Writing Science in Plain English

Anne E. Greene

ISBN 10: 022602637X / ISBN 13: 9780226026374

Published by The University of Chicago Press, US, 2013

About this Item

Bad writing is bad for science. Incomprehensible journal articles, wordy proposals, and jargon-filled theses make reading a chore for students, informed lay people, and even other scientists. As a result, years of research and hard work can be passed over or misunderstood. 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." "Writing Science in Plain English" by Anne E. Greene, an experienced teacher of scientific writing, shows how to produce such clear, concise scientific prose. This is the first book to adapt the Strunk and White model for scientists and students. Designed as a short, easy-to-follow guide, it dispenses with what scientists write and focuses on how to write it well. Eleven chapters present straightforward principles based on what readers need in order to understand complex writing, including concrete subjects, active verbs, consistent terms, and well-organized paragraphs.Chapter-ending exercises and samples of real writing, both good and bad, allow readers to improve their writing immensely with little effort. This concise book is short enough that readers can gain important information in one sitting, but full of useful resources that will have them thumbing through it again and again. It can be used as the foundation for a semester-long course or a two-hour workshop. Designed to be useful to a wide range of readers, from college students to faculty, and beginning researchers to established scientists, it is the perfect resource for anyone who wants to strengthen their scientific writing.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780226026374

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Writing Science in Plain English
• Publisher: The University of Chicago Press, US
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 022602637X
• ISBN 13: 9780226026374
• Binding: Paperback
• 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.