Howto Series | #2 — What makes a scientific post stimulating

In my last post, I discussed about creating an irresistible photography content where hopefully, it'll get curators to kill (figuratively) for curation.
 

 

Being a curator trains me to have a quick eye for great contents and decide if they're worthy of curation or whitelist (for Smartsteem).

So in this issue, I'll share on some tips which makes a scientific piece beguiling, which isn't exactly a bad thing by the way.

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The Consult

 
So far, I have some Steemians who approached me to ask for feedback on their work in Discord, instead of leaving the links in the comments section. Perhaps it's not exactly a good idea to share the links and feedback in the comments section, as I would have thought?

I figured that it's probably quite an insensitive request for me to ask to leave the links in the comment section since not everybody is okay to be pinpointed of their work, not especially when you need to deal with the public attention.

If you feel more comfortable asking questions in Discord, it's probably a better alternative.

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The Dos and Don'ts

Do: If you're criticising an article, be sure to do it professionally and constructively

 

Original post here.

 

The Oomph Factor:

I picked his article for Curie because I thought he was challenging a flawed notion. Turned out to be one of the best I've curated but you should check out the comments section. Love it or hate it, the author gets you reading, and whether you're agreeing or disagreeing with him, he's caught your attention by merely stating and quoting other researchers and evidence to back his proposals. Insightful, argumentative and thought-provoking, I'd like to see more of this kind if critical analysis. Unfortunately, this could probably be his last writing (I hope it won't be for other critics though!) due to the complicated and backlash the author received in lieu of a positive appraisal for this post.

 

Don't: Insult the author and trash his/her work

 

Source

 

Source

 

The Yikes Factor:

Because it's not nice to blatantly insult people of their work. Unless you're talking to a plagiarist? Simple as that. You wouldn't like someone to trash your work, don't you? Unless it's a piece of cr@p, you can always work out a constructive argument to counteract a poorly written article. But if the article's plagiarised, be sure to report to the Steem Cleaners. Bonus: You'll get rewarded in the process of doing so too.

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Do: Cite the relevant sources

 

Original post here.

 

The Oomph Factor:

Contrary to his Steemit handle, @lesshorrible is pretty amazing when it comes to citing his work neatly. Whether you're quoting right off an article or citing your resources as the 'source,' you need to do it right and not just copy and paste the links like what most authors would have done in their writing. Of course, there are no hard rules that you need to cite correctly like the APA citation format, but it will help your readers refer to the additional sources easily and quickly when you hyperlink a word or referencing number like what @lesshorrible has done in his post.

 

Don't: Copy and paste directly from the source

 

They all have something in common.

 

The Yikes Factor:

Many science articles are just reporting the current news and updates. If that isn't turning you off yet, plenty of the articles are uplifted from the Internet— 100%. Some couldn't even be bothered to change or edit the sentences at all. Talk about plagiarism. Speaking of plagiarism, if you don't know about it yet, there are plenty of curators and bots out there to flag your profile if they catch you doing the copy and paste. If you're extracting a quote from an article, best is to cite and link it back to the source (as seen in the image above). Also, if you must, please give the credit where the credit is due. SteemSTEM has also written an elaborated post on copyright issues, so it's important to check it out to avoid getting into trouble.

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Do: Approach the article with an interesting perspective

 

Original post here.

 

The Oomph Factor:

Like how @nataschachem spins her articles in an entertaining manner, you should take a dive into her pieces and see how she constructs a boring report into an entertaining read. One of the attributing factors that make her article so good is that she organizes it well with bullet points and pictures.

 

Don't: Write a boring report

 

Interesting facts but could be better written.

 

The Yikes Factor:

Because journal articles are scientific and dry, you should not be writing a report that bores the readers even more, unless it's for academic purpose and scientific reporting. Show your readers some love. Let them have the icing on the cake rather than just the crust. Because the crust is hard to swallow, like in this case, the information. Some authors are really talented in writing entertaining and educational articles, I have included their sample writings at the end of this post.

 

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Tips for #science posts:

 

1. Organise your explanation. The drawback of journal articles and scientific posts is that they can be dull and dry to read. Inject wit, clarity, and opinion. Cite them appropriately where the credits are due. However, please avoid the "in a nutshell" phrase. Do we need that cliche?
2. Use clear, relevant pictures related to the topic. If you need the charts and diagrams, no hard rules are saying you can't. Spice up that boring article please, and your readers will thank you for it.
3. Use more specific tags like steemstem, engineering, or even psychology instead of generic ones like science. The more popular the tag is, the harder it is for you to be spotted for your great work. Imagine a pool full of people. How are you going to swim without being pushed around? In your case and Steemit's, being pushed down into the pool of contents.
4. Don't just discuss theories. Nobody likes a theory; it does wonders putting us to sleep. Explain how those theories work. Convert the messages into an application or real-life examples. Think case studies. For instance, if you like talking about business failures and successes, bring in case studies about how the Goliath brands rise from the pits of hell (in business).
5. If you're deliberated on psychology and mental health, share your personal stories or stories of someone you knew. Personalization goes a long way in attracting readers' attention, pulling them into your stories and even better, stories that they can all relate to. Everybody loves a good story. Storytelling works, not just for fictional genres but it'll also the dead pieces of scientific journals 🖤

 

More epic examples of super cool scientific reading materials by:

 
✰ @terrylovejoy with his intergalactic research and how to set up astronomical imaging to capture bright stars and mind-blowing constellations (including your fav Mars)

✰ @rocking-dave on his interesting insects talk. Read his title and you'll get what I mean.

✰ @pangoli on the wonders of the moon, cheese (really? or was it cheesy talk?) and sky.

✰ @juanjdiaz89 dives in on a difficult topic of dealing with diabetic people and how to deal with Hypoglycemia in this case.
 

PS: Check out other amazing authors and their works as curated by Curie in the recent authors' showcase.

Image credit: All public domain images are taken from Pexels unless stated otherwise.
 

These days I mostly write on Steemit.
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But these sites will eventually redirect you to my Steemit blog.
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