Scientific Writing

Dr. Almahy Mohammed Hassan

2. Cut, cut, cut; learn to part with your words:
• DON'T BE AFRAID TO CUT

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

“Brain injury incidence peaks in the young and the

elderly.”
3. Be specific
“Prefer the specific to the general, the definite to
the vague ‫غامض‬, the concrete ‫ملموس او مادي‬to the
abstract ‫نظرية‬.”
Use specific nouns and specific verbs and
specific details….

“Some words and phrases are blobs ‫تعكر‬.”

Zinsser
• 4. Use key words consistently
- Particularly in paragraphs in which you
define or identify an important idea or theory,
be consistent in how you refer to it.
- This consistency and repetition help the
reader to understand your definition or
description.
• 5. Use formal words
- Avoid informal or spoken language in
scientific texts. Instead, use formal alterna-
tives.
- Examples of informal words and their formal
alternatives are:
Informal Formal
a lot of much, many
do perform, carry out,
conduct
big large
like such as
think consider
talk discuss
look at examine
get obtain
keep retain, preserve
6. Use concise words
Avoid wordy or empty words and phrases in
your report or paper. Instead use concise
alternatives

Wordy Concise
In order to To
As a matter of fact In fact
At the present time Now, currently
Due to the fact that Because, since
In spite of the fact Although,
that though
Are dependent on Depend on
 Sentences
1. Follow: subject + verb + object or
just…“Subject verb” (active voice!):
(Avoid passive voice)
Example 1:
“President Kennedy was shot in 1963.”
The direct object
of the verb. He’s
not the subject
since he’s not the
one doing the
shooting.

“Active: Oswald shot President Kennedy in 1963.”

Example 2:

“Mistakes were made.”

Nobody is responsible.

“The President made mistakes.”

2. Use strong verbs
• A sentence uses one main verb to convey its central
action; without that verb the sentence would collapse.

• The verb is the engine that drives the sentence. Dull,

lifeless verbs slow the sentence down.

• Action verbs reflect the action they were chosen to

describe, and help bring the reader into the story.
Example:

“Loud music came from speakers embedded in

the walls, and the entire arena moved as the
hungry crowd got to its feet.”

“Loud music exploded‫ انفجر‬from speakers

embedded in the walls, and the entire
arena‫ الساحة‬shook as the hungry crowd‫الحشد‬
leaped‫ قفز‬to its feet.”
3. Avoid turning verbs into nouns

• Don’t kill verbs and adjectives by turning them into

nouns.

Obtain estimates of Estimate

Take an assessment of Assess

Example:

Provide a review of Review

Offer information of Inform
Make a decision Decide
Shows a peak Peaks
4. Eliminate negatives; use positive constructions
instead

Example 1:

“He was not often on time.”

“He usually came late.”

Example 2:

“She did not think that studying writing was a

sensible use of one’s time.”

“She thought studying writing was a waste of

time.”
Example 3:

Not honest Dishonest

Not important Trifling
Does not have Lacks
Did not remember Forgot
Did not pay attention to Ignored
Did not have much confidence Distrusted
Did not succeed Failed
5. Avoid vague phrases

such as “The layers are different in

thickness”, but use concrete descriptions
and quantify whenever possible, for
example “The thick- ness of the lower
layer is 2 m, whereas the upper layer is
only 0.3 m thick”.