Glossary

Discovering Science: Science Writing

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A
Acronym

• A word, phrase or name which appears as an abbreviation of its components. For example, BBC
(British Broadcasting Corporation) or NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation).

Active voice

• A sentence where the subject performs an action stated by the verb. For example, “Sue learned
about science writing by studying an online course.”

Analogy

• A comparison between one thing and another, usually for the purpose of explanation or
clarification. For example, “He was as hard as nails.”

Angle

• A particular way of telling the story, often based on the target audience of the piece.

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B
Balanced reporting

• Stating facts and writing fairly, without personal opinions or prejudices.

Blog

• Abbreviation of ‘weblog’. A website containing discussion or informational entries known

as ‘posts’, published in chronological order. Blogs often contain a particular point of view or
opinions of the author.

Broadsheet

• A large format newspaper which has long vertical pages. A broadsheet newspaper tends to
have serious and lengthy articles compared with sensationalist news reports. Often known as a
‘mainstream’ newspaper in the United States of America.

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D
Demographic

• A particular group or sector of the population. For example, 16 - 24-year-olds.

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F
First line

• The opening sentence of an article, which in part aims to draw the reader in and entice them to
read more.

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H
Headline

• Used to draw the attention of the reader and inform them of the key point of the story.

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I
Inverted pyramid

• Used by writers to visualise the relationship of information in terms of priority for the reader.
 The most important information is placed at the top, and information of lower importance
appears lower down.

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M
Metaphor

• A statement representative or symbolic of something else. For example, “The wheels of justice
turn slowly.”

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N
Narrative

• A story; A written or spoken account of connected information or events.

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P
Passive voice

• A form or set of forms of a verb in which the subject performs the action stated by a verb. For
example, “The course was completed by the learner in two weeks.”

Peer-review

• An evaluation of the academic, scientific, or professional work of others working in the same
discipline.

Podcast

• A series of digital audio files about a particular subject, downloaded from the web to a user’s
computer or portable media player. The name originates from the words ‘iPod’ and ‘Broadcast’.

Press release

• An official statement issued to newspapers and other press which provides information about a
specific subject.
Primary source

• Sources of information which are directly related to an event, study or object.

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S
Secondary source

• Information used to interpret, discuss, analyse and summarise primary sources.

Standfirst

• An introductory paragraph which summarises the article, often appearing in larger or bolder
type, or in capitals. It comes after the headline but before the main story.

Subtitling

• A transcript of a video or audio file which allows content to be seen in written format. Used for
accessibility purposes, for example, for those with hearing impairments.

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T
Tabloid

• A newspaper of smaller format than a broadsheet. Typically the content is dominated by

sensational stories and is aimed at a general demographic

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