1.1 Introduction

What makes good writing

    1. Good writing communicates an idea clearly and effectively. (takes having something to say and clear thinking)
      1. Good writing is elegant and stylish. (takes time, revision, and a good editor!)

What makes a good writer

  • having something to say
  • logical thinking
  • a few simple, learnable rules of style

Steps of becomming a better writer

  • Read, pay attention, and imitate

  • Write in a journal

  • Let go of “academic” writing habits (deprogramming step)

  • Talk about your research before trying to write about it

  • Write to engage your readers – try not to bore them!

  • Stop waiting for “inspiration”

  • Accept that writing is hard for everyone

  • Revise. Nobody gets it perfect on the first try

  • Learn how to cut ruthlessly. Never become too attached to your words.

  • Find a good editor!

  • Take risks.

1.2 Examples of what not to do

Theme:

  • Complex ideas don’t require complex language

  • Scientific wrwiting should be easy and even enjoyable to read


Following are two obsure examples

  • Exampel1

Adoptive cell transfer(ACT) immunotherapy is based on the ex vivo selection of tumor-reactive lymphocytes, and their activation and numerical expression before reinfusion to the autologous tumor-bearing hosts.

???

  • Example2

These findings imply that the rates of ascorbate radical production and its recycling via dehydroascorbate reductatse to replenish the ascorbate pool are equivalent at the lower irradiance, but not equivalent at higher irradiance with the rate of ascorbate radical production exceeding tis recycling back to ascorbate.

???

Ask yourself

  • Is the sentence easy to understand ?
  • Is this sentence enjoyable and interesting to read ?

A classic hallmark of “academic writing”: spunky verbs become clunky nouns

verbs drive sentences along but nouns slow them down


  • Example 1 clunky nouns

Adoptive cell transfer(ACT) immunotherapy is based on the ex vivo selection of tumor-reactive lymphocytes, and their activation and numerical expression before reinfusion to the autologous tumor-bearing hosts.

  • Example 2 clunky nouns

These findings imply that the rates of ascorbate radical production and its recycling via dehydroascorbate reductatse to replenish the ascorbate pool are equivalent at the lower irradiance, but not equivalent at higher irradiance with the rate of ascorbate radical production exceeding tis recycling back to ascorbate.

----> rewrite the sentence

These findings imply that, at low irradiation, ascorbate radicals are produced and recycled at the same rate, but at high irradiation, they are produced faster than they can be recycled back to ascorbate.

1.3 Overview: principles of effective writing

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA(miR) activity has been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression, including gliomagenesis. Therefore, molecular species that can regulate miR activity on their target RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in cancer

Note the use of nouns instead of verbs

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA(miR) activity has been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression, including gliomagenesis. Therefore, molecular species that can regulate miR activity on their target RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in cancer

Note the use of vague words

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA(miR) activity has been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression, including gliomagenesis. Therefore, molecular species that can regulate miR activity on their target RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in cancer

Note the use of unnecessary jargon and acronyms

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA(miR) activity has been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression, including gliomagenesis. Therefore, molecular species that can regulate miR activity on their target RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in cancer

Note the passive voice

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA(miR) activity has been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression, including gliomagenesis. Therefore, molecular species that can regulate miR activity on their target RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in cancer

Note the distance between the subject and the main verb of this sentence

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA(miR) activity has been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression, including gliomagenesis. Therefore, molecular species that can regulate miR activity on their target RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in cancer

Possible rewrite

Changes in microRNA expression play a role in cancer, including glioma. Therefore, events that disrupt microRNAs from binding to their target RNAs may also promote cancer.

Principles of effective writing

  1. Cut unnecessary words and phrases; learn to part with your words!
  2. Use the active voice rather than the passive voice (subject + verb + object)
  3. Write with verbs: use string verbs, avoid turning verbs into nouns, and don’t bury the main verb

1.4 Cut the clutter

Cut extra words

Example:

“Brain injury incidence shows two peak periods in almost all reports: rates are the highest in young people and the elderly.”

More punch —>

“Brain injury incidence peaks in the young and the elderly.”

Common clutter

  1. Dead weight words and phrases

    • As it is well known
    • It can be regarded that
    • It should be emphasized that

  2. Empty words and phrases

    • basic tenets of
    • methodologic
    • important

  3. Long words or phrases that could be short

  4. Unnecessary jargon and acronyms

    • Gliomagenesis
    • miR

  5. Repetitive words or phrases

    • studies/examples
    • illustrate/demonstrate
    • challenges/difficulties
    • successful solutions

  6. Adverbs

    • very, really, quite, basically, generally, etc.

Long words and phrases that could be short

wordy version crisp version
a number of many
are of the same opinion agree
less frequently occurring rare
All three of the the three
give rise to cause
due to the fact that because
have an effect on affect
  • The expected prevalence of mental retardation, based on the assumption that intelligence is normally distributed is about 2.5%

–>

The expected prevalence of mental retardation, if intelligence is normally distributed is about 2.5%

1.5 Cut the clutter, more tricks

Eliminate negatives

- -
Not honest dishonest
not harmful safe
not important unimportant
does not have lasks
did not remember forgot
did not pay attention to ignored
did not succeed failed

Eliminate there are/there is

  • There are many physicists who llike to write.

–> Many physicists like to write

  • The data confirm that there is an association between vegetables and cancer.

–> The data confirm an association between vegetables and cancer.

Omit needless prepositions

For example, “that” and “on” are often superfluous.

  • The meeting happened on Monday. --> The meeting happend Monday
  • They agreed that it was true. --> They agreed it was true