What is SCIENCE WRITING?

According to Nordquist (2019), the term science

writing refers to writing about a scientific subject
matter, often in a non-technical manner for an
audience of non-scientists (a form of journalism or
creative nonfiction). Also called popular science
writing. (Definition No. 1)

Science writing may also refer to writing that reports

scientific observations and results in a manner
governed by specific conventions (a form of
technical writing). More commonly known as
scientific writing. (Definition No. 2)
 HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE

FEATURE

1. Choose your topic and length carefully

Be realistic about the issue you are covering – does it
have enough dimensions to hold a reader’s interest for a
long feature? If the story can be summarized in 180
words, you don’t need to write a 1,800-word feature. And
anything beyond 4,000 words is a very long read.
2. Have a plan
Make a list of all the points you want to cover in the article
then put them into an order that allows you to move with
the most ease from one point to the next. Remember to
pepper fascinating points throughout the article – if you
put all the juicy stuff in the first 500 words, why would a
reader continue to the end?
3. Come back to the intro again, and again, and
again…
Writing introductions is always a tricky business. The
best introductions conjure up a clear, compelling scene,
an unusual conundrum or a stark situation. Avoid
rambling opening paragraphs and remember that if a
sentence doesn’t sound quite right, it isn’t right. Move
on to the body of the piece and come back to it. The
introductions that seem the most effortless have
probably taken the most work.
4. Get on the phone, or better still on the road
A good feature is not an extended essay, a regurgitation
of undergraduate topics, or a stream of consciousness.
Don’t indulge in covering too many historical aspects of
the issue – use them only where strictly relevant. The
same goes for technical details. Remember, your
audience may not have the burning interest in genetics
you do, or be familiar with what an allele is.
A feature should be rich with voices from those
involved with the issue you are focusing on.
Speak to researchers, speak to those affected by the
issue and speak to people with different viewpoints.
Record your interviews – when you listen back you
may be surprised at the gems you find.

5. Get building
Once you have your transcripts from all your interviews, make
one document with the quotes you want to use and the points
you want to make. Then shuffle these around to create the
skeleton of your feature. Then you can add detail and refine
paragraphs as you go along.
6. Choose your structure carefully
A feature could take many forms, for example a long
“write-through” or continuous narrative, a Q&A format,
or a series of distinct sections. Would a detailed
explanation of how mitochondria work be better in a
separate, pull-out section, suitable for a tinted box on the
printed page? Would a graphic save you 300 words? Use
such furniture wisely and it will improve your feature.
7. Know what you are trying to say – don’t waffle
No feature can cover every aspect of an issue. There will always be
other points or angles. Make sure you have a clear idea of what is
relevant to the overall thrust your piece and don’t try to shoehorn in
tangential information.

8. Get your facts straight

Double-check everything. If someone gives you a figure for the
cost of a medical procedure, check it in the literature and ask the
experts. Make sure your sources are up to date and accurate and
remember to differentiate between facts and opinion. If your piece
will be published online include links so that readers can easily
access your sources, if it’s in print give enough information for
them to track it down for themselves.
9. Change the pace
A monotone approach makes for a tedious read. Change
the pace throughout the article – emotional experiences,
sobering facts, funny quotes and informative sections
keep your reader engaged to the end. Like a good play,
sections of a feature can also move back and forwards in
time and be set in different scenes.
 THE IMPORTANCE OF AN
INTRODUCTION

Within a few paragraphs, a reader will decide whether to finish

reading your story or to move on to something else. In this brief
preliminary time, you should give readers a clear idea of where the
story is heading, an idea compelling enough to keep them with
you.
Journalists call the sentence or two where you sum up the gist of
your story the nut graf. Your nut graf should be intriguing, perhaps
even surprising. If it states something most readers already know,
they won’t feel the need to keep reading. If it is too obscure,
readers won’t know why they should care enough to invest more
time with your story.
You should be able to underline your nut graf. Scattering
it in bits and pieces around the first half of an article is
not acceptable. Don’t leave it up to your reader to gather
those bits and pieces together and assemble your nut graf
for you.
As you write the rest of your story, make sure that it
really lives up to the nut graf. Otherwise, your readers
will feel like they’ve been the victims of a bait-and-
switch.
 5 common mistakes in health feature writing

