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Writing in Science

Einstein revolutionized science with his Theory of General Relativity. Goodall did with In the Shadow of Man. Sir Isaac Newton did with Principia Mathematica.

Scientists are writers. Or, to put it more accurately, writers are thinkers. When you write, you present ideas on the page, grapple with them, test them, and prove them (or disprove them). That’s just what scientists do.

When you write in science, you join a long history of people thinking on the page to better understand their world. This chapter shows you ways that writing can help your thinking in science, perhaps by writing a definition essay or comparing key topics.