7 features of scientific writing

Scientific writing has certain features that help set it apart from other technical documents and styles of writing. These features typically include:

1. Precision

Scientific writing relies on unequivocal accuracy, as the mission of a scientific document is to provide relevant and factual information to the scientific community. Precision in scientific literature can take the form of the following writing elements: 

• Objectivity: A scientific paper takes an objective viewpoint toward the subject, meaning that it doesn’t offer the author’s opinion. Instead, the author focuses on presenting and analyzing facts. 

• Thoroughness: Scientific writers offer as many details in their publications as are necessary for their readers to thoroughly understand the subject.

• Exact language: A scientific paper minimizes the use of figurative or imaginative language. Scientific writers use words and phrases that convey their literal meaning. 

2. Clarity

Scientific writers typically write for their peers, but even scientists expect clarity in the writing. The writer clarifies the meaning of any uncommon terms and summarizes the results of the writing in a way that anyone can understand. Writers explain any experimentation and its results, using the metric system for measurements to ensure consistency and readability for a worldwide audience. Clarity also helps the writer establish a trusted voice within the scientific community.

3. Peer reviews

Some scientific documents contain peer-reviewed changes or information directly within the document. Colleagues in the same industry often review one another's work to verify the results of experiments, confirm hypotheses or hold one another accountable for honesty and clarity. Typically, a writer includes any peer requests or findings in revised versions of the document to uphold their commitment to honesty and integrity in the face of new information.

4. Primary audience

A scientific document is almost always for a specific audience. Good scientific writing includes information that applies to the audience and is easy to understand. For example, if a pharmaceutical scientist is creating a scientific document for a drug in the approval stage, the primary audience is the drug evaluation board. However, colleagues may also read the document for peer review and consumers may view it for personal interest. This requires a good balance of scientific terms and common language to ensure readability.

5. Formal language

Keeping language formal in scientific writing helps maintain professionalism on behalf of the writer. Using common language can help appeal to a larger audience, but be mindful of the words and phrases you use in your writing. You can use synonyms for simple words and avoid things such as slang or idioms. Formal language also includes proper punctuation and grammar, so check your work before you submit it.

6. Organization

Scientific papers follow a clear organizational structure. Here’s the standard organizational system for a scientific paper: 

• Introduction: The introductory section provides the audience with the background information they need to know to understand the purpose and findings of your scientific inquiry. An introduction also gives you an opportunity to explain the unique value of your study and findings.

• Materials and methods: This section explains how you conducted your study or experiment. A section on your materials and methods offers enough details that someone else could potentially recreate your experiment.

• Results: The results section provides an objective explanation of what you discovered during your study or experiment. In this section, scientific authors summarize all the relevant qualitative and quantitative from their various charts, graphs or other data findings.

• Discussion: The discussion section gives you a chance to interpret the potential implications of your study or experiment. If someone might draw multiple theories from your results, discuss all of these possible interpretations and give an outline for potential future studies. 

• Conclusion: In your conclusion, reiterate the main points of your paper and explain the significance of your studies or experiment. 

7. Awareness of existing scientific literature

Most scientific authors express their awareness of the existing body of scientific literature and knowledge pertinent to their studies. Science is a continually evolving field where professionals continually make new discoveries, studies, connections and experiments based on the findings of previous scientists. A scientific author references the existing studies or experiments related to their findings and explains how their research connects to, revises or builds upon previous knowledge. 

Tips for scientific writing

Scientific writing is a research-intensive process that requires care and precision. Here are some tips on scientific writing to improve the quality of your work:

Increase the precision of your wording

Using accurate words and phrases can help you avoid ambiguous and imprecise writing. When comparing two studies, for example, instead of stating that the new results are just like the results in the past study, you could state that the new results are consistent with previously reported results. Remember your audience when you write your documents and focus on how to provide the most accurate explanation. Even if you must be repetitive in your word choice, it's best to avoid ambiguity. Occasionally, the repetition can even be beneficial by emphasizing key concepts.

Simplify your word choice when possible

If you have the choice between technical, complicated wording and a more common phrase, always simplify. As long as your language stays accurate, a short and direct phrase can increase the accessibility of your document. If you need to use technical terminology, define it early in the document so readers can understand later uses with clarity.

Clarify your objective

It's important for an audience to understand the objective of the document they're reading. A scientific writer typically dictates the purpose of the document within the first paragraph or in a preliminary summary, known as an abstract. If used, an abstract is a brief, five-to-seven-sentence paragraph at the beginning of the document. It details the purpose of the document, the preliminary findings and other information that might help an audience learn what the document explains.

Provide logical conclusions

All research is subject to a limited data set, and no one expects or wants unsupported conclusions that rest on assumptions. Make sure that you directly support all conclusions you introduce with the data you present and discuss. As most documents are subject to peer review, make sure it’s clear how your data led to your conclusions.

Understand your audience

An important factor to consider while writing scientific documents is the audience who reads them. Often, your peers review the document, but it's important to think about where the document goes from there. You might send it to educators, government officials or other secondary audiences for review and consideration. Remember who your audience is while writing your documents to ensure readability.