SCIENTIFIC WRITING ESSENTIALS

Getting Started

Essentials presents those writing features, considerations, and tasks that all scientific writers – regardless of scientific discipline or genre – need to understand in order to write effectively. If you are new to Write Like a Scientist and especially if you are new to scientific writing, we recommend you walk through the Essentials in the order they are presented. This is the order in which a writer would typically encounter and consider them when approaching a new piece of writing.

Essentials Overview


Writing Goal
Effective writers make specific choices and tailor their writing in ways that achieve their goal, which includes the purpose(s) for writing (e.g., to teach, to persuade, to explain) and the audience they are trying to reach.

Scientific Literature
Because science builds on and corrects itself incrementally over time, scientific writing must be situated within a larger scientific context by citing already-published work.

Organization
Effective organization allows readers to find information easily and to easily understand and follow the scientific arguments being made.

Scientific Language
Effective scientific language is concise and precise, and makes use of agreed-upon conventions that allow scientific information to be presented clearly and succinctly. There are also common pitfalls with regard to use of mechanics and scientific language.

 

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