Science Writing NSPC 2021

Basic Science Writing
Timothy James M. Dimacali

Lecture Overview
❑ How to Read a Scientific Paper

❑ How to Conduct Interviews
❑ How to Simplify Complex Ideas
❑ How to Write an Engaging Story
What is Science Writing?
⚫ It is communicating scientific concepts eﬀectively to a
target audience
⚫ Depending on the audience, it can be a news article, a

feature story, a comic strip, a technical report, etc.—It
could be anything!
⚫ The common denominator is that science writing is

“writing about science”
⚫ All science writing is evidence-based

Do you have to be a scientist?
⚫ No!
⚫ You’re not the topic expert; you’re not expected to know
everything
⚫ As a writer/journalist, your job is to understand what you

and your audience don’t know so that you can write about
it
⚫ Your job is to ask questions and find answers

Writing for a
General Audience
⚫ Writing for a general audience is a good exercise to help
you understand the science
⚫ If you understand the science, it’s easier to explain to other

people
⚫ If you don’t understand the science, ask questions and do

your research
How to Read
a Scientific Paper
How to Read
a Scientific Paper
⚫ Authors
⚫ Abstract
⚫ Body
⚫ Discussion
⚫ Others (Figures, references, acknowledgements, methods,
etc.)
How to Read
a Scientific Paper
Authors
⚫Who are the authors?
⚫Where are they from? (nationality, university, etc.)
⚫What are their possible motivations?
How to Read
a Scientific Paper
Abstract
⚫What is the significance of the paper?
⚫Why is this study important?
⚫What is the summary of the research and its findings?
How to Read
a Scientific Paper
Body
⚫What is new in this study?
⚫What other studies have been undertaken on the same topic?
⚫What specific research was undertaken?
⚫What are the details of the findings?
How to Read
a Scientific Paper
Discussion
⚫What are the authors’ thoughts on the study and its findings?
⚫What are the authors’ proposed next steps?
How to Read
a Scientific Paper
Others
⚫Figures – Often, the paper’s main points are visualized and
summarized in the captions
⚫References – These help guide you on what is previously

known or understood about the topic
⚫Acknowledgements – Sometimes contains the researchers’

inspirations/motivations, independent reviewers, and funding
sources
⚫Methods – Details of the actual experiments

What if you don’t have access to
the paper?
What if you don’t have access to
the paper?
⚫ Reach out to the authors – Email the authors and ask for a
copy of the paper. Also try to request an interview, but be
sure to read the paper first before asking questions!
⚫ Dig online – Look up the title of the paper on Google

Scholar and check if there’s a downloadable copy. Or
ask/look for a preprint version (NOTE! This may be
diﬀerent from the final paper)
⚫ Interview a topic expert – find a scientist in the same field

and interview them, but make sure to clarify that they were
not directly involved in the study
How to Conduct Interviews
Before the Interview
⚫ Research both the subject and the interviewee—Hone your
BS detector!
⚫ Approach the interview as an outsider who doesn’t

understand what’s happening
⚫ Formulate basic questions based on your initial

assessment of the story or situation
Before the Interview
⚫ Craft good questions!
⚫ Don’t ask “closed” questions (answerable by just yes or
no). This shuts down dialogue quickly.
⚫ Ask “open” questions: What? How? Why? Give the

interviewee space explain their side. This makes for a richer
interview.
⚫ Keep questions neutral. Give your interviewee space to

relax and open up about themselves.
During the interview
⚫ Don’t be adversarial. Be open and welcoming to your
interviewee. Give them the chance to speak for themselves.
⚫ Pay attention! Don’t just treat your questions like a

checklist.
⚫ Notice when your interviewee loosens or tightens up, when

they relax and when they’re uncomfortable.
⚫ Adjust your follow-up questions to how your interviewee

responds to your initial questions.
During the interview
⚫ Don’t insert yourself into the conversation! This isn’t
about you.
⚫ When wrapping up, paraphrase and repeat your notes to

the interviewee, to make sure you understood their points
⚫ Always end with the question: “Is there anything that I

missed?”
After the interview
⚫ Review your notes and see what points would be of interest
to your audience.
⚫ Rethink and reevaluate your initial hypotheses as needed.

Don’t be afraid to change your lede or initial thesis
statement if the facts don’t support it.
⚫ Get in touch with the interviewee if there’s anything you

still don’t understand.
⚫ Don’t burn bridges. Keep calm and professional.

How to Simplify
Complex Ideas
Focusing on the Essentials:
What Railway Maps Can Teach Us
⚫ Identify the most essential information that your audience
needs to know
⚫ Lay out the essential information in a neat and orderly way

that makes sense to your audience
⚫ Keep things as simple as possible

What is a
Scientific Analogy?
⚫ A comparison between two things, for the purpose of
explanation or clarification
⚫ Good analogies are simple, easy to remember, and based

on familiar concepts
⚫ The elements must be clear, and the limitations must be

explained
Water Pipe Analogy
for Electric Circuits
⚫ Voltage = water pressure

⚫ Current = water flow
⚫ Resistance = water obstacle
⚫ Batteries = water pump
Water Pipe Analogy
Water Pipe Analogy
Water Pipe Analogy
SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES
• The concept of “flow” • Pipes are not wires, and vice versa
• The relationship between variables • The physical properties of water vs.

