Writing has a crucial role in many different scientific pursuits

How does the craft of writing relate to scientific pursuits? That's what the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology's science and careers event for postdoc and beyond in Washington last month got me thinking about. Writing plays a role in winning grants, getting published and fostering communication — and for a varied readership, from university colleagues to government officials, and on to the wider public.

Many scientists instinctively know this; they describe successful experiments as telling a “good story”. But what makes a story good? For me, it has to have narrative elements — a beginning, middle and an end. The refinement and arrangement of these elements makes the best literature, music and art stand out beyond just a collection of nicely crafted pieces.

I'd add an admonition I give to many writers I work with: information is not a story. For example, even the prettiest protein structure is still just information — the picture, but without the 1000 words. But an explanation of how that protein interacts with other molecules and controls cell function, and, ultimately human health — now that's a story.

It's sometimes difficult to make that leap gracefully — even for professionals. One strategy I picked up from my science-writing instructor, Sharon Dunwoody, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is that most science stories can be broken down into problems and solutions. I think that can be extended to scientific papers, grant applications and patent requests as well. Show what problems your work aims to address, how it does so and what solution you've achieved.

Once you set that story down, refine it. Several young scientists asked me about this step, the one that creates workmanlike writing. I like pyrotechnics as much as any literature fan — from the interior monologues of James Joyce to the comically baroque footnotes of David Foster Wallace. But the best approach for both scientists and science journalists writing for funds, patents or publications is also the simplest — clarity.

Related links

Related links in Nature Research

Putting pen to paper

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FASEB Postdoc Preparation Institute