PHYS 496 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Physics 496: Communicating in Physics—Writing Papers and Giving Talks
Spring 2026
Meets 2:00–4:50 p.m. Fridays, 158 Loomis
Semester at a Glance
Writing Workshop is held most week; be sure to bring your laptop to class.
In-Class Activities require your presence and active participation
Homework Assignments are typically due by 11:59 pm on the due date unless otherwise noted. Presentation slides are due by NOON on the due date.
Class attendance is mandatory.
Schedule is subject to change; changes will be posted to the course website. Questions about the schedule should be directed to Jessica Raley.
Week 1 January 23—first day of class
Course introduction (JLR)
Communicating in science—“The Up Goer Five” (JLR)
The importance of a title (JLR)
How to read a physics paper (SV)
No homework due today
Week 2 January 30
Introduction to Writing Workshop—rationale and goals (JLR)
WW #1—“Finding the Right Word” (JLR)
How to write an abstract (SV)
Writing an abstract (SV)
Tips for giving a good talk (JLR)
HW #1—“Active Reading for Physics Papers”
Week 3 February 6
Assign “Explaining Physics Concepts” teams
HW #2—“Best Practices for Oral Presentations” (short talk presented in class; slides due by NOON on Friday)
Week 4 February 13
How to get started if you hate to write (JLR)
How to evaluate a scientific talk or colloquium (SV)
Literature search group activity (JLR)
WW #2—“Using the Right Word” (JLR)
HW #3—“Title and Abstract”
Week 5 February 20
WW #3: “Four-Letter Words in Science Writing” (JLR)
Collaborative writing (SV)
Revising and editing your work (SV)
HW #4—Explaining Physics–Draft
Week 6 February 27
WW #4: “Ambiguous Pronouns” (JLR)
Guest speaker—Professor Lance Cooper, “How to Pick a Graduate School” 2:00 p.m. TENTATIVE
The scientific publication process and peer review (SV)
HW #5—“Explaining Physics”—FINAL VERSION
Week 7 March 6
How to write instructions (JLR)
Writing Instructions—group activity (JLR)
Effective figures and figure captions (SV)
Technical Writing 101 (Review the handout prior to class!)
HW #6—“Peer Review”
Week 8 March 13
WW #5: “Them Thar Indirect Openings” (JRL)
Writing a statement of purpose (SV)
Making verbs work (JLR)
HW #7 Evaluating Figures and Captions
Colloquium Report #1 Due
Week 9 March 20 NO CLASS
Spring Break
Week 10 March 27
WW #6: “The Three-Preposition Rule (3PR)” (JLR)
A framework for ethical decisions (JLR)
Hard problems—ethical case studies team activity
Read before class “Ethics in Physics: The Need for Culture Change”
HW #8—Short Science Talk—Draft
Week 11 April 3
Scientific posters (SV)
Rules for writing numbers (Review the handout prior to class)
HW #9—Short Science Talk—In Class Presentation (Parallel Sessions in Room 158 &Room 236)
Week 12 April 10
WW #7: “Making Verbs Work” (JLR)
Reference rules and styles in scientific writing (JLR)
What to reference, why, and how—group activity (JLR)
Fermi problems (SV)
HW #10—"Scientific Poster”—DRAFT
Week 13 April 17
Class activity: Eliminating fluff in scientific writing
WW #8: “Parallel Construction” (JLR)
Poster Workshop
HW #11—Making Figures and captions
Colloquium Report #2 Due
Week 14 April 24
WW #9: “Shooting for ‘Shorth’” (JLR)
Guest Speaker—Professor Taylor Hughes, “How to Survive Graduate School” TENTATIVE
HW #12 “Scientific Poster”—FINAL (send to printer)
Last Day to Submit Re-writes for Colloquium Report #1
Week 15 May 1—last day of class
WW Bonus (optional—complete on your own)—“Editing Practice”—submit by Dec 10 for extra credit
HW #13 “Live Poster Presentation” (presented in class)