Writing Science in Plain English

Overview Scientific 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 details ISBN-13: 9780226026404 Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication date: 05/24/2013 Series: Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing Sold by: Barnes & Noble NOOK Book Pages: 128 Sales rank: 566,880 About the Author Anne E. Greene ?is a biologist by training and teaches scientific writing in the Wildlife Biology Program at The University of Montana Table of Contents Acknowledgments 1 Why Write Science in Plain English? 2? Before You Write Audience Register Tone 3? Tell a Story Make Characters Subjects and Their Actions Verbs Use Strong Verbs Place Subjects and Verbs Close Together 4? Favor the Active Voice Benefits of Active Voice Proper Uses of Passive Voice 5? Choose Your Words with Care Use Short Words Instead of Long Ones Keep Terms the Same Break Up Noun Strings Rethink Technical Terms 6? Omit Needless Words Redundancy Metadiscourse and Transition Words Affirmatives and Negatives 7? Old Information and New Information Put Old Information at Beginnings of Sentences Put New Information at Ends of Sentences 8? Make Lists Parallel 9? Vary the Length of Your Sentences 10? Design Your Paragraphs Issue Development Conclusion Point 11? Arrange Your Paragraphs Chronological Order General to Specific Least Important to Most Important Problem to Solution Compare and Contrast Transition Words Revisited Appendix 1? ?Basic Writing Concepts? Appendix 2 ? Exercise Key Index