Most scientific papers consist of “predictable, stilted structure and language”, leading to consistently boring journal articles. Kaj Sand-Jensen, writing in the ecology journal Oikos, decided to investigate this problem and concluded his research by providing a set of recommendations for how to write consistently boring scientific articles (pdf):
- Avoid focus
- Avoid originality and personality
- Write l o n g contributions
- Remove most implications and every speculation
- Leave out illustrations, particularly good ones
- Omit necessary steps of reasoning
- Use many abbreviations and technical terms
- Suppress humor and flowery language
- Degrade species and biology to statistical elements
- Quote numerous papers for self-evident statements
Even though this was originally published in an ecology journal, you can’t fail to see how these recommendations apply to almost every other piece of written work.
via @Falijn