Emaan Ahmed

September 19, 2019

Science Writing

Research Assessment #2

Now that I know what the basics of being a science writer are, it’s time to turn to the

fundamentals of science writing itself. Science writing differs from typical journalism in the

sense that, on top of disseminating information, there is the additional responsibility of

translating difficult research into terms that the general public can easily understand, all while

keeping the articles themselves interesting to read. I used the resources provided by my Science

Writing Instructor during MOSTEC, which are the books “Ideas Into Words” and “A Field

Guide for Science Writers”, as well as the article “Science Writing: Guidelines and Guidance”.

They contain a lot of information about the process of science writing, from looking for story

ideas to polishing your final draft.

The first book “Ideas Into Words” has lots of advice for budding science writers to settle

into the mindset of a professional, as well as tips and tricks to make the process smoother. One

that I found useful was that the best science writers stay in that writing mindset at all times,

looking for story ideas in the mundane details of life. Inspiration can strike out of nowhere, so

it’s best to be prepared to grab onto to it quickly and write the idea out before it fades away. I do

try to embody this by thinking about how I would portray something I find interesting in an

article, and which angles I would use to approach it. This can happen with science news, some

everyday problem, or a common mystery of life. Another good tip, one which is very difficult for

me to employ, is the fact that rough drafts are meant to be rough. I struggle with not obsessing
over every choice of word I write, so learning how to let the words flow out without restriction

has helped me get a good amount of material to later refine.

The other book “A Field Guide for Science Writer” was sponsored by the National

Association of Science Writers, a well renowned organization that I hope to eventually be a

member of. This has more technical advice about the setup and construction of science articles,

especially the introduction, which is often the most important section. It has two parts: the lead

and the nut-graph. The lead functions as a hook for the readers, tempting them to pay attention

and read further. The nut-graph is the paragraph with all the important information of the article,

setting up the issue and the resolution (like a nut with fruit inside). Learning the basic structure

of an article helps with the preliminary drafting, as well as building off in more experimental

methods. Keeping the important info concise and in one place makes the article easier to parse,

and since I also struggle with brevity, this is advice for me to keep in mind as I write my final

article for this class.

The article “Science Writing: Guidelines and Guidance” was written by Carl Zimmer, a

prominent science writer and colleague of my Sci Wri professor. This article is a comprehensive

guide to all things science writing, with advice on writing introductions, scenes, and conveying

complex information. When I start writing my article, I intend to use it as my primary resource

for determining my strategies and checking my work to ensure it meets the basic guidelines of a

science article. I also want to interview the author, as he is a colleague of my science writing

mentor, and no doubt knows many more professionals within the field who can guide me and

give me more information and feedback.

 Since I want to write a long-form article, the structure has to be a little different from a

typical article, but the introduction is important in that it sets up interest for the rest of the piece.

Since I only have experience with writing smaller articles, I need to conduct further research on

how a long-form article is set up, and how to keep the audience’s attention throughout the piece.

Using the skills I learned about from the books discussed above, I will write preliminary

introductions to gauge interest and figure out whether a certain idea works. In addition, the topic

of a longform article is usually very deep and thought-provoking, so I also need to start

brainstorming possible ideas that would make for a compelling read.

Citation

Blum, Deborah, et al. ​A Field Guide for Science Writers: The Official Guide of the National

Association of Science Writers.​ Oxford University Press, 1998.

Hancock, Elise. ​Ideas Into Words: Mastering the Craft of Science Writing.​ Johns Hopkins

University Press, 2003.

Zimmer, Carl. "Science Writing: Guidelines and Guidance." ​Medium,​ 29 Sept. 2019,

medium.com/swlh/science-writing-guidelines-and-guidance-8c6a6bc37d75. Accessed 8

Oct. 2019.