Writing Scientific Categories

If your topic involves interpreting a scientific development or process to a non-specialist audience, simplify and analyze the topic in your own mind by brainstorming as many statements as possible under these categories:

• Existence: How can the existence of X be shown?
• Quantity: How large/small is X? How fast?
• Comparison: Is X greater/less than Y? In what ways is X different from Y?
• Correlation: Does the speed of X vary with its weight?
• Causality: If X occurs, will Y also occur? How do we know?