Professional Emails
What are the four essential components of a professional email?
A clear subject line, an appropriate greeting, a clear message and a closing.
What is the main purpose of an abstract?
To provide a brief summary of the entire study, including the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions.
Which side of the brain is associated with language in most people?
The left hemisphere
What makes a case a medical mystery?
Doctors do not immediately know the cause of the patient's symptoms or how to diagnose the condition.
What is scientific fraud?
The deliberate falsification, fabrication, or misrepresentation of research data or findings.
You are writing to a professor for the first time. What information should you include when introducing yourself?
Your name, your affiliation/course, and the reason for contacting them.
True or False: You should read only the abstract to fully evaluate the quality of a research study.
False. The abstract provides a summary, but the methods, results, and limitations must also be examined.
Which areas of the brain are responsible for langauge?
Broca's and Wernicke's area
What term is used for a disease that affects a very small number of people and is often difficult to diagnose?
A rare disease
Why is scientific fraud harmful even if the results seem positive?
It can mislead other researchers, waste resources, damage public trust, and potentially harm people.
Which of these openings is more appropriate in a professional email?
Hello!
Hi Bridget,
Dear Dr. Schvarcz,
Dear Dr. Schvarcz
What are the 7 components of an abstract?
Claim centrality
Review literature
Establish debate
Announce present research
Present Methods
Present results
Impact
What is phrenology?
19th-century pseudoscience that linked the contours and bumps of a person's skull to specific personality traits and mental faculties
Which famous physician is known as the "father of modern epidemiology" for tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in London?
John Snow
Which is more important in science: obtaining exciting results or reporting results honestly?
Reporting results honestly.
Name two things that should be avoided in professional emails.
Which section of a research paper explains how the study was conducted?
Methods
Give three reasons why children are better language learners.
What is the TV doctor famous for solving difficult medical mysteries despite usually being wrong several times before finding the answer?
Dr. House
Name two ways the scientific community can reduce scientific fraud.
Peer review, replication studies, data transparency, ethical training, open data, independent verification.
A professional email should be:
A. Friendly
B. Clear
C. Concise
D. All of the above
D. All of the above
Which section of a paper is most likely to answer the question: Why was this study conducted?
Introduction
Give three reasons why adults are better language learners.
Many famous medical mysteries were solved not because of a single test, but because someone noticed a connection. What does this tell us about how science and medicine work?
Science relies on observation, evidence, pattern recognition, investigation, and critical thinking.
A study reports impressive results, but other scientists cannot reproduce the findings. Why might this be considered a warning sign?
Because valid scientific findings should be reproducible. Failure to reproduce results may indicate errors, bias, or possible misconduct.