Good day BSE English 2A studes,

I hope and pray that you are all safe and well as you receive this lecture. For today’s lesson, we will have our
lecture/discussion on Science and Technology Writing.
Our lesson objectives:

 Differentiate science writing and scientific writing

 Discuss features of science writing or science journalistic writing
 Distinguish the culture of science and journalism
 Appreciate the basics of science news, and science feature and,
 Write an effective science article.

Let us understand the culture of Science first, Science is characterized by the following:
 Everyone is objective as a group
 Knowledge is cumulative BUT tentative
 Knowledge changes because of the tools for measuring reality are improving
 There is A scientific method, not a single scientific method

On the other hand, the culture of journalism is bound with the following:
 Scoop, buzzwords, sound bites are bestsellers
 Personal stories are a must
 Science is only one part of the story; there are ways to many other parts
 All voices in an issue have to be heard

In this part, we will clarify the difference between science writing and scientific writing.

Elements Science Writing Scientific Writing

Source Science writers Scientists/Researchers
Message Summary of findings, Specific details of research from problem to methods
significant outcomes of research
Channel newspapers, radio, television scientific journals and research papers
Audience Public Scientists/Peers

The table provided us the basic difference between science writing and scientific writing. Basically, Science writing is
for public therefore it must be understandable on the other hand, scientific writing is highly technical in nature.

Let us now proceed with the definition of science and technology writing.

 science is hard to read, with esoteric jargon, difficult to understand and replete with scientific methods
 art is an expression of creativity and beauty in human nature
 science propels the art, there may be one side that shows more than others as the differences between
chemists and poets, painters and biologists linger just because one side comes out more doesn’t mean the
other isn’t there, as they work together…one may be hiding only because the other one needs its strength
to be pushed forward
 art therefore brings greater appreciation of science, art for science’s sake, and science for art’s sake

The key to understanding Science and Technology writing (S&T) is the art of humanizing science for easier
appreciation of its discipline. It means to say that making science relatable and of human interest will make it more
readable.

Speaking of making it relatable, let us have this simple exercise:

Can you understand these scientific terms?

1. Singultus spasm?
2. Bilateral periorbital hematoma?
3. Torticollis?
4. Acute viral nasopharyngitis?
Of course not, in S&T writing it is the role of the writer to make it understandable or readable to all. Instead of using
the scientific terms, use the plain language which is within everyone’s level of understanding. So, instead of using
those terms, we can use the plain language of those given scientific terms:

1. Hiccups or SINOK
2. Raccoon Eyes / Black Eye or Pasa
3. Stiff neck or Ngalay
4. Common Colds or Sipon

The roles of the Science and Technology writer are the following:

 as translator (from technical and esoteric language to simple/plain language)

 as interpreter (human interest angle to bring benefits to man)

S&T Writing Objectives

1. Public awareness/information
increasing public awareness about science through popularization
2. Advocacy/making a stand on issues
science reporting thru the media can provoke reactions and prompt incorporation of science in local policies
and planning
3. Campaign tool/behavior change
effective instrument in changing behavior and invoking actions thru media campaigns on science programs

ABC of SCIENCE WRITING

ACCURACY- Facts and figures
BREVITY- Not verbose and flowery
CLARITY- Simple/plain language

Areas of Science Writing

Here are the possible areas and sources of Science and Technology Writing

Topics
 Environmental Science
 Ecology
 Health and Nutrition
 Medical Issues & Breakthroughs
 Information Technology
 Space Exploration
 Behavioral Science
 Research and Development
 Disaster Preparation & Mitigation

Sources
 Reading Science-oriented news
 Watching quality television program
 Listening to S&T oriented radio program
 Memoranda from DOST, DENR, DOH, DA & Com. on Climate Change
 Science Teacher
 Space Exploration
 Local Health Official
 Participation & involvement in S&T events

How does one organize S&T article?

1. Define your audience. Who will read the materials? Know their social, economic and environmental
background and you will understand what will make your writing appealing to them.
2. Define your purpose. What are you trying to communicate? Are you trying to inform, entertain, or convince
people? Purpose helps decide on the forms of writing.
3. Make sure the logic of the materials is clear. Simple, easy flow of related materials, with good transitions, is
essential to easy reading. Short publications should cover only ONE phase of a major issue and should only
 be developed with relevant information. Study the info you wish to present. Never jump from one idea to
another and present no more than what can be readily absorbed.
4. Break your materials into digestible parts. You can you the following: enumeration, short sentences and
subheads.
5. Keep Vocabulary as familiar as possible. Vocabulary strongly affects difficulty of reading materials.
6. Summarize and repeat at appropriate points throughout the materials. Summarize the principal thought in a
concrete statement. Enumerate the main points previously stated. Repeat info in familiar, descriptive terms.

Science News
 An oral or written report of a past, present, or future event
 It should be factual, truthful, accurate and unbiased and interesting.
 Headline should be interesting
 Follows the inverted pyramid structure and begins with a lead
 goes beyond facts
 is an effort to make science interesting
 is storytelling
 it should answer the question SO WHAT?
 it should relate to people.
 it should put a human face.

