A list of tips for anyone in STEM fields who's writing for a general audience about a technical topic.

1. Top 10 Tips for Writing about Science & Medicine
1. Put your audience first. If youcan, figure outwho you will reachdirectly ormightreachindirectly. Think
aboutwhat theirknowledge levelis,andwhatyoumightwant themtodo. If you trulydon’tknow,assume
average scientificknowledge,interestandfamiliaritywithterms.
 Are theyaffectedbya disease you’re writingabout,sotheymighttake aspecial interest?
 Do youwant themto thinksomethingiscool andshare it?
 Do youwant themto donate to, or volunteerfor,acertaincause?
 Do youwant to reach reporters whocould create theirown storiesforthe public?
Whoevertheyare,puttheirinterestsbeforethose of more technical audiencesyoumightreach.
2. Pick your jargon wisely.Youdon’thave to include everytechnical termrelatedtothe topic– justthe
onesyoucan’t avoid.If youuse a piece of jargon, immediatelyexplain it.Stuff liketitles,namesof centersand
fundingdetails shouldgointolaterparagraphsor the bottom.
3. Purge passive voice.Thoughacademicscientific&medical writingbrimswithit, yours shouldnot. Evenif it
makesa sentence longertomake the verbactive,doit.
4. Shortenyour sentences. Prune themintolean,meanfightingmachines.Readthemaloudtoensure they
will engage someone. Readershearthe writingintheirminds asif someone wasreading itoutloud.So, too-long
sentenceswill lose them.Afterasentence of 30-40 words,throw insome sentences thatare justa fewwords
long.
5. Write an opening that will compel someone to keepreading.Neverunderestimatethe
importance of grabbingtheirinterestandmakingthemcare enoughtokeepgoinginsteadof clickingoverto
somethingelse.MAKETHEM CARE.
6. Don’t just re-tell things stepby step.You’re writingastory,not a textbookortutorial.Findanarrative
– abouthowthe topictiestorecentevents,aboutthe questionorproblemathand,aboutthe obstacles&
challengesinthe way,aboutthe context&controversiesinthe field,oraboutthe people involved –andgo with
it.
7. Tap intoyour joy and creativity.Take the time tomake the storycome alive throughexcitingprose,
humor,analogies,metaphorsandvividquotes. Thinkvisually –and eitherinclude imagesorpaintapicture with
words. Askthe experttoexplainittoyouwithan analogy -- theymightsurprise you.
8. Ruthlessly edityour own writing.Betteryet,have someone else read/editit.Goback andreallyread
witha critical eye.
9. Keepthe lengthdown. You can tell a greatstory in700 wordsor fewer!Use visualsto helpreduce words.
10. Don’t “recomplexify”the story inthe reviewprocess.Make sure you tell the storyin a waythat
will engage ageneral audience,and invitesharingto reachthe most people possible.