INCF project

This page contains the details of a technical writing project accepted for Google Season of Docs.

Project summary

Open source organization:
INCF
Technical writer:
Ogbonoko
Project name:
The Turing Way: A How-to Guide to Data Science
Project length:
Standard length (3 months)

Project description

Introduction

The increasing popularity of Data Science and the versatility of its applications has made it an appealing domain for students, researchers, industry experts, and professionals across various fields and levels of expertise. To foster growth in the field, it is paramount that Data Science research is - and remains - accessible to the wider community of Data Science enthusiasts. One way this goal can be achieved is through guides on conducting reproducible, reusable, and collaborative Data Science research.

The Turing Way is one such guide, with a mission of “ensuring that reproducible data science is ‘too easy not to do’.” Currently, The Turing Way contains content that covers reproducible research, project design, communication, collaboration, and ethical research. However, as the scope of The Turing Way expands, editorial support would be needed to incorporate newly created content into the existing body of work.

Project Goals

At a high level, my job as a Technical Writer on this project is to make The Turing Way more accessible for the Data Science community by:

  • Reviewing existing chapters of The Turing Way, looking for ways to improve its language and structure,

  • Incorporating new content into the existing body of work while keeping the overall style and tone of The Turing Way consistent, and

  • Contributing new content in the form of new chapters, interactive tutorials, and/or case studies.

Timeline

If my application is successful, I propose to complete the project in the following manner:

By August 17:

Make contributions to The Turing Way where possible (fixing typos etc.)

Familiarize myself with the current information contained in The Turing Way

Improve my writing and editorial skills while getting up to speed with the tools I would be working with.

Community Bonding Phase (August 17 - September 23):

Engage proactively with the team/community behind The Turing Way and learn more about the project.

Establish and maintain channels of communication with mentors.

Refine and finalise project goals with input from mentors and the community at large.

Week 1 (September 14 - September 19)

The first week will be spent getting the necessary tools set up properly to ensure my productivity.

Furthermore, I discovered some typos while reading through The Turing Way. Though I intend to rectify these errors before August 17 as I contribute to the project. I propose to spend the first few weeks going through existing chapters of the book to ensure that its grammar, spelling, and tone are correct, consistent, and appealing to the project’s target audience.

I will begin the proofreading stage with the chapter titled Guide for Reproducible Research.

Week 2 (September 20 - September 26)

Proofread and edit the chapter titled Guide for Project Design and any new content contributions, recommending changes as needed.

Week 3 (September 27 - October 3)

Proofread and edit the chapter titled Guide for Communication.

Week 4 (October 4 - October 10)

Proofread and edit the chapter titled Guide for Collaboration and ay new content contributions.

Week 5 (October 11 - October 17)

Proofread and edit the chapter titled Guide for Ethical Research and any new content contributions.

Week 6 (October 18 - October 24)

Proofread and edit the chapter titled Guide for Project Design and any new content contributions.

Week 7 (October 25 - October 31)

Brainstorm and create new content for The Turing Way with input from the project's mentors. This new content could be in the form of a new chapter, a tutorial, or a case study. For example, I am currently working on developing methods for podcasts retrieval and understanding as part of my dissertation. I could document this experience and my learning outcomes as a case study.

Weeks 8 to 10 (November 1 - November 28)

Complete the documentation for content from Week 7 while proofreading any new content contributions created by others.

Week 12 (November 29 - December 5)

Finetune written content to ensure factuality, accuracy and consistency. I will also document and submit my reflections on the project’s success and an evaluation of my mentors.