SCIENCE &

TECHNOLOGY
WRITING

https://prezi.com/bwpe0rjkkqsh/science-writing-in-campus-journalism/
 SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
WRITING
Ronora D. Ayco
Trainer-Facilitator

https://prezi.com/bwpe0rjkkqsh/science-writing-in-campus-journalism/
 Objectives:

Specifically, at the end of this session,

you will be able to:
1. define Science & Technology Writing;
2. recognize the elements & essentials
of tips to write Science Writing;
3. write a Science Editorial article.
 Science Writing
-Writing about scientific
subject matter, often in a
non-technical manner for
an audience of non-
scientists
 Sci-Tech Writer:
-should be able to
communicate clearly and
effectively so he/she can
popularize and translate
scientific reports into stories.
ROLES (Sci-Tech Writer):
1. Interpreter of Science and
Technology and its benefit to
mankind.
2. Translator of scientific or
technical jargon into simple
language.
AREAS
Elements of
Science
Writing
1. Technical
2. Content
3. Ethics
TECHNICAL

1. Catchy and
appropriate headline
TECHNICAL

2. Clearly written
lead
TECHNICAL

3. Coherence
TECHNICAL

4. Utilizes graphs, tables,

sharp, properly cropped
and captioned pictures
CONTENT

1. Presents relevant and

timely issues on S & T
CONTENT

2. Uses scientific/
technical jargon to a
minimum level
CONTENT

3. Utilizes facts from

interviews, document
reviews, data analyses and
other reliable sources
ETHICS
1. Cite scientific references,
statistics and relevant
figures/ facts to support
credibility of statements
and/or narratives
 Essentials of
Science Writing
1. Promote scientific literacy.
2. Present technical and
complicated scientific
concepts and ideas that can
easily be understood.
3. Localize science stories.
4. Celebrate the wonders of
nature.
5. Advocate environmental
awareness.
6. Integrate values in science.
Tips for Science
Writing

Credits: (Cinderella P. Ananayo’s slides)

Tips for Science Writing:

1. Avoid overuse of parentheses.

Only use parentheses to
make an extra remark every
once in a while.
Tips for Science Writing:

2. Upper-case letters
There are a few rules to follow
when using capital letters: titles and
subheadings of articles, titles of books
and journals, and names of
institutional departments should
begin with a capital letter.
Tips for Science Writing:

3. Importance of hyphenation
If you aren’t a fan of hyphens, you might
want to train yourself to like them. Not placing
hyphens correctly in your sentences can take
the meaning out of context and frankly, you
want your readers to understand what you
write.
Example: two-year old boy vs. two years old
Tips for Science Writing:

4. Injecting opinion
For science writing, remember that the topic is
on writing about a technical topic. Writing can be
creative but that doesn’t mean it has to be
opinionated. Unless it is an opinion editorial, the
writer’s personal viewpoints aren’t relevant to the
discussion; only report what the sources have
mentioned. Airing your views can diminish the
credibility of the article.
Tips for Science Writing:

5. Maintain clarity
Have you ever written a lengthy sentence only
to re-read, not fully comprehending what you just
wrote? The moment you catch this happening, you
have to fix it immediately. If you are lost in your
own sentence, there is no way you can expect a
reader to understand it. When you come across this
hurdle, it is best to start afresh and rewrite the
sentence, or break it apart and replace it with two
shorter sentences.
Tips for Science Writing:

6. Use abbreviations
The Elements of Grammar for
Writers, a detailed book on
writing style, highlighted that
“Abbreviations are convenient
and efficient: they can cut down
on extra words.”
Tips for Science Writing:

7. Revise and rewrite

Revising is part of writing. Re-
reading and editing your work does
not indicate that you are a poor
writer. William Strunk and E.B.
White, the authors of the Elements of
Style, said in their book, “Quite often
Other points to consider in Science Writing:

-Choose an updated topic.

-Get familiar with your topic.
-Check your facts.
-Do not exaggerate your story or
overuse terms
-Always acknowledge your sources or
references.
How to end your story?

-A relevant quote
-End with a good fact that provokes
thought
-Pose a question
“Health is wealth.”
Now, should you still take the risk?
What is ‘Science
Editorial’?
Science Editorial
-a newspaper article written by
or on behalf of an editor that
gives an opinion on a science
issue.
Science Editorial
-Focus on the facts
-Analysis of the issue must be
based on scientific facts and
following the scientific method
Science Editorial
-Assumptions raised must be based on
solid logic and following the scientific
method
THANK YOU
and
GOD BLESS!