SCIENCE AND

HEALTH

Feature

Science values detail, precision,

the impersonal, the technical, the
lasting, facts, numbers and being
right. Journalism values brevity,
approximation, the personal, the
colloquial, the immediate, stories,
words and being right now. There
are going to be tensions.
Quentin Cooper, of BBC Radio 4s Material

What is science and health

feature writing?

It is a an area of
journalism combining the
accuracy and technicality of
science and health, and the
sensationalism
and
entertainment
of
feature
writing.

Aim of Science and Health

Writing
The aim of a science and health
writing is to render the very detailed,
specific, and often jargon-laden
information produced by science into
a form that non-scientists can
understand and appreciate, while
still communicating the information
accurately.

Feature spells

F Factual and not fictitious or

invented
E Entertaini
ng
Appealing
to the
A
emotions
T Timely or not
timely (deals with unusual
Unusual
U
experiences)
RReader-oriented (interesting to the
readers)
E Explanation and
Extrapolation

Characteristics of a Good
Feature Story

Creativ
ity
Human
Interest
Factual
Content
Entertainment
Value

Characteristics of a Good
Feature Story

Timelessn
ess
Entire
ty
Variety of Tone
and Style
Organizatio
n

SCIENCE FEATURE
LEADS

It should be
able to attract
the
outright
attention
of

Kinds of
Leads
1. Question
Lead

Kinds of
Leads
2. Exclamation
Lead/Astonis
her

Kinds of
Leads
3. Quotation
Lead

Kinds of
Leads
4. Descriptive
Lead

Kinds of
Leads
5. Striking
Statement/Pu
nch Lead

Kinds of
Leads
6. Contrast
Lead

Kinds of
Leads
7.
Narratio
n

Kinds of
Leads
8. Summary
Lead

For every headache tablet, cough syrup or antibiotic

you swallow, for every prescribed injection you
receive, someone, somewhere, has volunteered to
let that drug loose on their system before its been
deemed safe for public consumption. Perhaps they
have been motivated by the chance of free medical
treatment for whatever is ailing them. Or by the
chance to make easy money lying around. Or
maybe they just want to help medical science.
- Should You Be A Human Guinea Pig, Readers
Digest

Amputees will tell you its the

simple things you miss most when you
lose a limb the ability to hold a
Styrofoam cup without crushing it, the
dexterity to pick up a piece of paper
off a flat surface.
- Building the Bionic Man, Readers
Digest

The Body
The body of the feature story must have
unity, coherence, and emphasis.
It must be able to hold and sustain the
interest of readers.
The paragraphs are shorter than those of
literary short stories or novels but longer
than paragraphs in a news story.
The writer makes use of descriptions ,
narrations, figures of speech, idiomatic
expressions, quotations, surveys, statistics,
interview, incidents, and anecdotes that
give color to the story.

The Body

Discussions are comprehensivealways have the arrow pointing to the

subject.
Must facilitate rich vocabulary.
Must have 4 Es- Explain, Evidence,
Example, and Extra Detail

The
Conclusion
Make sure your conclusion has
impact.
You may give a condensed
summary or state the salient
point in the story.
It could be an inspiring message,
advice, a call for action or simply
food for thought.
This is where you give the

Possible Feature
Endings

1. Summary
Ending

Possible Feature
Endings

2.
Stinge
r

Possible Feature
Endings

3.
Clima
x

Possible Feature
Endings

4. Unending

Possible Feature
Endings

5. Other
Thoughtprovoking
types

question
Proverb
Forecast
Quotation
Repetition of a sentence
Reference to the title.