1. Not enough evidence

The main example of not having enough evidence includes
making claims that need to be supported by research without
any reference to any sort of evidence at all.
At the very least, you should be indicating that research
supports your argument, however it’s best if you can somehow
indicate where the research has come from, by including a
publication year, a journal title and/or reference to the study
design. If you’re writing online content, simply hyperlink some
of the text to the abstract.
Including scientific research not only produces a more convincing
feature, it also helps you to become a better writer because it
makes you take the time to understand what you’re writing about
in detail. The more you look into the evidence behind a claim, the
better you’ll understand the issue as a whole.

Research and evidence can also be gathered from

interviews with credible medical specialists, quotes from peak
bodies, statistics. Without evidence, a feature is really just an
opinion piece.
2. Poor quality evidence
Further to the first point, simply citing research doesn’t
automatically give you points for credibility and quality. Some
examples of poor quality research include studies with a very small
sample size (though this can depend on the health topic), lab or
animal studies and those that haven’t yet been peer reviewed or
published in a reputable medical journal.
If you’re interviewing health experts for perspective on medical
issues, ensure that they are qualified and have a relevant background
to comment. This will always depend on the seriousness of the
topic.
Try and find high-quality evidence to support your arguments – and
if there is none, perhaps you need to rethink what you’re trying to
argue.
3. Weak article structure
A feature that is just a bunch of facts thrown together
with no beginning, middle or end isn’t a feature at all. It
is going to be difficult to read and isn’t engaging. The
structure of a health feature article needs work and
attention. Every feature needs an engaging title, a lede to
hook in readers, a clear introduction and a strong
conclusion.
Headlines are important in every context. Your headline should aim
to speak to your target audience in a language they resonate with. A
headline like ‘Vitamin C and immunity’ is far less engaging than
‘How new evidence is changing what we thought we knew about
vitamin C’. Similarly, ‘Fish oil and the brain’ might be specific, but
it isn’t as interesting as a headline like, ‘Can fish oil really improve
your memory?’
There are few things worse than an abrupt ending to an article you
were really enjoying – or an article that didn’t answer the question
it was posing. Don’t spend all your effort on hooking in your reader
only to under promise in the body of the article.
Health features can be tailored to the publication
medium. Online health features will need lots of
subheadings, bullet lists, internal and external links –
while printed features can include a few key breakout
boxes and even some Did You Know-style interesting
facts.
4. Repetition of facts
Articles that repeat the same facts and points, just
worded slightly differently, do crop up a lot. Be aware of
repetition. Every sentence should be introducing a new
idea or fact – it shouldn’t be summarising what’s already
been said.
Also, take care with the words you use and check that
you’re not accidentally repeating words often – I know I
can be guilty of this.
5. Too scientific for the general public
Choose your health feature subject wisely. If there are a lot of
biological terms that can’t be written in lay person’s speak,
perhaps it’s not going to be a suitable topic for your audience –
meaning it can’t be written in a way that ticks all the boxes and
engages. Write for your audience first and foremost.
If you’re a writer with a scientific background, you may have the
tendency to assume your reader knows more than they actually
do. When your writing is more scientific and doesn’t explain key
terms or arguments, your audience could feel confused. This
could also mean they switch off, aren’t able to engage in your
piece, and won’t understand what you’re trying to convey.
 SCIENCE FEATURE

- Uses the news form of headline

Headline vocabulary:

Accord- agreement crown- win

Allay-calm curb-control, stop
Allot- apportion, set a side cut- decrease
Anew-again dip- decrease, decline
Assail- attack draw fire- to be criticized
Ax-dismiss dry run- rehearsal
Bare- reveal, expose due- deadline, scheduled
Bat- defend ex- former
Bid-request to eye- consider
Blast-criticize feud- quarrel, dispute
Cite-enumerate, mention foil- thwart, reject
Confab- conference gab- conference
Cop-police gird- brace, prepare
Cow- frighten go- try