Anne E. Greene is a biologist who is interested in how scientists communicate their research to a broad audience. She taught scientific writing to undergraduates in wildlife biology, geology, and neuroscience at the University of Montana for fifteen years. She also taught workshops on scientific writing to university graduate students and faculty and to scientists in nongovernmental organizations, private research institutions, and federal agencies across the country.

• Preface to the Second EditionChapter 1: Why Write Science in Plain English?Chapter 2: Before You WriteAudienceRegisterToneChapter 3: Tell a StoryMake Characters Subjects and Their Actions VerbsUse Strong VerbsPlace Subjects and Verbs Close TogetherChapter 4: Favor the Active VoiceBenefits of Active VoiceWhen to Use Passive VoiceChapter 5: Choose Your Words with CareUse Short Words Instead of Long OnesKeep Terms the SameBreak Up Noun StringsRethink Technical TermsChapter 6: Omit Needless WordsRedundancyMetadiscourse and Transition WordsAffirmatives and NegativesChapter 7: Old Information and New InformationPut Old Information at the Beginnings of SentencesPut New Information at the Ends of SentencesChapter 8: Make Lists ParallelChapter 9: Vary the Length of Your SentencesChapter 10: Design Your ParagraphsIssueDevelopmentConclusionPointChapter 11: Arrange Your ParagraphsChronological OrderGeneral to SpecificLeast Important to Most ImportantProblem to SolutionCompare and ContrastTransition Words RevisitedAcknowledgmentsAppendix 1: Basic Writing ConceptsAppendix 2: Exercise KeyIndex

“One of our biggest challenges as scientific writers has to be overcoming the temptation to write [with] jargon . . . and impenetrable complexity. This short book offers help (including exercises). Everyone—yes, everyone—should take advantage.”