30 Days to Better Business Writing

Step one: Realize that even though it looks pretty, a small font size can cause your writing to be unreadable. Even in full screen, the font is still half a point too small for extended reading.

And for good writing in general, read Orwell's Politics and the English Language.<p><i>1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.<p>2. Never us a long word where a short one will do.<p>3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.<p>4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.<p>5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.<p>6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.</i><p>Full essay: <a href="http://www.resort.com/~prime8/Orwell/patee.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.resort.com/~prime8/Orwell/patee.html</a>

Quote from the book:<p>“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities,” said Shunryu Suzuki, a Zen Buddhist priest, but “in the expert’s mind there are few.” We are all experts in our own world and the only way to get past that is to become professional beginners. (...)<p>Quite insightful, "professional beginners!"

Has anyone seen something similar to this for science writing? Academic papers, dissertations, etc.