What makes science news different from other news?

 it makes people aware of the wonders of science & technology

 it explains science concepts in common language
 it should relate science or technology to the lives of people.

Qualities that distinguish news from other form of writing:

1. Must be ACCURATE
o Reporters must work hard to achieve accuracy.
o They must check, double-check, and re-check every fact.

2. It is CONCISE and CLEAR

o Hard news stories almost always follow the inverted pyramid and are written concisely and clearly
so that the meaning is clear to an average reader.

3. It is RECENT
o Timeliness is of major importance in this era of fast communication.
o Reporters emphasize the newest angle of the story.

TIPS ON WRITING A SCIENCE NEWS ARTICLE

1. Assess data provided in the fact sheet; can be done by categorizing the data using 5Ws---will help in
easily identifying core topic
2. Appreciate the fact sheet. Identify the news (angle).
3. Avoid editorializing/injection of so many opinions; use interviews/quotes from experts/fact sheet
4. Analysis is often needed to translate percentages into more acceptable/palatable form
5. Use descriptions, definitions for literal meanings
6. Use quotations in the lead only if highly quotable
7. Write subheads.

How to write good intro for science news?

1. Rhetorical question – Which has higher vitamin C content in kalamansi? The juice or the peel?
2. Provoking statement – Don’t throw your trash. Turn it into cash! (story on recycling)
3. A saying – An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure – the safe and best way to avoid getting
contaminated with leptospirosis !
4. Narrative opening – (telling a story) When I was a child, there was something cooking in my grandmother’s
kitchen, as she made me taste a sweet gum-like concoction from coconut. Now I realized by now that this
is what the coconut industry boasts of as an export winner – the “nata de coco”.
5. Direct quotation – “The banana industry is a sagging enterprise”, according to the DOST.
Science Feature
 Science Feature stories are human-interest articles that focus on particular people, places and events
related to Science.
 Science Feature stories are journalistic, researched, descriptive, colorful, thoughtful, reflective, thorough
writing about scientific facts, events, etc.
 It covers topics in depth, going further than mere hard news coverage by amplifying and explaining the most
interesting and important elements of a situation or occurrence.

TIPS IN WRITING SCIENCE FEATURE

1. Use imagery to explain complicated topics.
2. Explain the broader concepts, science or statistics through the experiences of your characters.
3. Keep the numbers simple. Connect them to the people in your story.
4. Ask yourself: “Who is affected by my story?”
5. The characters in your story don’t have to be people.
6. Only use quotes when someone says something better than you can say it yourself.
7. Hone every sentence down to its simplest, strongest elements.

Here are some examples:

 GIVE ITS LITERAL MEANING

The disease, called Cadang-cadang, has caused the deaths of millions of coconut trees since it was first
reported in 1931. Cadang-cadang literally means yellowing or the slow death of a plant…
Scientists strongly suspect that Cadang-cadang is caused by a rare substance called a viroid. Only five
viroids are known to science…
Virus is a Latin name which literally means poison or slime. Scientists say that a virus contains short strands
of either RNA (RiboNucleic Acid) or DNA (Deoxy-Ribo-Nucleic Acid). The DNA contains the blueprint of heredity
while the RNA is the messenger of heredity. A virus is covered with a protein coating

 Make it descriptive; give it a touch of color

The packet is pristine white, almost antiseptic and the advertising stresses the cleanness of the brand.
Under the cellophane, high gloss paper and silver foil are 20 cigarettes which the somewhat evangelical wrapping
says are of ‘low-tar content.’ They are double-filtered and they are said to be ultra light, as opposed to their several
dozen competitors which are variously touted to be simply ‘light,’ ‘super light,’ ‘cool,’ or ‘refreshing.’

 Emphasizing the magnitude of the problem

The Central plains (in Thailand) where rice harvest is plentiful is also home to millions of rodents,
causing an average loss of 25 percent of pre-harvest crop. Some estimates even peg the total crop loss to as much
as 70 percent.
The World Health Organization estimates that one rat can eat about 27 pounds of warehouse food
and deposit about 25,000 droppings to spoil more. More than 4 billion rats (about 1 billion in Asia) now inhabit the
world and they destroy more than 33 million tons of stored grains each year.
In Asia, they destroy about one-third of the food produced yearly.

 When reporting a research or technological breakthrough, do tell why it is a breakthrough

The most promising treatment against diarrheal attacks developed so far is the oral rehydration fluid.

The oral rehydration fluid is made of 3.5 grams table salt, 2.5 grams of baking soda, 1.5 grams of potassium
chloride and 20 grams of glucose (or sucrose) dissolved in one liter or potable water.

An aluminium foil packet produced by the Philippine Ministry of Health costs 70 centavos (US $0.09) and
three packets dissolved in three liters of water usually are enough to bring a child to full recovery.

