Writing Science in Plain English
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 twelve 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, 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.
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.
Reviews
"Why must the scientific literature be as confusing and dull as an insurance contract or a manufacturer's warranty? It doesn't have to be like that! 'Writing Science in Plain English' can teach any scientist how to write more compelling and lucid papers. Anne E. Greene deserves a round of applause from scientific editors, peer reviewers, and readers everywhere" – David S. Wilcove, Princeton University
"This is the best book of this sort I have read. Greene practices what she preaches, writing clearly for a general scientific audience. She comes across as both highly knowledgeable and accessible. Greene makes achieving clarity look simple, and I found myself marveling at her wizardry. Readers will find the text empowering" – Gina Maranto, University of Miami
"'Writing Science in Plain English' should be required reading for both established scientists and undergraduates who might become scientists. Anne Greene uses plain English and instructive examples from the scientific literature to show student writers how to say what they need to say more concisely, more accessibly, and more effectively. Would that all writers followed her advice" – John Alcock, Arizona State University
"This guide echoes the advice I have given to students in scientific writing classes over my career. It rebuts the notion that science writing is different in kind and exempt from the rules that apply to other non-fiction writing: it requires strong narrative direction, active voice, strong verbs, short words where possible, and so on. This lucid, step-by-step book should be required reading for entering graduate students in the life sciences, and will be a welcome addition to the instructor's reference shelf" – Steven W. Buskirk, University of Wisconsin-Madison
