Here is my last scicomm series tip: “consistency.” There are many options in English spelling and grammar. It can be confusing, and I know I spend a significant amount of time looking things up on Google when I’m editing. So my last bit of advice is this: if you’re unsure about which style is best, just … Read more

We’re on the eleventh and penultimate tip in my scicomm series: “units.” Science is full of measurements, so we regularly include units in our writing. It’s tempting to keep the unit right next to the number, for example so that they don’t get separated at the end of a line (google non-breaking spaces if this is … Read more

We’re on the tenth tip in my scicomm series: “brevity.” Variety is the spice of life, but that doesn’t mean you should say the same thing three different ways. Everyone has a short attention span these days, and when we read, it’s easier to pay attention when the author gets right to the point without too … Read more

We’re on the last category in my scicomm series: “polishing”! This is where you do final touch ups. The ninth tip in the series is “data.” In science, we talk a lot about data. We also argue a lot about the proper use of the word. Is it plural, referring to the multiple of “datum”? … Read more

Time for the eighth tip in my scicomm series: “acronyms.” Even though we try to keep jargon and acronyms to a minimum, sometimes you use a term often enough to justify using the acronym for it. There are also acronyms that are commonly known, like “FAQ.” But how do we use these in a sentence? Saying … Read more

Time for the seventh tip in my scicomm series: “active voice.” In my last tip, I talked about tweaking MS Word settings so that the spelling and grammar check will catch more specific writing issues. One of the things you can get MS Word to check for is active voice. In science, it’s really common … Read more

Time for the sixth tip in my scicomm series: “Spelling and grammar.” Their is alot of really common misteaks that authors make when writing, it makes things hard to read it can also distract your audience. Most of the common mistakes can be caught by the spelling and grammar check in MS Word (especially if you … Read more

Time for the fifth tip in my scicomm series, and now we’re moving on to the “writing” category! Let’s talk about “jargon.” We all know we should limit our use of jargon, but it’s still worth the reminder. It’s also important to really consider what jargon is – acronyms and abbreviations can be jargon, but … Read more

Time for the fourth tip in my scicomm series: “journal origin.” Do you organize events in your neighborhood? Or organise events in your neighbourhood? Or even organize events in your neighbourhood? Both spellings of these 2 words are correct, but it depends on where your readers are. Spelling and style choices, like the use of ‘single’ … Read more