Science Writing: Specialist and Non-specialist Genre and Style from the Late 19th Century and Early 21st Century

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Marker, K. (2018). Science Writing: Specialist and Non-specialist Genre and Style from the Late 19th Century and Early 21st Century. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

The first scientific journal was established in the 17th century. Over the last 140 years, science writing has developed along two clear lines targeting specialist and non-specialist audiences. In the 19th century, specialist publications Nature and Science and new periodicals targeting the non-specialist student of science Popular Science and Scientific American were founded. Now, in the first decades of the 21st century, writing in specialized scientific journals has become highly technical and often inaccessible to anyone outside of the field. The profession of popular science writing has also become more vital than ever as writers attempt to translate the important messages in scientific findings to a common language that the public, which funds most science research in the U.S., can understand. Identifying and understanding the development of key differences in style and genre between 21st century specialist and non-specialist writing is necessary for bridging the gap between science and the public. Additionally, tracking the genre’s evolution over time reveals the key similarities and differences in the authors’ purposes, audiences’ expectations, and conventions of the science journal article as a whole. To accomplish these goals, I present a genre and style analysis of science writing from three key periods of time: the 17th century, the late 19th century, and the early 21st century. For the decades of the 19th and 21st centuries, I analyze selected articles to compare features in selected specialist (Nature, Science) and non-specialist (Popular Science, Scientific American) journal articles.

Details
Author

Marker, Kara

Title

Science Writing: Specialist and Non-specialist Genre and Style from the Late 19th Century and Early 21st Century

Physical Description

1 online resource (134 pages) : PDF

Date

2018

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

The first scientific journal was established in the 17th century. Over the last 140 years, science writing has developed along two clear lines targeting specialist and non-specialist audiences. In the 19th century, specialist publications Nature and Science and new periodicals targeting the non-specialist student of science Popular Science and Scientific American were founded. Now, in the first decades of the 21st century, writing in specialized scientific journals has become highly technical and often inaccessible to anyone outside of the field. The profession of popular science writing has also become more vital than ever as writers attempt to translate the important messages in scientific findings to a common language that the public, which funds most science research in the U.S., can understand. Identifying and understanding the development of key differences in style and genre between 21st century specialist and non-specialist writing is necessary for bridging the gap between science and the public. Additionally, tracking the genre’s evolution over time reveals the key similarities and differences in the authors’ purposes, audiences’ expectations, and conventions of the science journal article as a whole. To accomplish these goals, I present a genre and style analysis of science writing from three key periods of time: the 17th century, the late 19th century, and the early 21st century. For the decades of the 19th and 21st centuries, I analyze selected articles to compare features in selected specialist (Nature, Science) and non-specialist (Popular Science, Scientific American) journal articles.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Communication of technical information

Degree

M.A.

Keywords

Genre and Style
Science Communication
Science Genre
Science Writing
Technical Writing

Subject Area

English

Advisor(s)

Wickliff, Gregory

Committee Members

Vorhies, Heather
Toscano, Aaron

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2018.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Marker_uncc_0694N_11735

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:1648