THERE ARE THREE fundamental aspects to good
science writing -
planning the structure,
thinking about your reader, and choosing
your words.
Writing is one of our indispensable
means of communication. But
it is more than this: it helps us to formulate ideas, and provides
us with a permanent record of them. For undergraduates it is also
one of the means by which their understanding of their subject
is assessed. Effective writing is therefore an invaluable skill.
You can
learn something of the skill by following the advice of
experienced practitioners. You can also learn by reading widely
and thinking critically about the quality of what you are reading.
But you need constant practice to develop the clarity and conciseness
of style that is essential to good scientific writing.