Writing Science in Plain English, Second Edition

Abstract

A bright student once told me that she had never been “any good at English composition” after I gave her feedback to improve the clarity of a science report. Certainly, as a professor or instructor, encountering those who do not realize that clear writing and science go hand in hand is not unfamiliar. Scientists must often express their ideas, reasoning, and process to a wide variety of readers. Spoiler: most of us are quite bad at it. We tend to write in a dry style, use complex words to describe simple concepts, use jargon to impress, and create