Interestingly, a few centuries ago, scientific writing style was closer to modern style than the ‘traditional’ style.
The Royal Society of London was one of the earliest scientific societies. The Royal Society published the first scientific journal and was one of the first groups to produce guidelines for scientific exploration and reporting. In the 17th century, Royal Society member Robert Boyle, best known for his ideal gas law, created a series of guidelines for writing an experimental essay:
Boyle’s guidelines for writing experimental essays
- Brevity: This does not apply to the degree of detail, but rather it is in reference to sentence length. Sentences should be concise and easy to follow. Thorough detail should be provided with regard to the experiment so that a peer could repeat the experiment. Unnecessary details or tangential details should not be included.
- Lack of assertiveness: The observations and findings should be reported as observed. Subjective and authoritative weight should not be given to explain the findings (the author’s opinions should not be included). The author should not ‘arrive at definite conclusions or systematise the results obtained’.
- Perspicuity: All reports should be ‘barely stated, without any prefaces, apologies or rhetorical flourishes’, as the purpose of the essay is to convey findings in a clear and accurate style.
- Simplicity of form: This refers to the physical sentence constructions. It is preferable to use simple verbs. Active voice is preferred, ‘highlighting the role and importance of the scientist and his/her function as the subject’. However, passive voice is effective in highlighting ‘unexpected results or to report how certain procedures were carried out’.
- Objectivity: Verbs indicating the author’s uncertainty (seem or appear) should be avoided. All research should be conducted and then presented without bias or personal insights.
Source: Lareo I & Montoya Reyes A (2007). A scientific inquiry into the art of scientific writing [blog].
