Interesting and easier-to-read alternatives to the scientific academic article
Short version: What is an equally informative, but more interesting alternative to typical academic-article-style scientific writing?
Longer version:
I love writing, I do a lot of it – fiction and non-fiction. However, I strongly dislike academic writing.
This is my last year of college before I graduate with an undergraduate degree in physics. To graduate I have to pass a physics course called “Intermediate Lab.” I have no problem doing the physics experiments in lab, but the subsequent “lab report” that we're required to write, essentially an academic article, is torturous for me. I do not intend to go into academia and I'm not particularly interested in the experiments themselves (they're all fairly basic experiments, e.g.: non-linear pendulum, voltage divider, etc.). Having spoken to my professor, he invited me to “break away” from the academic article style.
As long as I am able to convey: a) the setup of experiment performed, b) the data collected from the experiment, c) the physical theory behind the experiment, d) an analysis of experimental error, and e) ideas for future study, I can write my lab report (almost) any way I want.
Can you recommend any good writing, articles, methods, forms or styles that would help me write a lab-report in a style that would be compelling to read and would be enjoyable for me to write?
I'm not looking for an easier alternative to the standard lab-report, I'm looking for a more engaging alternative.
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In our college days, my best friend used to write his reports as diplomatic communiqués from Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan. Fortunately, the teacher was also a Trekkie, and appreciated the humor. YMMV on that one.
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Take a look at creative nonfiction. This approach relies on facts like a journalist, but uses the literary techniques of a novelist.
Lee Gutkind has promoted this genre extensively through Creative Nonfiction magazine and several books. You may be able to find some of them in your library. There's a book by Philip Gerard, also titled Creative Nonfiction, that discusses several examples of this style of writing.
Here's a video where Gutkind discusses how to convey factual information within a story framework.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/4552. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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