Juan-Carlos Lopez, Editor of Nature Medicine_, writes on Spoonful of medicinename.html: “Checking the literature in preparation for our monthly News & Views meeting, my colleague Clare Thomas spotted this recent paper from PLoS Pathogens [X. Contreras et al. PLoS Pathog. 3, e146; 2007]: HMBA Releases P-TEFb from HEXIM1 and 7SK snRNA via PI3K/Akt and Activates HIV Transcription. No offense intended to the authors or the editors, but I think it’s safe to say that there’s one too many abbreviations in the title. Can anyone out there trump it?”
Meanwhile, there is plenty of writing advice online. The Nature Nanotechnology Asia Pacific and Beyond forum on Nature Network features a tips column for technical writing. Here, for example, the sentence “The design of the microscope incorporates aberration lenses, 3 different lasers, which are suspended above the lenses which is housed in a chamber” is simplified by associate editor Ai Lin Chun to “The microscope consists of aberration lenses and three different lasers. Each laser is suspended above the lens and housed in a chamber.”
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From the blogosphere by Maxine Clarke
An archive of the "From the Blogosphere" column on the Authors page in Nature, highlighting nature.com blog posts of interest to scientists in their role as authors and peer-reviewers. We welcome comments and suggestions.
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Clear writing -- 25 October 2007
- Date:
- Tuesday, 30 Oct ober 2007 - 17:12 UTC
Last updated: Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 - 17:12 UTC
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Comments
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‘HMBA Releases P-TEFb from HEXIM1 and 7SK snRNA via PI3K/Akt and Activates HIV Transcription.’
There is not one superfluos abbreviation here, there are six, and the inclusion of any one of them is designed to exclude readers.
‘HMBA Releases P-TEFb from HEXIM1 and 7SK snRNA via PI3K/Akt and Activates HIV Transcription.’
There is not one superfluos abbreviation here, there are six, and the inclusion of any one of them is designed to exclude readers.
I would like to know the difference between Technical writing and Scientific writing.
Technical writing is usually understood to be writing for a manual, for example instructions as to how to use a piece of equipment, or a report detailing the parameters of a computer program. Scientific writing is usually understood to be a piece of writing on a scientific subject, intended to explain, entertain or otherwise engage a reader.