COMMUNICATION TIPS FOR THE SCIENTIST

Nontechnical professionals who frequently read scientists' reports offer the following suggestions for researchers needing to get their messages across clearly: Know Your Audience The purpose of a paper should determine its style and organization. Nancy Thornton, who teaches writing effectiveness to word-weary scientists at some 20 institutions in upstate New York, suggests that researchers ponder their report's destination before sitting down to write. "Is it a progress report for a manager? If so, what will the manager do with it? Will he or she send it on to someone and how will that affect the language to be used?" asks Thornton, whose clients include scientists at Sterling Winthrop, General Electric, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and numerous small technical firms. Well-written in-house reports often start with journalism's "five Ws" - who, what, where, when, why - "so that the reader can focus on where [the paper] is headed," she says. Care must be taken in describing scientific work to public relations professionals so as to avoid premature trumpeting of a "breakthrough." Press releases often require much back-and-forth between scientist and writer, with a go-between sometimes called in to "translate." "We use people who once were practicing scientists, or technical writers," says one public relations person whose accounts cover such diverse fields as monoclonal antibodies, lasers, and polymers. But many other public information specialists lack such technical expertise. "The majority of people working with institutions such as medical centers do not have science backgrounds," says Laura Feragen, manager of media relations at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. "I studied English and social studies, but I've been in health care reporting for 11 years," she says, adding that in positions like hers, "you have to learn not to be intimidated by words thrown at you." Garrett DeYoung, a freelance writer who has edited such publications as High Technology and Photonics Spectra and written for the Illinois Institute of Technology, agrees. "Scientists should write clearly, assume that the [reader] is intelligent, explain things when asked, yet at the same time not be condescending," he says. . Organize "Is there a clear introduction, experimental section, results, conclusions, and recommendations? A table helps where there is a paragraph of solid data or a comparison of two or three methods. Find which organizational format will work the best," suggests Thornton. Adds Jim Magee, a patent attorney at the General Electric Research and Development Center in Schenectady, N.Y., "What problem are you trying to solve, and what did you do to solve it?" See the big picture - and make sure the reader does, too. Polish It may help to edit the editors. "In writing for government agencies, it's not uncommon for 25 people to edit a scientific paper. By the time it gets back to the poor scientist, he doesn't know where to start. The larger structure is lost," says Thornton. The same too-many-cooks problem arises for textbook authors, whose work is often reviewed by multiple readers. The solution to the information overload - a consensus reviewer to derive one list of recommendations. Finally, put the paper aside for a day or two. Let others read it. Read it aloud. Be Aware Of Your Discipline's Writing Quirks Thornton, who has helped thousands of scientists improve their writing skills, has noted interesting trends. "Electrical engineers and pharmacologists are too tight," she says. "They write with a telegram style. At the other extreme, computer scientists tend to be too wordy. Chemists write in short paragraphs, maybe because they are so used to representing things as formulae." Potential clients often expect Thornton to whip their employees' writing into Pulitzer form in just an hour or two. Perhaps this is because the secret to good writing is to make the paper read as if composing it were effortless. But any scientist who writes frequently - be it in-house reports, journal articles, or grant proposals - knows how tough it is. Says Thornton, "People don't realize it takes a long time and a lot of work to master clear and effective writing." Ricki Lewis teaches biology at the State University of New York, Albany.

COMMUNICATION TIPS FOR THE SCIENTIST

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of