Good scientific writing isn’t just knowing how to properly use a comma. If we want our research to stand out, we need to go beyond the basics.
With so much else competing for our audience’s attention, what can we do to keep them fully invested in our work and its significance?
The answer is simple: be clear and concise.
Keep reading for 5 ways to elevate your scientific publications, focusing on the principles of clear and concise writing. Try using them today!
1. Choose concrete words.
Science is hard to conceptualize, especially when the key players are actors on a microscale stage. Why make it even harder for our readers to follow along by using nonspecific language?
Worse yet…choosing words that are ambiguous can give our readers the impression that we have something to hide.
Nonspecific language creeps into scientific writing in various parts of speech. Two of the worst offenders are vague verbs and meaningless modifiers (adverbs and adjectives). Here are some examples and potential alternatives.
Vague Verbs
understand —> distinguish (see more examples of measurable action verbs)
changes —> increases
affects —> impairs
Meaningless Modifiers
significantly —> by a factor of 10 (P = 0.03)
very small —> less than 0.3 micrometers
highly diverse —> with over 800 different receptors
Do you see how the nonspecific terms carry little useful information? Try replacing them with words that are concrete and unambiguous.
Example: Protein acetylation was dramatically decreased after incubating with the mutant enzyme.
Fix: Protein acetylation decreased by 80% after incubating with the mutant enzyme.
2. Don’t bury your verbs.
Most scientists are told to write research papers that “tell a story.” But what exactly does that mean?
Good stories need characters and strong action verbs that drive the story forward. Take away the action, and we aren’t left with much of a story.
Scientists are notorious for burying perfectly good action verbs in nouns (a process called nominalization). Why? Perhaps they want to downplay their role in the action or make their writing sound more scholarly.
When overused, nominalization empties our writing of all action. By returning action to the verb, it makes our writing more concise and brings the story back to life.
Example: For identification of the active compounds, we performed mass spectrometry.
Fix: To identify the active compounds, we performed mass spectrometry.
3. Use simple language.
Many scientists believe they must write in a certain way to be respected by their peers. It’s no wonder why scientific papers are known for their overuse of jargon and complex words.
Using big words just to impress our audience often backfires. Instead of coming away with a clear take-home message, our readers may be left confused and wondering, “What’s the point?”
Simple words are clear and direct and get straight to the point. Try replacing complex words if there is a simpler equivalent.
| COMPLEX | SIMPLE |
|---|---|
| Utilize | Use |
| Majority | Most |
| Experimentation | Test |
After simplifying our language, we often find that there was a lack of substance to begin with. Great! Now we know where to add more relevant content.
Ultimately, we reach more people with a simple message.
Example: We utilized a confocal microscope to visualize the cells.
Fix: We used a confocal microscope to view the cells.
4. Keep subject and verb close together.
When I come across a sentence where the subject and verb are miles apart, one of two things happens:
(1) I have to try to remember the subject until I get to the verb, or (2) I end up forgetting what the subject is and have to read it a second time.
Sometimes this issue requires more creativity to fix, but in the end, it is worth it to avoid frustrating our readers.
Example: The lack of an appropriate model system for the disease makes it challenging to study.
Fix: The disease is challenging to study because it lacks an appropriate model system.
5. Stick to a single topic per sentence.
“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope to find it along the way.” — Michael Scott, The Office
Backgrounds are tricky to write. We might have to cover everything from a molecular pathway to its overall implications on a disease state—all without losing our reader.
When we have a lot of ground to cover, we tend to jam too much into a single sentence. We may even lose track of our thoughts and veer off in a different direction at the end.
We can’t afford to lose our reader’s attention, or else they will move on—to someone else’s grant proposal, manuscript, poster, etc.
Start with a clear focus. Then, consider separating overloaded sentences into two or more individual statements.
Example: Transcription factors are targets of diverse signaling cascades that initiate at the cell surface and converge in the nucleus and ultimately lead to the expression of genes involved in a multitude of cellular processes central to health and disease.
Fix: Transcription factors are targets of diverse signaling cascades that initiate at the cell surface and converge in the nucleus. They ultimately control the expression of genes involved in cellular processes central to health and disease.
Final Thoughts
The (simplified) examples above were inspired by real-life excerpts from scientific papers. If you think the “befores” sound fine, remember that these quick fixes will have a greater impact on complex sentences filled with acronyms.
Consider these as guidelines—not strict rules. Feel free to break them if it better serves your reader.
Just remember that a clear and concise message will leave a positive impression on your readers. That’s how you get papers accepted, gain peer recognition, and win grants.
These are just some of the tips that I use when editing other people’s manuscripts—or refining my own.
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