Writing is a way to present your ideas and findings. In order to make yourself as clear as possible, you should use specific language and provide details. Clarity and specificity are particularly important in scientific documents.
Why does it matter?
Using specific language helps the reader understand your hypothesis, results, and conclusions. That reader may be a scientific journal editor, a peer reviewer, or the scientists who are encountering your work in its final form. You want to make it easy for them to assess and understand your work.
Example:
Effects of Compound A on innate immune cells
This title provides a bare minimum of information. Consider the other relevant information that could be included: the model system, the type of cells, the readout, the nature of the effect. The same title could expanded to either
Example:
Compound A enhances inflammatory cytokine production by THP-1 cells in vitro
or
Compound A inhibits neutrophil infiltration into murine lung tissue after acute injury
Although writing a clear title and abstract are important, the same rule applies to the rest of a manuscript or grant application.
Reproducibility is critical in science. Providing detailed information, especially regarding methods and data analysis, allows the reader to critically assess and potentially reproduce the findings.
Example:
We incubated the plates at room temperature.
Consider the factors that affect room temperature: location, season, number of persons in a space, and other procedures occurring in the space. It is better to record and report the precise temperature (or range of temperatures) in the space used for the experiment.
How to apply this tip
Use specific words in your writing. Replace words like modulate, regulate, affect, and impact with alternatives that provide more information: promote, inhibit, up-regulate, etc.
Provide enough detail for your experiments to be reproduced. You should include information such as
- the full names of commercial reagents and kits;
- the equipment used;
- precise temperatures and timings;
- the duration, relative centrifugal force (rcf, or g), and temperature for centrifugation;
- the proper name of an animal strain and its genetic details;
- cell line source and passage number;
- and batch or lot numbers for reagents.
This list is not complete. You will know which details are critical for your own work. The journal guidelines may also indicate which details must be included.
Remember, although providing details may make your work longer, it does not conflict with Tip #2. The details about your work are not unnecessary words; they are essential to help your readers understand your findings.
Do you have any tips for making your writing more specific and detailed? Ask questions or share your experience below!
Holland-Mountford Editing | Scientific editing 