SCIENCE and
TECHNOLOGY
WRITING
By Dr. Maria Cecilia M. Genove
*As adapted from the Campus Stylebook (A Guide to Writing and Editing for
Popular Publications), 1990, New Day Publishers, Quezon City
Writing the science story is not so
difficult, although more research is
needed than usual. It can even be
fun. All the usual grammatical rules
apply to science stories. There are
tips in writing a readable and
entertaining science story.
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
1. When using unfamiliar scientific
terms, always try to define it as
briefly as possible. This can easily be
done by giving its literal meaning.
Take a story on a coconut disease –
cadang-cadang – and note how it
disposes of scientific terms as briefly
as possible:
“The disease, called Cadang-cadang, has
caused the deaths of millions of coconut
trees since it was first reported in 1931.
Cadang-cadang literally means yellowing
or the slow death of a plant…
“Scientists strongly suspect that Cadang-
cadang is caused by a rare substance called
a viroid. Only five viroids are known to
science…
“Virus is a Latin name which literally
means poison or slime. Scientists say that a
virus contains short strands of either RNA
(RiboNucleic Acid) or DNA (Desoxy-
RiboNucleic Acid). The DNA contains the
blueprint of heredity while the RNA is the
messenger of heredity. A virus is covered
with a protein coating.”
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
2. Make it descriptive, giving a touch of
color. A story on the deliberate
attempt by the tobacco industry to
establish dependence on cigarettes
in developing countries starts with:
“The packet is pristine white, almost
antiseptic and the advertising stresses the
cleanness of the brand. Under the
cellophane, high gloss paper and silver foil
are 20 cigarettes which the somewhat
evangelical wrapping says are of ‘low-tar
content.’ They are double filtered and they
are said to be ultra light, as opposed to
their several dozen competitors which are
variously touted to be simply ‘light,’ ‘super
light,’ ‘cool,’ or ‘refreshing.’
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
3. Emphasize the magnitude – the
extent, how it affects our daily lives
– of the problem. A story on rats
giving Thai farmers tough
competition for their rice harvests
takes off from the local scene to
regional, and even global,
perspectives:
“The Central Plains (in Thailand) where
rice harvest is plentiful is also home to
millions of rodents, causing an average loss
of 25 percent of the pre-harvest crop.
Some estimates even peg the total crop
loss to much as 70 percent.
“The World Health Organization
estimates that one rat can eat about 27
pounds of warehouse food and deposit
about 25,000 droppings to spoil more.
More than 4 billion rats (about 1 billion in
Asia) now inhabit the world and they
destroy more than 33 million tons of
stored grains each year.
“In Asia, they destroy about one-third of
the food produced yearly.
“Besides, they carry some 30
communicable disease… are a fire hazard…
and are as much danger in cities as in
farms. Some 4.5 million rats scampering all
over Bangkok give that city a one rat per
person ratio.”
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
4. Sometimes, we take a common
word – or a situation – for granted,
thinking that it is universally
understood. Take diarrhea. The
following story tells more about
diarrhea than just “that
inconvenience behind closed doors.”
“In order to live, the body needs water
and salt, which patients with diarrhea can
lose a large amount of. This is called
dehydration which can develop fast within
a few hours. When the loss reaches about
10 percent (one-tenth) of the body weight,
dehydration becomes severe and the
person will die within an hour or two.
“In most cases, dehydration is fatal to
children who are particularly vulnerable
because they may not be able to say they
are thirsty. Often, they are not made to
drink during the trip from home to the
health center.”
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
5. When reporting a research or
technological breakthrough, do tell
why it is a breakthrough. Is it new?
What are its potentials? Will it make
more people smile and make our
lives any better?
“The most exciting and promising
treatment against diarrheal attacks
developed so far is the oral rehydration
fluid.
“The oral rehydration fluid is made of
3.5 grams table salt, 2.5 grams of baking
soda, 1.5 grams of potassium chloride, and
20 grams of glucose (or sucrose), dissolved
in one liter of potable water.
“An aluminum foil packet produced by
the Philippine Ministry of Health costs 70
centavos (US $0.09), and three packets
dissolved in three liters of water usually
are enough to bring a child to full recovery.
