temporary link to chapter four

Online Course Chapter 4: Writing about Science
Section 8:
Writing for the Internet


Although the basic format of a news or feature story is similar for either print or the Internet, there are some particular considerations when writing for the Internet:

• Internet readers SURF and SCAN rather than read. As we’re all aware, reading long text from a computer screen is tiring for the eyes. Most people leave long text articles for when they are reclining in a chair or sipping tea at the breakfast table. So although the Internet does have the advantage of limitless space, people will only read your article if you keep it short and sweet.
• Structure your article so that a reader can get your main gist simply by scanning through the paragraphs while scrolling. Group ideas together and provide clear and indicative subtitles.
• Break up your article with small side-bars containing quotes or ideas from your article..
• Keep sentences and paragraphs shorter than they normally would be for print publications.
If you want to boost your status in the freelance market, it’s a good idea to provide your editor with additional material. Is there a complex scientific procedure that can be explained using graphics? It would be great if you could design your own graphics, but if the web team includes a graphic designer then you could suggest captions and a description and useful images for guiding the creation of an explanatory graphic. Alternatively you may find images that are freely available from elsewhere that the website could download and use. A picture file with accompanying captions or even some audio and video will really dress up your article. You can also hyperlink terms or names to other websites that provide additional information, or list resources at the end of your article to which readers can refer. Most websites won’t pay for the extra work, but the editor will certainly appreciate your efforts and may keep you on his or her priority list of writers. Your readers will benefit too.

Lesson highlight: When writing for the Internet, spice up your writing with hyperlinks, additional resources, and graphics. Write for scanners, not intense readers.