Q: I am a good scientist, but I don’t really think I am a good writer. What’s the easiest thing I can do to make my writing better?
Jennifer: I have three main strategies. First, I read a lot of articles in the journals where I want to publish to familiarize myself with the style. I also read writing that inspires me or makes me think. I once collaborated with a scientist writing an NSF grant who loved to read The New Yorker for inspiration!
Second, I write a lot, but I don’t expect everything to be published. Sometimes I need to write a lot to figure out what I have to say and to have material to work with. I used to think it was terribly inefficient to write 5 pages to get maybe 3 paragraphs in the end, but I had to write those 5 to get those 3 to advance the project. I’ve found Paul Silva’s book How to Write a Lot particularly useful for this strategy.
Last, I share my writing while I’m working on it. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what’s good in all that writing. I’ve found participating in a monthly writing group and giving each other feedback on our works-in-progress an invaluable way to improve my writing. My group helps me see what’s working, what’s not, and to make a plan for next steps. I also learn from reading their writing and hearing about their writing process.
Cary: Think carefully about who you are really writing for; then write in a way that makes the most sense for them: Do your readers really need that extensive lit review? Are you choosing the words that communicate most clearly to them? Have you carefully designed your visuals (figures and tables) with your readers in mind?
Amy: Do more of it! You get better with practice. Also, find a model that is roughly similar to what you are trying to write and analyze it to figure out what makes it good. Study the structure and the writing techniques. Get critique partners and have a supportive writing community.
Meet the Writers
Jennifer Ahern-Dodson, Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, is Director of Outreach in Duke’s Thompson Writing Program and directs the Faculty Write Program. Her current project focuses on metacognition and faculty writers.
Cary Moskovitz, Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, is Director of Writing in the Disciplines in Duke’s Thompson Writing Program, as well as Director of the Text Recycling Research Project and the Duke Reader Project. He is currently working on a paper entitled: Text recycling policies in STEM author-publisher contracts
Amy Sayle, Ph.D. in Epidemiology, was one of the first scientists hired to teach in Duke’s Thompson Writing Program. She is currently a science communicator at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center who, in addition to presenting planetarium shows, writes for their science blog. For fun, she writes Young Adult fiction.
