Questions tagged [science]
This tag should be used for questions related to the usage of science in your writing, such as when asking how much science you should use while constructing the world for your fictional novel. Contrast this with the [academic-writing] tag that is about writing in the context of science. If used together you should make clear how the science tag is related to the question, such as when asking how much research to do for your paper.
52 questions
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What would happen if all humans disappeared from the world today? [closed]
I would like to write a science fiction novel where, as of today (30 April 2023) all humans disappeared from the universe. All other animals, plants & fishes exist, just not humans.
What would be ...
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How to quote a list (for a scientific thesis)?
I would like to quote a list verbatim.
Let's say this is the list, and it's originally from a book:
Mathematics is essential in many fields, including natural science, engineering, medicine, finance, ...
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Magic and "Scientific" Magic
So, this would be my first short story, one that is set in a medieval world with sorcerers and magic and stuff. But the main problem comes when I decide to introduce a different character.
The main ...
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Should you cite the document you're refuting or only the documents you use to prove your argument in a research paper?
Should you cite the document you're refuting or only the documents you use to prove your argument in a research paper? I am wondering what's the consensus on this, because in my opinion, it doesn't ...
user36239
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How do you create new words if latin suffixes and prefixes are not sufficient in allowing you to create a new word you want to create?
How do you create new words if latin suffixes and prefixes are not sufficient in allowing you to create a new word you want to create? What are the things people use to make up for a lack of latin ...
user36239
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3
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What kind of alternative or futuristic energy source would you come up with? [closed]
I'm writing a sci-fi novel and am having a hard time coming up with a new energy source that DOESN'T revolve around the widely popular "nuclear" option everyone favors so much. I've tried ...
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What level of understanding should you have of Quantum Physics to write a hard science fiction novel?
What level of understanding should you have of Quantum Physics to write a hard science fiction novel? And how should you learn Quantum Physics in order to be able to write a hard science fiction novel?...
user36239
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List of symbols in dissertation with wide range of topics
Currently, I am writing a dissertation in computer science, which covers a relatively wide range of topics.
When creating the List of symbols I have the problem that many symbols appear several times. ...
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Writing about the historical relationship between math and physics
I'm not sure if this is best suited for Writing SE, or perhaps one of the science SE's. In any case, feel free to move this if fitting.
I've been tasked with writing a 20-30 page paper on the history ...
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Living Things From Non-Living atoms and molecules [closed]
The most amazing thing about a living system is that it is made up of non-living atoms and molecules!!!
This beautiful thought just got me awestruck, the abstract feelings that we have are just some ...
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How to avoid or mitigate heavy science lingo and "technobabble" in a science fiction story?
Background
I am currently working on a small science fiction story (as referenced in a previous question of mine). The main protagonist of the story is an autistic biologist who gets stranded on an ...
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Explicit scientific syntax for academic writing (like a programming language but for scientific reports and publishing)?
This is a project I am thinking of working on in the future.
Is anyone familiar with attempts to codify and create an explicit syntax for reporting science?
E.g. like you would have specific ...
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I'm trying to write a blog about future tech and science - where can I find ideas?
I watch Isaac Arthur and John Michael Godier; I’m looking for a site to help me write an online blog, that talks about a future science tech or idea every week (or every month; depending on my ...
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How to integrate letters, in-universe book Snippets and the like into a story
So, let's say the main characters enter a building, a really big laboratory of sorts. They don't know what was being worked on here, because no one is still there, it's been abandoned recently. But ...
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Is it acceptable to include articles written for assignments in one's portfolio?
Background: I'm coming from science and will start trying my luck at science journalism.
I already have clips from unpaid work on online media and my own blog posts. However, a few articles that I'...
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The unknown and unexplained in science fiction
Science fiction has been defined as a genre where the "incredible" elements are "recognizable as not-true, but also as not-unlike-true, not-flatly- (and in the current state of knowledge) impossible" (...
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How do I write a long title in APA?
I'm writing a science paper for school, and my teacher said I need a
short title (running title) and a long title that uses active voice (a sentence).
How do I write the long title?
The short title ...
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Scientific Reports - Significant Figures
I'm currently writing a report where I have a table stating certain parameter values and their errors. Obviously I want the report to look nice, but since the errors of certain parameters vary by ...
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How can I design a "rational" religion that eliminates faith as a requirement? [closed]
Faith is defined as a belief in God based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Religion and science can be seen to oppose one another due to conflicts between people of those practices. In my ...
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Making science for toddlers easy to remember
I have been intending to create a book for toddlers with basic scientific notions in it. Most books for this target readership that I have seen present whatever content in the form of a story, quite ...
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Do I really need to have a scientific explanation for my premise?
So, in my post-apocalyptic novel, the world was caught up in an international war (basically WWIII), and all the world's nuclear superpowers launched their warheads and killed much of the global ...
user34214
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What is a good way to foreshadow that magic is actually very advanced technology?
In a story I'm working on, humanity had sometime in the past reached a very advanced technological level (far higher than ours), but then had a devastating global war, and afterwards technology had ...
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What are some ways to make absurdity of certain ideas in fiction more palatable?
I am writing a science-fiction short story where there are a lot of pseudoscientific ideas being dealt constantly. I was wondering how to reduce the absurdity of some of those ideas using literary ...
user36239
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How to explain the main plot with science based concepts, without the non-sci-fi fans getting bored?
