Image by Leonhard Niederwimmer from Pixabay
The path to success, where does it start? Any great science writer will tell you that great science pieces are made when you understand their three main elements. In Kathryn Schulz’s “The Really Big One,” there were three important elements that made it such a great essay. Her extensive research, the tone of the essay (her voice), and finally her topic.
The key to writing a great science-based article is to first pick a current and interesting topic. Shulz, in her essay, decided to expand upon the topic of earthquakes. While she did restate a lot of what we already knew to be true about earthquakes she also opened our eyes to a lot that we didn’t know and did her best to disclose every possible outcome for a hypothetical situation. This was important for Schulz and important for us as well because from the moment you begin writing any piece you must be focused on grabbing your audience’s attention. Whether that be with a unique topic, extensive research, or even a strong opening sentence. Your topic is the door that your audience will walk through, so wouldn’t you want to go above and beyond for such an important entrance?
Another essential element I found was doing extensive research. The truth is when it comes to these types of articles, you’re likely to attract a certain audience and no one else. So, how do you fix this? How do write a science-based article that attracts the attention of people from any and every field? The answer is you do your research. Doing extensive research on a topic means you know it like the back of your hand, which means you’ll know how to explain in plenty of fun and creative ways that will not only keep your audience engaged but entertained too. In Schulz’s “The Really Big One,” she displays a great knowledge of earthquakes, how they are caused, and how we should prepare for them. Schulz began her research journey by talking to the head of Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, Carmen Merlo. She wanted to not only learn more about the city of Portland’s emergency procedures—and just the ongoing horrors that the Northwest faces daily—but she also used that meeting as an opportunity to get in touch with a vast number of other people who would be able to further educate her on earthquakes and the horror that she and many others face.
It’s because of this great knowledge and incredible foresight that she was able to explain this topic so simply in her essay causing her audience—who may not have had any prior knowledge of earthquakes—to also acquire an immense understanding of her topic. Doing research seems like a given when discussing how to successfully write a science-based article but it’s still an important element that must be discussed. When doing research, you aren’t just simply looking up a source and paraphrasing a few sentences, you are trying to fully understand your topic so that you might be able to relay your findings to others in a cohesive and eloquent manner.
The tone of an essay is another element I found to be important in the path to a successful essay. Much like any essay (science based or otherwise) you must choose a tone that will best attract your audience. If your essay was being seen by children you might use a more informal and playful tone, while on the other hand if your essay is being seen by other researchers you may use a more professional tone. In Shulz’s essay, I would say she used a more informal tone—which made her essay feel more personal—while mainly using a third person point of view. I liked this approach because instead of feeling like I was reading a 50-page essay written by some stuffy old professor, I felt like I was sitting in a one-on-one class with a teacher who loved to talk about earthquakes, and they wanted to share their passion with me. It was this tone that kept me from suddenly getting bored and deciding to put down the essay and never read it again. Shulz had a way of not only capturing her audience but also keeping them entertained long enough to complete her story and she used these three elements to do just that.
Science Writings 