Comparisons and Descriptions/Introduction

There are a variety of techniques that can be used to describe and compare, but selecting an appropriate one is especially important when communicating science. We often need to describe experiments, phenomena and/or situations of which our audiences have no experience (Taylor and Dewsbury, 2018).

More generally, using comparisons and descriptions selectively in your writing will also make it easier and more interesting to read. When done effectively, it will provide an extra level of engagement with your readers, which is useful if you have to use a certain amount of jargon or if you simply want to make your article more accessible. For example, if you have to explain how cell receptors work to an audience without specialist knowledge, it might be useful to describe them as "mini sorting machines," that "ensure only the right deliveries are made to specific cells."

Whenever you use a description or comparison in your writing, try to make sure that it is succinct, simple to understand/visualize, appropriate for your audience, and – most importantly – an accurate description of the more complex relationship you are trying to explain. For example, "winning that science scholarship" is not "like winning the lottery," because there was no skill involved in the latter. Instead, it is more "like getting your dream job."

Similes actively explain a comparison for a reader (e.g. "smaller rivers branch into bigger ones like blood vessels branching into major veins and arteries"), whereas metaphors turn one object into another, thereby leaving the reader to make the connection (e.g. the typical student’s study area is a disaster zone). Importantly, as Taylor and Dewsbury (2018) note, while these features of academic writing offer many descriptive possibilities, they also have limitations particularly in their potential to oversimplify scientific phenomena.These subtle differences are more important than you might think: Similes, if chosen appropriately for the audience at which they are aimed, should always be understood, whereas metaphors can "open the door" to personal interpretations.