As research scientists, we read a lot of scientific papers.
But it may surprise you to learn that a lot of the time we – yes, we scientists – don’t understand what we’re reading, or we’re too bored to remember what we’ve just read.
Peer-reviewed papers are the currency of science. They are the basis upon which knowledge is recorded and traded. They are our stamps of approval and they keep us employed. In short, research papers are our bread and butter.
But our buttered bread can be difficult to digest; typically, it is bloated, dense and so dry that no amount of chewing can make it tasty.
So we decided to do something about it. We wrote a paper about writing papers, explaining why and how it’s important for scientists to change the way we write.
Our paper is centred around one key character: Ingredient X.
Read more: Mainstream is not a dirty word
Ingredient X
Ingredient X is that substance people rarely talk about or teach in science writing, or rarely come across. But when you do see it, complex concepts are readily absorbed, sentences skip along the page rather than plod, facts pique interest rather than disengage, and the scientific message is remembered rather than forgotten.
Ingredient X is creativity and clarity, it is the use of narrative and tangible prose. It is the reader that is the priority of Ingredient X, not the writer.
Here’s what we as scientists can do to achieve Ingredient X:
1. Get our heads out of the sand
Scientists are trained to be objective and focus on their field of research – they are not trained to think about the reader at the other end absorbing their information. Others have recognised this problem, and we need to address it.
2. Break the cycle
Let’s value writing more in science. Writing is not just a means to an end to describe the facts and figures, but an integral part of it. Writing should be a craft that we hone, rather than homogenise. We need to break the cycle of miscommunication that assumes everyone wants dry, stodgy bread: in reality, who likes that?
3. Reward good writing
If we value good writing, we will then promote and reward good writing. This can be everyone’s job, from those at the coalface (e.g. supervisors, authors, reviewers and journal editors) to those a little further away (e.g. universities, government agencies and science societies).
4. Stop teaching the “Official Style”
We write science in the “Official Style” (elegantly defined in Lanham’s classic style manual) because it is entrenched in us from the ground up. Let’s take a fresh look at how we teach science writing, with a focus on reader engagement and readability.
5. Read and write more
Scientists should be encouraged to read and collect good writing and learn from it, to start working out what makes good writing good. And there are some good style manuals to guide us along the way (check out citations in this article as a start). Scientists do write a lot, but we do need to write differently more often, and with an open mind.
Read more: Listen up: a plan to help scientists get their research heard by decision makers
Be concise, original, inspiring
But let’s be clear. We are not advocating sensationalism. Scientists are wary of sensationalism and for good reason. Science is about facts and objectivity, not hyperbole to sell a story.
However, we maintain that objectivity is not at odds with adding a creative element to our writing, or making it clearer, more accessible and interesting to read.
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