electricity
• The need for a closed loop to

maintain the cycle • The conversion from one form of
energy into another
Apartment Building Analogy
For Electron Arrangement
⚫ Atom = apartment building
⚫ Electrons = people
⚫ Energy levels = floors
⚫ Sublevels = apartments
⚫ Orbitals = rooms
SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES
The need to fill up a room/shell before The patterns behind “filling up”
filling up another one rooms/shells
The relationship between energy and Electrons aren’t people, and vice versa
higher floors/levels
Floor and room configurations are
arbitrary; shell and orbital
configurations aren’t
Tips for Finding
Appropriate Analogies
⚫ Who is your target audience?
⚫ What kinds of things and situations are they likely to have
already experienced?
⚫ What are the main points you want to convey?

⚫ What are the limitations of the analogy?
⚫ Is the analogy simple to understand?
How to Write
an Engaging Story
Science News Writing
Feature Story Writing
What do News and Features
have in common?
⚫ They are both structured to tell an engaging story
⚫ They are meant to inform people based on existing
scientific evidence
⚫ They are written with the reader in mind

HOW PEOPLE READ
People usually read left to right, top to bottom.
PYRAMID WRITING STRUCTURE
Write so that your reader picks up information in sequential order.
Source: http://www.kerryr.net/webwriting/structure_content.htm
GETTING YOUR FOOT
IN THE DOOR
⚫ The headline is your first (and oftentimes last) chance to

hook your audience
⚫ The basic principles of writing style are also applicable

here
⚫ Headline and photo should complement each other

EXAMPLE 1 (revised)
EXAMPLE 1 (original)
EXAMPLE 2
EXAMPLE 3
EXAMPLE 4
BAD EXAMPLES
of headline-photo combos
Strong headline,
weak visual
Strong visual,
weak headline
SUMMARY
⚫ Scientific Papers – Who are the researchers? What is the
‘big idea’? How is it relevant to your audience?
⚫ Interviews – Give your interviewee a chance to be

themselves. Really listen to what they have to say.
⚫ Scientific Analogies – What is an everyday thing that helps

explain this new concept? What are the limitations of the
analogy?
⚫ Engaging Stories – Who is your target audience? What are

their interests?
Tips for Writing
(Not just for contests!)
⚫ Don’t write to impress. Write to communicate!
⚫ Always consider your main audience before writing
anything. Put yourself in their shoes!
⚫ Write in the way that will be best understood by your main

audience
THANK YOU!
EXERCISE
⚫ Write a story (news or feature) on the following scientific

study:
https://bit.ly/NSPC2021ScienceWritingExercise
⚫ Make your story interesting and relevant to a general

audience of young Filipinos.
⚫ Research as much as you want on the Internet BUT

fact-check and properly cite/quote your sources.
⚫ Good luck!

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Basic Science Writing

Timothy James M. Dimacali

❑ How to Read a Scientific Paper

⚫ Depending on the audience, it can be a news article, a

⚫ The common denominator is that science writing is

⚫ All science writing is evidence-based

⚫ As a writer/journalist, your job is to understand what you

⚫ Your job is to ask questions and find answers

⚫ If you understand the science, it’s easier to explain to other

⚫ If you don’t understand the science, ask questions and do

⚫References – These help guide you on what is previously

⚫Acknowledgements – Sometimes contains the researchers’

⚫Methods – Details of the actual experiments

⚫ Dig online – Look up the title of the paper on Google

⚫ Interview a topic expert – find a scientist in the same field

⚫ Approach the interview as an outsider who doesn’t

⚫ Formulate basic questions based on your initial

⚫ Ask “open” questions: What? How? Why? Give the

⚫ Keep questions neutral. Give your interviewee space to

⚫ Pay attention! Don’t just treat your questions like a

⚫ Notice when your interviewee loosens or tightens up, when

⚫ Adjust your follow-up questions to how your interviewee

⚫ When wrapping up, paraphrase and repeat your notes to

⚫ Always end with the question: “Is there anything that I

⚫ Rethink and reevaluate your initial hypotheses as needed.

⚫ Get in touch with the interviewee if there’s anything you

⚫ Don’t burn bridges. Keep calm and professional.

⚫ Lay out the essential information in a neat and orderly way

⚫ Keep things as simple as possible

⚫ Good analogies are simple, easy to remember, and based

⚫ The elements must be clear, and the limitations must be

⚫ Voltage = water pressure

• The relationship between variables • The physical properties of water vs.

• The need for a closed loop to

⚫ What are the main points you want to convey?

⚫ They are written with the reader in mind

⚫ The headline is your first (and oftentimes last) chance to

⚫ The basic principles of writing style are also applicable

⚫ Headline and photo should complement each other

⚫ Interviews – Give your interviewee a chance to be

⚫ Scientific Analogies – What is an everyday thing that helps

⚫ Engaging Stories – Who is your target audience? What are

⚫ Write in the way that will be best understood by your main

⚫ Write a story (news or feature) on the following scientific

⚫ Make your story interesting and relevant to a general

⚫ Research as much as you want on the Internet BUT

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