During this year, science studies and articles have circulated widely. Studies analyzing everything from the effectiveness of masks to the structure of COVID-19 have been flying around Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. These are all examples of scientific writing, which envelops works explaining, critiquing, and educating science.
Scientific writing is a large field, and its expectations vary widely. For example, this article discussing COVID-19 reinfections and this research article on fetal mast cells seem very different. Since one is intended for the general public and the other for those more experienced with science, they diverge in structure, language, and focus. The first article is structured like a standard article, uses plain language, and emphasizes impact and background; in contrast, the research article is constructed like a lab report, uses technical language, and emphasizes the process and results.
To understand scientific writing, it is important to understand not only the unique needs of the field as a whole but also the unique needs of its genres. This will be explored in the summary page.