Writing Style and Word Usage

Every writer has a personal style, but all good writing tends to observe guidelines and conventions that communicate meaning clearly and exactly to readers. Scientific writing, in particular, must be precise and unambiguous to be effective. 

This chapter presents guidelines for correct sentence structure and word usage. Other chapters of this book present topics also related to good writing style. Chapter 2 discusses the parts of a scientific paper Chapter 3 presents an overview of the editorial process. Chapters in Part 2 address more specialized rules for usage see, especially, Chapter 9 on grammar, punctuation, and spelling and Chapter 10 on editorial style. 

Good organization (see Chapter 2) and sentence structure are an author s primary tools for conveying information in a logical, persuasive manner. When the words in a sentence are placed so that the reader follows easily from one fact or point to the next, then the reader is best able to comprehend the author s intended meaning. Poorly structured or ordered sentences create confusion for readers, who are then unable to understand accurately the author s meaning. 

simple declarative sentences—that is, sentences that make statements, rather than pose questions, issue commands, or exclaim—are the easiest to write and the easiest to read. They are also usually clear. However, too many short sentences in a row can sound abrupt or monotonous. They also can place too heavy a burden on the reader to connect the ideas from one sentence to the next. To 

A sentence is said to be in active voice when the subject of the sentence is the doer of the action indicated by the verb. The subject of an active verb is doing the action of the verb. In passive voice, the subject is the receiver of the action indicated by the verb. 

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Getting Started / 1 Writing Style and Word Usage / 3 Components of a Paper / 17 Types of Presentations / 23 Bibliography / 26... 

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