CC500 Scientific Writing

Readability in Science Writing

Scott Redfern
Count Words

 Most professional writers average only slightly more than

twenty words per sentence.

 Is yours more than forty?

Word Order

 75.5% of the sentences in plain subject-verb-object

(SVO) or subject-verb-complement (SVC) order.

 23% of the time, the professionals begin sentences with

short adverbial openers.
Delayed Subjects

 Avoid delayed subjects!

 The problems occur when the writer stretches openers
beyond the reasonable length.
 Example:
 “Because of their ready adaptability, ease of machining, and
aesthetic qualities that make them suitable for use in
landscape structures such as decks, fences, steps, and
retaining walls, preservative-treated timbers…”
Words Between Subjects And Verbs

 Example:
 “Creosote, a brownish-black oil composed of hundreds of
organic compounds, usually made by distilling coal tar, but
sometimes made from wood or petroleum, has been used
extensively in treating poles, piles, cross-ties, and timbers.”
Noun Strings

 Try not to string more than three nouns together.

 Example:
 “Volunteer group greenway initiators”
 Does volunteer modify group or initiators?
Confusing (Multiple) Negatives

 Example:
 “We will not go unless the sun is shining.”
 “We will not pay except when the damages exceed $50.”
 “The lever will not function until the power is turned on.”
Five Common Errors Made by Korean
Technical Writers (by Mik Fanguy)

1. Starting sentences with „Especially‟

2. Misuse of colons and semicolons

3. Modifier stacking

4. Parallelism in lists

5. Ambiguous pronoun usage

Starting sentences with ‘Especially’

 Example:
 Especially, for people who have been busy and getting stress in
their life…

 Correction:
 This is true for people who have been especially busy…
Misuse of colons and semicolons

 Colon :
 a colon introduces a format list, a long quotation, equation, or
definition.

 Semi-Colon ;
 a semi-colon either joins two independent clauses (closely linked in
thought) or separates complex items in a list.

 Error:
 According to the Greek writer Plato, the people of Atlantis were
very ambitious and warlike, in fact, they planned to conquer all of the
Mediterranean.
Misuse of Colons and Semicolons

 Colon :
 a colon introduces a format list, a long quotation, equation, or
definition.

 Semi-Colon ;
 a semi-colon either joins two independent clauses (closely linked in
thought) or separates complex items in a list.

 Error:
 According to the Greek writer Plato, the people of Atlantis were
; in fact,
very ambitious and warlike, in fact, they planned to conquer all of the
Mediterranean.
Modifier Stacking

 Confusing:
 Previous work showed that a purified pro-oxidant, vitamin
E-deficient fish oil diet protects mice against malaria
parasites.

 Improved:
 Previous work showed that a pro-oxidant diet containing
fish oil, but devoid of vitamin E, protects mice against
malaria parasites.
Parallelism in Lists

 Error:
 Steve Nash‟s reputation is based on his ability in passing,
shooting, and he is good at rebounds.

 Improved:
 Steve Nash‟s reputation is based on his ability in passing,
shooting, and rebounding.
Ambiguous Pronoun Usage

 Example:
 Because the receiver presented the radiometer with a high flux
environment, it was mounted in a silver-plated stainless steel
container.

 What does it refer to?

 As a rule, don‟t use “it” when referring to three or more
words.