Let me explain: I'm writing a game where the Earth gets a massive biological attack from an alien race in the close future, and only a small part of the planet's life survived (few dozens of humans ...
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What means of publishing yields best reputation in scientific community?
If a post-graduate student has three unpublished studies, one of which is expected to have a high impact index, and the rest low impact, what should the student reserve his/her best work for, in order ...
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Proven psychological or scientific means of scaring people?
I already feel right out of the gate that this is going to be a naive question, but I'm going to ask it anyway.
I know that writing horror does not guarantee that you're particularly good at it, and ...
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4
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How can I mention errors in the data that I received in my thesis? Where to mention it?
I received data for data analysis for my Bachelor-Thesis. I still got 4 weeks left to finish the 40 pages and after having gotten all my results, my supervisor and I realized that the data that I ...
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Does everything have to be accurate?
Do I have to make everything apply to logic, physics, science, etc?
The Harry Potter series has been a major hit, and it is nowhere near to being scientifically possible. But I've noticed that I can'...
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12
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How should I respond to a supervisor/editor who thinks my technical writing is "too conversational?"
My team and I are drafting a technical report to summarize the methods and results of a pilot study we recently conducted. After drafting a handful of sections, I passed them off to our supervisor for ...
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Can tables describing data go into the materials and methods section?
I have a table that describes a dataset that I use for an analysis. The table describes the sample sizes of each of the four collecting events to create the dataset. It breaks down the dataset into ...
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What is a DF manuscript? [closed]
I apologize if this is obvious, but what is a D.F. manuscript? See this link for an example of the term's use.
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Scientific article: How to say that with our result something could be done but hasn't
I am writing something similar to a review article about a scientific insight that connects and streamlines a number of seemingly different previous results.
In the introduction, I give an example of ...
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2
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PhD -> Science writer: Solid move?
I'm currently working on my PhD in applied physics and would like to get a sense for what the typical career path and background looks like for science writers. Although I love working as a scientist,...
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Finding beta-readers for science | religion non-fiction
My question is similar to one asked previously. I'm writing non-fiction, topics on the intersection between science and religion--quantum mechanics, cosmology, evolution. I've published ebooks on ...
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3
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991
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Metaphors and other "tricks" in scientific papers
In scientific papers (in my case it's usually in computer science) it seems to me that some techniques which help in explaining concepts and technology are not used that much.
For example a metaphor ...
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How to write a paragraph describing motion? [closed]
I'm doing a lab report for a general physics course, and for a written portion I have to describe the motion of an object given by a position vs time graph. How do I stretch this into a 1/2-page ...
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Resources for non-technical science writing
Are there any (books, articles or other online) resources that give practical guidance on writing non-fiction to a general audience at a level less technical than a pure scientific paper? I am ...
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The Search for Good Places to Discuss Science for Worldbuilding
One of the major oversights of the worldbuilding process is that worldbuilders tunneled their focus on the story at hand, which usually means making things up as they go.
I can't afford that. How ...
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How do I describe Newtonian physics to the reader in a way that is realistic yet not too complex?
I have a story where I adhere strongly to plausible physics for space combat (some behind-the-scenes development for the story: How to Conduct Plausible Space Combat Intercepts and Tactical Options ...
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What is the image size in scientific paper if indicated as "a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image"?
I would like to submit my manuscript in ecology, containing Figures. However, in Author guidelines, I found that I have to
Indicate per figure if it is a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image.
...
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What is the best publisher for a computer science book
I'm a newbie...
I've some material I want to submit to an editor
for evaluation feedback about content relevance and quality
and the possibility of publishing a book...
What is the best way to face ...
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Would publishing my book like the "Stacks Project" increase the readership of my book?
I have written a book about my math discoveries. The book is available as a PDF file and as LaTeX files published in a Git hosting under Creative Commons license.
Will it increase readership of my ...
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How to find the balance between research and the obvious
I'm embarking on writing my first popular science book on a controversial subject. For sure the writing must be rational, coherent with a clear train of thought and littered with references to be ...
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The fine line between accurate science, and confusing my reader
I recently wrote a blog post (original here) about a scientific study. At the end, I included some "fine print" which states, among other things:
Correlation does not mean causation. It’s ...
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Technical writer degree with an English BA?
I'm desperately trying to get out of my dead end Federal job. I have a BA in English and a love of a lot of different topics, including several science fields. I would have Majored in science if I ...
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Use of realism in a fictional setting
I am writing a fictional novel. It is set in many fictional places and the book will have it's own set of rules of physics. However, I feel that if I lose the sense of realism too much there will be ...
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How to refer to magnetism in ancient cultures?
I need to make a character, who is agnostic of electricity, electromagnetic fields, and any modern age theories, refer to electromagnetic phenomena.
Ancient cultures, like greeks, chinese, were ...
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How to write realistic injury scenes?
I'm currently writing an apocalypse themed story. As with the territory, death and/or injuries happen. I'm wondering how other writers write these scenes realistically as far as science, medicine, ...
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Which sections to cover for my graduation thesis on BSS?
I'm not sure if I'm on right place to ask a simple suggestion, so please be kind and don't downvote my question. I'm not asking someone to do it for me, I just need short guidance how should I proceed....
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Should I prefer long or short sentences in scientific writing?
Currently, I am writing papers with rather short sentences: About half of them contain around 20 words, about 10% to 20% even less. I am doing this for three reasons:
I find short sentences easier ...
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