Style guide
A ScieBeta digest sounds the same whoever writes it: clear, factual, and honest about how strong the evidence is. This is the house voice — the same standard the writing tools follow. For structure and rules, see the submission guidelines.
Plain English first
Write so a motivated 12th-standard student understands the first read. Define jargon the first time you use it. Short sentences carry hard ideas better than long ones.
Factual, not promotional
Report findings. Skip “breakthrough”, “game-changing”, “miracle”. The science is interesting enough without inflation.
Third person
No “I think” or “in my view”. The digest presents evidence; the reader forms the view.
Specific over vague
“Reduced infections by 40% in a 2,000-person trial” beats “significantly improved outcomes”. Numbers and context build trust.
Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or several consistent large studies.
One or more solid, peer-reviewed studies with reasonable samples.
A single study, small sample, or recent finding not yet replicated.
Preprints and non-peer-reviewed work. Always flag the status.
- →Use headings (Methods, Limitations, etc.) to break up the body — readers scan before they read.
- →Bold the few terms that matter; do not bold whole sentences.
- →Keep paragraphs short — three or four sentences on a phone screen.
- →Link every source. If a claim has no source, either find one or cut the claim.
- →Add a featured image where it helps, but never a misleading or unrelated one.
When in doubt, read it aloud. If it sounds like a press release or an essay, rewrite it until it sounds like a clear explanation to a curious student. That voice is Sciebeta.