Writing Science in Plain English

Anne E. Greene

ISBN 10: 022602637X / ISBN 13: 9780226026374

Published by The University of Chicago Press, 2013

About this Item

Bad writing is bad for science. The problem is so significant that clear writing has become a legal requirement for federal agencies, thanks to the Plain Writing Act of 2010, which requires that writing be accessible, consistent, written in plain language, and easy to understand. This book shows how to produce such clear, concise scientific prose. Series: Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing and Publishing. Num Pages: 128 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: CBWT; JNZ; PD. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 145 x 218 x 10. Weight in Grams: 190. . 2013. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780226026374

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Writing Science in Plain English
• Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 022602637X
• ISBN 13: 9780226026374
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

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.

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.