Tips for writing in Biology:
- Citations: No particular society or organization dictates the standards of writing in biology. Follow the citation requirements of your professor or the journal. When none is specified, use CSE.
- Formatting: Read the "Guide to Authors" when submitting research papers for publication - this is particularly important with interdisciplinary journals.
Writing styles:
- Biologists typically writing in third person
- Do not use contractions
- Differences in subdisciplines of biology:
- Ecologists often use metaphors and use an active voice when writing (e.g., the snail moved)
- Cell and molecular biologists follow standards of technical writing and typically use passive voice (e.g. the solution was mixed)
- Use quotes sparingly in writing and typically paraphrase content and provide the proper citation.
- Because vs Since: In many disciplines, these can be used interchangeably. In biology, "since" implies time; "because" gives a reason.
- Latin Names: This varies based on subdiscipline:
- In ecology, genus and species of any organism is always in italics of underlined. Genus is capitalized; species is not.
- In molecular biology, follow the format for the species of interest for genes and their products
- Chemical formulas: use subscripts:
not CO2.
- Units of measure: All units should be in metric or SI (international system).
*Compiled from Southwestern University's Guide for Writing in Biology found here: https://www.southwestern.edu/live/files/4167-guide-for-writing-in-biologypdf
*Photo used under Creative Commons license.
