- 06/08/2024
- Category: Press Release
Yogyakarta, July 30, 2024 – Writing popular scientific essays is an effective way to distribute information and arguments to the general public. By using easily understandable language, popular essays allow writers to reach a wider audience, including those outside the academic realm. Therefore, the Center for Digital Society initiated the Digital Practice #10 program titled “Writing Class: Understanding Popular Scientific Essay Writing,” to educate on writing popular essays according to established guidelines. Mashita Pithaloka Fandia (Lecturer in Communication Studies at Gadjah Mada University [UGM]) was the speaker on this occasion, moderated by Hafiz Ziqrirahman (Administration Officer CfDS).
Popular Scientific Essays
Mashita opened the training session by explaining that both popular and academic essays are fundamentally scientific and present the author’s arguments on the discussed topic. However, the fundamental difference between these two types of essays lies in their word count. Academic essays typically range from 2000 to 5000 words, aimed at academics and practitioners with formal language choices. In contrast, popular essays generally have a maximum of 1000 words, aimed at the general public with easily understandable language while still adhering to EYD (Enhanced Spelling System) rules. Popular essays should use grounded language to be accessible to a broad audience – similar to the style of essays found on The Conversation.
When writing popular essays, it is important for writers to understand the structure of the essay, such as the introduction, body, conclusion, and bibliography. This ensures that the presentation of arguments is well-conveyed, supported by data obtained through research. “With the right structure, essays can become effective tools for conveying scientific information to various groups,” Mashita concluded in the first session of her discussion.
Stages of Writing an Essay
In this second session, Mashita outlined tips for writing appropriate popular essays. Before starting the writing process, one of the most important steps is choosing the publication platform. Writers need to study the writing style, topics, and language suitable for the chosen platform to minimize publication rejection. Secondly, writers must read as much literature as possible to make their writing relevant to the topic at hand – which can include books, journal articles, and news. These reading materials should then be grouped based on similar themes in separate folders, and the important parts to be quoted in the writing should be noted. After gathering the appropriate reading materials, creating an outline of what will be discussed in the essay is also crucial.
The outline should then be developed, with each point having one main sentence and several supporting sentences. This essay should then be adjusted with an appropriate title that includes important terms and concepts discussed in the article. Writers should also include quotes and a bibliography according to the format used, such as APA, CMOS, etc. The final step is to revise, edit, and proofread the essay. “These stages will require consistency and discipline from the writer, so we need to keep practicing writing and seek feedback from others to improve our skills and the quality of our writing,” said Mashita, closing her training session.
Author: Muhammad Alfasya Syabil Sholatar
Editor: Allysa Putri Rendry
