The Structure of Sentences
Writing clear, concise and effective sentences is as important in scientific writing as ensuring your texts overall have a clear and effective structure.
Would you like to know more?
- Learn how and when to write active rather than passive sentences
- Learn how to write direct sentences by using verbs effectively
What comes first should matter most
What comes first in a sentence signals the importance or lack of importance of the information provided to the reader.
- Example: “The Austrian Diabetes Association has reported that daily exercise relieves diabetes complications" (3).
In this sentence, the Austrian Diabetes Association appears to be the focus of the sentence, since that is the information the reader is provided with first. If that is not actually what you wish to stress, revise the sentence.
- Possible revision nr. 1: "Daily exercise may relieve diabetes complications" (3).
In this version, the writer only references the study in an in-text citation. Doing so foregrounds the content of the report ("daily exercise may relieve...") and allows the reader to focus on content instead.
Want to know even more?
- Check out some of the tips in Angelika H. Hofmann's Scientific Writing and Communication (E-book) or Matthews and Matthews Successful Scientific Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide for the Biological and Medical Sciences (E-book), or
- Take one of our writing workshops! We offer workshops every year in "Writing Clear and Effective Sentences." To receive individualized help with your writing, make an appointment.
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