Writing for T. W. Fline
So, who is T. W. Fline and why should science writers care?
In his classic handbook Communicating in Science, author Vernon Booth puts forward a number of recommendations for writing for Those Whose First Language Is Not English (T. W. Fline).
Here are a few of the key "T. W. Fline" tips in the handbook (which also happen to be sound writing tips regardless of your readership).
- When describing methods and materials, avoid trade names, which may not be understood overseas.
- Write short sentences and try to stick to the "one sentence - one idea" rule.
- Avoid needless "verbing" - why say "authored'" when you can say "written"?
- Strike a deal with colleagues to trade editing services.
- Be careful when using "noun adjectives" (nouns used to modify other nouns), which may not be easily understood by T. W. Fline. For instance, "Rapid gas apparatus deterioration" is potentially unclear, while "Rapid deterioration of gas apparatus" is clearer.
- Take care when making comparisons. For example, "starch yielded more glucose than maltose" is unclear. The sentence should be rewritten more explicitly (i.e. "than did maltose" or "starch produced a greater yield of glucose than of maltose"). Also note that the second rewrite uses a simple, active verb (produced) rather than a "verbed" noun (yielded).
Come back soon for future posts on writing for academic journals!
posted by Sara @ 12/19/2006
0 comments
links to this post
