4. Writing skills (by Nadia El-Awady)
4.1 Introduction

A journalist writing about science may be competing against all sorts of other stories and needs to master rules that have much in common with writing about other topics for the media. You will be able to write interesting articles about science as long as you do your research, understand your topic, and have good communicative skills, and follow the normal rules of journalistic writing.

But there are some things that science journalists in particular need to keep in mind. How does one simplify complex scientific jargon, for example? Or how do we help readers comprehend numbers - such as those related to size, volume, weight, and distance - that might be extremely small or extremely large? Or more importantly, how does a science journalist write about a seemingly mundane topic in a way that holds the reader's attention from beginning to end?

By the end of this lesson, you should have an understanding of the basics of good journalistic writing. You'll also learn how to make writing about science more interesting. A piece about science does not have to be boring. There are some simple tricks and tools to this trade that can awaken the senses of adventure, curiosity, and inquisitiveness in young and old readers alike. Learn to use them and your articles will compete with others covering armed conflicts and natural disasters on the front pages of any newspaper or magazine!


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