 Sometimes, a little bit of history helps

One of the earliest and most dramatic demonstrations of the efficacy of oral rehydration was acted out in the
subcontinent under the most difficult field conditions.
 During the 1971 civil upheaval in Bangladesh, refugees in Indian camps were firat given intravenous fluids
against shock and then the oral fluids. Deaths from diarrheal diseases were brought down from 30 percent to 1
percent.

 Give the other side of the situation. Widen the outlook to include other aspects of the problem or situation.

A serious protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) affects an estimated half of all Filipino children under four –one of
the highest rates in the world. A malnutrition survey by the Department of Health also reveals that 85 percent of
schoolchildren were suffering from PCM. “Very closely linked to this is the available food supply,” a Philippine country
health profile says.
Since 1960, farms devoted to food crops have sunk while commercial croplands expanded to 35 percent of all
cultivated land. About 55 percent of the whole farming acreage is used for export crops—sugar, coconuts, bananas,
rubber, pineapple, coffee and cocoa—much of it directly controlled by foreign interest.

 When using controversial statistics, predictions or debatable observation, always mention the source,
preferable by name:

More and more researches involving humans will be done in Asia in the coming years, and there is a strong
need to safeguard participating people,” says Dr. David M. Macfadyen, head of WHO’s Research and Promotion
Development.
Or:
The US Congress-commissioned study made by its Environment, Energy and Natural Resources
Subcommittee says the “nuclear power is no longer a cheap energy source…”

 Remember to underline the scientific names of the living being you are writing about

The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is now hogging the limelight and edging away the oil-fed farm machines.

SAMPLE FORMAT FOR SCIENCE FEATURE

Headline- Subject + Verb + Object + Significance
Lead- Who, What, So What (Significance)
2nd- Sources of data/Agencies or person/attributions
3rd- Other details (Facts)
4th- quotation
5th- definition
6th- case study
7th- statistics
8th- background
9th- history
10th- other little details

BASICS OF A SCIENCE STORY

Bring the science down to earth.

Explain concepts and principles in language that common people understand.  

Bring out the human in the scientist.

Highlight aspects of his or her personality that everyone can relate to – a hobby, a stage mom/dad, a pet.

Explain how S&T relate to your readers' everyday lives.

Explain to readers how stem cell research has the potential to discover cures for disease. Write about someone
afflicted with a disease and explain how stem cell research could change this condition. 
 
Avoid jargons. If you must, explain or describe it.
- Write for a 9-year old kid to a 90-year old granny
- Simplify or use illustrations, but avoid oversimplifying.
- Use clear language that everybody can understand. Make sure you get the facts right.
- E.g., radiation during Fukushima nuclear accident
 - = millisievert (1 mSv = 0.001 Sv) and microsievert (1 μSv = 0.000001 Sv)

Always cite your source(s).

- You are a campus journalist. You are not a scientist nor the expert.
- e.g., writing about new species discovered, trivia, inventions, etc

Write about the implications instead of the methods.

- relate science to other parts of society and putting it into a broader perspective, such as economy, health,
socioeconomy
- e.g., use of freeze drying machine

SIMPLIFYING THE SCIENCE

Using metaphors, comparisons, similes

• important part of science writing
• creates strong images from everyday life and cultural references which make science easier to understand
Examples:
 the atmosphere is a greenhouse
 the brain of a chess player is a computer
 a black hole is a monster that eats its victims
 stars send out their "last cry" in the form of X-ray emissions
 the immune system is like an army defending its home country
 scientists work like detectives to solve a problem. 

Dealing with numbers

 
Weight, area, size, volume, length, etc – can be easier for readers to relate to by making comparisons with
things that we see or use in our everyday lives.

Help your audience "visualize" the number rather than leave the number at face value. 
E.g., 20-mm rainfall – what does it mean?

TASK: Write 3-4 paragraph article base on the given facts. WRITE a catchy headline. You can refer to the syllabus
for the rubric.

 DIWATA-1 is the Philippine's first microsatellite. It weighs 50 kg and carries four optical payloads
(telescopes & cameras)
 Launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on March 23, 2016
 Deployed into orbit from the ISS on April 27, 2016 at an altitude of 400-420 km with speed of First satellite
built and designed by Filipinos
 To carry out scientific earth observation missions for 20 months

Other facts:
 Nine Filipino engineers from the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) and UP
developed Diwata-1. They were called the "Magnificent 9"
 Microsatellite: Approx. 50 cm linear dimension and weight is bet 10-100 kg
 Missions include weather observation, environmental monitoring and disaster risk management
 Follows orbit of the ISS
 Collaboration among the Philippines' DOST, UP Diliman and Japan’s Hokkaido University and Tohoku
University
 Filipino scientists who were involved in the Diwata-1 project can teach and train local engineers
 Leads to development of the local electronics and aerospace industries which would complement a satellite-
building industry
 "small investment“ compared with govt spending ₱56 million for satellite imagery of an area affected by
Yolanda.

Comment your name once you have read this lecture/message.

KEEP SAFE EVERYONE! STAY AT HOME! GOD BLESS US ALL!