Writing Science in Plain English

OverviewScientific writing is often dry, wordy, and difficult to understand. But, as Anne E. Greene shows in?Writing Science in Plain English,writers from all scientific disciplines can learn to produce clear, concise prose by mastering just a few simple principles.This short, focused guide presents a dozen such principles based on what readers need in order to understand complex information, including concrete subjects, strong verbs, consistent terms, and organized paragraphs. The author, a biologist and an experienced teacher of scientific writing, illustrates each principle with real-life examples of both good and bad writing and shows how to revise bad writing to make it clearer and more concise.?She ends each chapter with practice exercises so that readers can come away with new writing skills after just one sitting.Writing Science in Plain English?can help writers at all levels of their academic and professional careers?undergraduate students working on research reports, established scientists writing articles and grant proposals, or agency employees working to follow the Plain Writing Act. This essential resource is the perfect companion for all who seek to write science effectively.Book detailsISBN-13:9780226026404Publisher:University of Chicago PressPublication date:05/24/2013Series:Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and PublishingSold by:Barnes & NobleNOOK BookPages:128Sales rank:566,880About the AuthorAnne E. Greene?is a biologist by training and teaches scientific writing in the Wildlife Biology Program at The University of MontanaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments1 Why Write Science in Plain English?2? Before You WriteAudienceRegisterTone3? Tell a StoryMake Characters Subjects and Their Actions VerbsUse Strong VerbsPlace Subjects and Verbs Close Together4? Favor the Active VoiceBenefits of Active VoiceProper Uses of Passive Voice5? Choose Your Words with CareUse Short Words Instead of Long OnesKeep Terms the SameBreak Up Noun StringsRethink Technical Terms6? Omit Needless WordsRedundancyMetadiscourse and Transition WordsAffirmatives and Negatives7? Old Information and New InformationPut Old Information at Beginnings of SentencesPut New Information at Ends of Sentences8? Make Lists Parallel9? Vary the Length of Your Sentences10? Design Your ParagraphsIssueDevelopmentConclusionPoint11? Arrange Your ParagraphsChronological OrderGeneral to SpecificLeast Important to Most ImportantProblem to SolutionCompare and ContrastTransition Words RevisitedAppendix 1??Basic Writing Concepts?Appendix 2? Exercise KeyIndex