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The Art of Scientific Writing¹

¹ From the Radiological Society of North America, 820 Jorie Blvd, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Address correspondence to the author (e-mail: lang@rsna.org).

Index terms: Radiology (journal)

Medical publishing has undergone many changes over the years, and the most recent changes have resulted from the development of the Internet and advances in printing technology. In the face of all these changes, however, one facet of medical publishing stays the same: the importance of language.

Robert A. Day, in his book Scientific English: A Guide for Scientists and Other Professionals (1), stated that "the basic purposes of scientific writing are (a) to record (the archival function of our research journals); (b) to inform peers; and (c) to educate the next generation of scientists." In addition, however, the Style Manual Committee of the Council of Science Editors (formerly the Council of Biology Editors) (2) pointed out that scientific writing need not be pedantic: "effective scientific prose is accurate, clear, economical, fluent, and graceful." For writers (and copy editors) to fulfill these objectives, they must have a command of the language and understand the guidelines for its use. Likewise, readers must have this same understanding if they are to comprehend the information being presented.

As readers of medical journals and possibly as authors of the scientific and editorial articles in them, you are probably aware of some of these guidelines simply because you have been exposed to them repeatedly. You probably also remember some of the rules your teachers drilled into you so many years ago ("Never split an infinitive." "Never leave a dangling participle." "Never start a sentence with ‘but.’"). These guidelines are especially important in scientific writing, where a misplaced modifier can change not only the meaning of a sentence but also the treatment of a patient. For example, notice the placement of the word "only" in the following sentences:

  Use radiation to treat only the patients with lymphoma.

Use only radiation to treat the patients with lymphoma.

The first sentence tells us that only the patients with lymphoma—and no other patients—should be treated with radiation. The second sentence tells us that patients with lymphoma should be treated only with radiation; no other treatment methods should be used.

Thus, to facilitate clarity and conciseness in the articles published in RSNA journals, manuscript editors edit the articles by following established guidelines. We point out to authors any substantive changes that must be made to conform to the guidelines, and we query the authors if text seems ambiguous or perhaps needs clarification. To stay current with new information, we seek information from authors and reviewers, attend courses, and consult resources such as textbooks and manufacturers. On occasion, we receive questions from authors about such things as grammar, punctuation, and nomenclature.

In this issue of Radiology, we present a series of articles written to answer some of these questions. We cover topics such as common grammatical errors and how to avoid them, how to determine correct nomenclature, the art of presenting data in figures and tables, and correct presentation of numbers and statistical information. Our purpose is not to dictate but rather to inform, so that authors, editors, reviewers, and readers alike will have the same understanding of the scientific information that appears in print and online in RSNA journals.

REFERENCES

1. Day RA. Scientific English: a guide for scientistis and other professionals Phoenix, Ariz: Oryx, 1992; 2.
2. Council of Biology Editors, Style Manual Committee. Scientific style and format: the CBE manual for authors, editors, and publishers 6th ed. Reston, Va: Council of Biology [Science] Editors, 1994; 101.

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