ‘old’ concepts (that is, concepts that were already mentioned in the previous sentence), and which words represent ‘new’ concepts (that is, concepts that were not mentioned in the previous sentence).

This is the first study that compares all sizes of floating plastic in the world’s oceans from the largest items to small microplastics. Plastics of all sizes were found in all ocean regions, converging in accumulation zones in the subtropical gyres, including southern hemisphere gyres where coastal population density is much lower than in the northern hemisphere.

Eriksen M et al PLOS One 2014

Now write ‘old’ or ‘new’ in each of the gaps below, to state whether the phrase on that line represents an ‘old’ or a ‘new’ concept.

Read the following two sentences. As you read the second sentence, think about which phrase(s) refer to ‘old’ concept(s) (i.e. concept(s) that were mentioned in the previous sentence), and which phrase(s) refer to ‘new’ concept(s) (i.e. concept(s) that were not mentioned in the previous sentence).

Numerous authors have suggested that increasing crop yields, rather than clearing more land for food production, is the most sustainable path for food security. Moreover, crop yield growth has been shown as an effective tool in reducing global poverty and undernourishment, as farmers themselves constitute the vast majority of the poor and the undernourished.

Ray DK et al PLOS One 2013

Now write ‘old’ or ‘new’ in each of the blanks below, to show whether the concept in the phrase on that line represents a concept that has already been mentioned in the previous sentence, or whether it represents a concept that was not mentioned.

Read the following two sentences. As you read the second sentence, think about which phrases in that sentence represent ‘old’ / previously-mentioned concepts, and which phrases represent ‘new’ concepts that have not been mentioned in the previous sentence.

Virtually all rats preferred saccharin over intravenous cocaine, a highly addictive drug. The preference for saccharin is not attributable to its unnatural ability to induce sweetness without subsequent caloric input because the same preference was also observed with an equipotent concentration of sucrose, a natural sugar.

Lenoir M et al PLOS One 2007

Below is a line-by-line dissection of the second sentence. Fill in the blanks by writing ‘old’ or ‘new’, to denote whether the concept in the phrase on that line represents a concept that was already mentioned in the previous paragraph, or not.

Read the following two sentences. As you read the second sentence, think about which phrase refers to a concept that was mentioned in the first sentence (i.e. which phrase represents ‘old’ information), and which phrases refer to concepts that were not mentioned in the previous sentence.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing numbers of organizations have encouraged office-based staff to work from home where possible. Unless attention is given to ergonomic set up of home offices, health issues such as repetitive strain injury, back pain and eye strain could compound the impact of this pandemic on lives.

Following is a dissected version of the second sentence. Fill in each of the blanks with the word ‘old’ or ‘new’ to indicate whether the phrase on that line represents an ‘old’ concept that was already mentioned in the previous sentence, or a ‘new’ concept that was not mentioned in the previous sentence.

Read the following paragraph. As you read, think about which sentence needs changing in order to follow Technique F3 (put ‘old’ concepts before ‘new’ concepts).

Pleuropneumonia (APP) surfaced in the Australian pig population during the first half of the last decade and ten years on is regarded as one of the most costly and devastating diseases affecting the Australian pig industry. It can present as a dramatic clinical disease or as a chronic, production limiting disease in pig herds. A sudden increase in the number of sick and coughing pigs and a sharp rise in mortalities among grower / finisher pigs may herald an outbreak of APP in a herd. On the other hand, signs may be limited to a drop in grown rate and an increase in grade two pleurisy lesions in slaughter pigs.

Example from Cargill M and O’Connor P 2013 Writing Scientific Research Articles: Strategy and Steps

Now select the sentence that needs changing so that it follows Technique F3 of Put ‘old’ concepts before ‘new’ concepts.

Here again is the paragraph from the previous question, with the problem sentence shown in bold text. Re-read the paragraph and think about how you could improve the bolded sentence so that it makes use of Technique F3, putting ‘old’ concepts before ‘new’ concepts.

Pleuropneumonia (APP) surfaced in the Australian pig population during the first half of the last decade and ten years on is regarded as one of the most costly and devastating diseases affecting the Australian pig industry. It can present as a dramatic clinical disease or as a chronic, production limiting disease in pig herds. A sudden increase in the number of sick and coughing pigs and a sharp rise in mortalities among grower / finisher pigs may herald an outbreak of APP in a herd. On the other hand, signs may be limited to a drop in grown rate and an increase in grade two pleurisy lesions in slaughter pigs.

Example from Cargill M and O’Connor P 2013 Writing Scientific Research Articles: Strategy and Steps

Now shuffle the phrases from this sentence into an order that mentions ‘old’ concepts before ‘new’ concepts. Note that you will need to move at least one phrase at least once, even if it is already in the correct position (but then move it back again), for your answer to be registered as correct.