“What is exciting about oral rehydration
is that it can be used by patients
themselves or given at home by mothers
to their children. In one instance, the
problem of a reliable measuring device for
the oral solution was solved when
everybody agreed that local beer bottles
can be used. Later, a drinking glass,
originally the container of a popular coffee
brand, was found more practical (two
measures for both bottles make 500
milliliters).”
Then give a contrasts on why things are
better now:
“Before the Seventies, the standard
treatment of acute diarrhea is the
intravenous drip which introduces the fluid
to the body through the veins, either on
the arm, on the back of the hand, or on the
side of the scalp (for infants). This is
expensive and can be given only in clinics
and hospitals which most rural villages do
not have.”
Sometimes, a little bit of history helps:
“One of the earliest and most dramatic
demonstrations of the efficacy of oral
rehydration was acted out in the
subcontinent under the most difficult field
conditions.
Sometimes, a little bit of history helps:
“During the 1971 civil upheaval in
Bangladesh, refugees in Indian camps were
first given intravenous fluids against shock
and then the oral fluids. Deaths from
diarrhea diseases were brought down from
30 percent to 1 percent.”
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
6. Give the “other side” of the
situation. Widen the outlook to
include other aspects of the
problem or a situation. For instance,
there is more to malnutrition than
its physical manifestations (the
popular picture of a thin, skin-
wrapped-bones, child):
“A serious protein-calorie malnutrition
(PCM) affects an estimated half of all
Filipino children under four – one of the
highest rates in the world. A malnutrition
survey by the Ministry of Health also
reveals that 85 percent of schoolchildren
were suffering from PCM. ‘Very closely
linked to this is the available food supply,’ a
Philippine country health profile says.
“Since 1960, farms devoted to food
crops have sunk while commercial
croplands expanded to 35 percent of all
cultivated land. About 55 percent of the
whole farming acreage is used for export
crops – sugar, coconuts, bananas, rubber,
pineapple, coffee and cocoa – much of it
directly controlled by foreign interest.”
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
7. Is a technology reported ready for
mass and/or rural use? If not, say so.
For instance, a “word of caution”
follows a story on the excitement of
marine biologists over what they
earlier thought was impossible: the
natural breeding of milkfish in
captivity:
‘Now you can raise them like pigs,’ says
Dr. Tomas Flores, SEAFDEC deputy director.
“But, researchers tell Depthnews
Science, it is still too early to tell whether
this is really it – when the technology is
available for mass use – although they
agree it is a significant breakthrough in
research.
“Says Dr. Flores: ‘The critical period is
from the moment the egg hatches to the
time the fry is independent. If it can be
done on a commercial scale, say with a 70
percent survival rate for fish fry, then the
technology is OK. But it is still under
experimental condition.’
“ ‘The technology is simple: a cage and a
net. But until we can characterize the
spawning environment – tides, depths,
stocking density, why they spawned, etc. –
we cannot spread the technology,’ says
another researcher.”
If the technology is ready for transfer to
the population then say so:
“The Vietnamese latrine – a product of
wartime conditions – has been designated
by a London meeting on appropriate
technology as the best design for rural use
in the Third World.”
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
8. When using controversial statistics,
or predictions, or debatable
observations, always mention the
source, preferably by name:
“ ‘More and more researchers involving
humans will be done in Asia in the coming
years, and there is a strong need to
safeguard participating people,” says Dr.
David M. Macfadyen, head of WHO’s
Research and Promotion Development.”
Or:
“The US Congress-commissioned study
made by its Environment, Energy and
Natural Resources Subcommittee says that
‘nuclear power is no longer a cheap energy
source…’ ”
Or:
“Life did not originate on this planet, but in extra-
terrestrial space. It came, in fact, from comets.
“Sri Lankan Professor Chandra Wickremasinghe,
head of the Department of Astronomy, University of
Cardiff, place his reputation on the line and ignored
the incredulity of his scientist-colleagues all over the
world by advancing a sensational and startling new
theory on the origin of life.
“Collaborating with him is Professor Sir Fred
Hoyle, who holds an honorary professorship in the
same department.”
Tips in writing a readable and entertaining science story.
9. Remember to underline the
scientific names of the living being
you are writing about. It helps to
easily identify the animal/plant in
case some scientists want to follow
up your story:
“The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is
now hogging the limelight and edging away
the oil-fed farm machines.”
Thank You!
