Interlude: Science-ese, Authorship, and Synonyms
How do you feel while reading legal contracts?
I'll bet that you don't enjoy reading the complex language that many people refer to as "legal-ese." And actually, lawyers don't enjoy reading legal-ese either.
Yet, many researchers use "science-ese" in their writing. And science-ese sparks the same feelings in readers, whether or not they are experts in the same field.
Many researchers attribute this style of writing to convention, formality, "academic writing," or wanting to impress readers. But these perceptions only rob your writing of clarity, concision, and persuasion.
To secure your reader's attention, make their job of reading your writing easy. Avoid using science-ese and burying your ideas in complex language. Instead, use simple language that will showcase your work and ideas.
Now let's get to this week's round-up...
💌 Round-up
📆 Upcoming
Connection Compass: Create Flow that Guides Readers Through Your Writing – March 27, 2024, 10 am PT
Join me for an expanded version of my conference presentation at the 2023 American Medical Writers Association conference. During this webinar, I'll share how writers can apply valuable writing principles to create a smooth flow that guides readers through the content, builds on their knowledge, and keeps them engaged in the writing.
👓 Reading
Up-Dated ICMJE Recommendations (January 2024)
The ICMJE updated the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. These updates include guidance on why authorship matters, how to acknowledge work conducted with artificial intelligence, use of artificial intelligence in the review process, medical publishing and carbon emissions, acknowledging funding support, protecting research participants, and referencing citations. To see the exact changes, check out the annotated pdf.
How many authors are (too) many? A retrospective, descriptive analysis of authorship in biomedical publications
"Credible explanations for this seemingly unstoppable trend [in authorship proliferation] are increasing research complexity, increasingly sophisticated methodology, multidisciplinary research, larger research units, internationalization, and multicenter collaborations. . . [However,] the reported high frequency of authorship misconduct (honorary authorship etc.) suggest additional and different factors driving authorship inflation: mainly the (increasing) pressure to publish primarily induced by current academic performance assessments, promotion policies and reward structures which themselves mainly focus on quantitative citation metrics and publication counting. Against this background, this paper discusses possible approaches to limit authorship proliferation, to maintain its value, and how to sustainably embed a more sensitive attitude towards the ethical aspects of authorship."
💬 Quote
Writing is hard work, not magic. It begins with deciding why you are writing and whom you are writing for. What is your intent? What do you want the reader to get out of it? What do you want to get out of it. It's also about making a serious time commitment and getting the project done." – Suze Orman
💭 Thoughts
Choosing words for writing is like choosing spices for cooking.
Salt and sugar may look similar, but they have different flavors that affect how people experience the meal.
Words may seem like synonyms, but they have different meanings that affect how people experience the writing.
✅ Action
Open the most recent manuscript that you collaborated on and review the author names in the byline. Did all the authors qualify for authorship? Were the authors listed in the fairest order? What would you do differently when discussing authorship for your next manuscript?
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
