A cientific text it is a coherent set of statements related to science or scientific language. This type of texts uses a clear language and ordered sentences, with a quite simple syntax.
The goal is for this information to be interpreted correctly by a hearing, so these writings must communicate some true information.
In this type of literature, ambiguous terms should be avoided so that the meaning of the words is clear and there is no doubt about it.
Additionally, all kinds of subjectivity must be minimized. The text should be based on specific information and not on the author's opinions.
The objective of the scientific literature is to be understood by any person who belongs to the target group to which the text is being addressed.
It uses specific terminology while allowing accurate translations into other languages without any kind of interpretation errors.
These texts must present statements that can be tested to prove that the information presented is credible and real.
Generally this type of literature is produced in the scientific community to communicate and demonstrate some process achieved in a research work.
Definition
Scientific literature refers to the writing of any scientific subject, often presented in a non-technical manner so that it can be understood by an audience of non-scientific people.
This type of literature can also refer to the reports of scientific observations and results presented in a specific and conventional way to its branch.
Main characteristics
The idea is that scientific texts texts use elements that can explain information in a clear and simple way to the readers of the literature.
To achieve this understanding, explanation strategies such as verbs in active voice should be used, analogies Y metaphors , and explanations before reaching the conclusion.
Also very detailed explanations must be sacrificed so that the reader does not get lost in the text and can fully understand the information presented.
On many occasions, this type of texts resorts to"non-examples"; non-examples are examples of what something is not. Often that kind of explanation helps to clarify the element in question.
For example, if you wanted to explain the definition of groundwater you could say:"groundwater is not a body of water in the traditional sense; rather it is water that moves slowly through the cracks in the ground."
Categories
Commonly, this literature can be classified into four main categories: argumentative texts, referential texts, reports and instructive texts.
1- argumentative text
In the argumentative texts There are two positions, two opinions that compare one against the other.
The author attacks the opponent's ideas by reporting them briefly and then giving evidence to the contrary. Its objective is to provide and support a thesis with scientific evidence.
2- Referential text
These texts simply describe some phenomenon, such as the creation of the Universe, and are usually based on the logical cause.
Contrary to argumentative texts, the author does not participate ideologically or emotionally in what he is describing.
Its goal is to be as clear as possible since the purpose of this type of texts is to explain a phenomenon in the most transparent way.
3- Reports
The reports they are written texts to describe an event. Therefore they are developed with a time sequence structure, such as the phases of a laboratory experiment.
It seeks to describe in detail the time sequence of a procedure or the steps of an event.
4- Instructional texts
These texts tell the reader how to perform an action, such as how to connect a computer.
They are based on a series of imperative verbal forms. Your goal is to instruct the reader to perform a relevant task. The user manuals are instructional texts.
Structure
Scientific texts assume a different way of explaining events; This way can be very different from the usual one.
In general, a narrative text is associated with objective structures, while scientific literature is associated with logical structures.
Said in a more basic way, one can generalize and say that logical thinking informs experts about certain areas, while inexperienced ones concentrate on objective structures.
The scientific literature is easier to understand the more it resembles a narrative text, focusing on the objectives and human agents.
Examples
1- Organ transplant surgeries
"Keeping a dead body until its organs can be donated is a difficult process that requires the latest advances in medical technology. But it is also an anachronism in an era when medicine has become less invasive.
Fixing blocked coronary arteries, which not long ago required completely opening a patient's chest with a saw, can now be achieved by sending a tiny splint to the heart through the patient's leg.
Exploratory surgery has given rise to robot cameras in high resolution images. Nowadays advances are being made in gene therapy, where diseases can be cured even before they do any damage.
Compared to these cures at a micro scale, the transplants seem incredibly mechanical or invasive since they consist of saving the complete organs of a corpse with a heart that beats to place them in a different body".
2- Description of the thermometer
"Many thermometers are thin glass tubes filled with some liquid. Mercury and alcohol are often used in thermometers because they help maintain the liquid form over a wide range of temperatures.
Thermometers can measure the temperature due to a property called thermal expansion. The thermal expansion is the increase in volume of a substance due to the increase in temperature.
As the temperature of a substance increases, its particles move faster and spread.
That is why there is more space between them and the substance expands. Mercury and alcohol expand in amounts consistent with any change in temperature."
References
- Sample scientific text. Retrieved from readwritethink.org
- Science writing (2016). Retrieved from thoughtco.com
- The features of scientific texts. Retrieved from readytoteach.it
- Understanding scientific text. Recovered from mempowered.com
- What is the meaning of scientific text: concept and definition. Recovered from edukalife.blogspot.com