Finding the “Pitch” in Ecological Writing

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Karst, J.
  • Cahill, J. F.
  • Lyons, D.

• This paper is the product of a seminar led by JC Cahill in response to a request by many graduate students and post-docs in our department to teach effective writing strategies. Rather than go over the mechanics of writing, JC introduced the concept of “pitch” and its importance in scientific writing. Many students requested a text version of his presentation, which was ultimately transformed into the current document. In this paper, we define and present “pitch,” and layout guidelines for bringing pitch to the two most common types of scientific writing, papers and grant applications. We suggest that once students have learned the mechanics of writing, the single most important thing students can do to write effectively is to find a clear pitch.

• Date created

  2011-01-01

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Cahill

• Type of Item

  Article (Published)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R36T0GW9S

• License

  © 2011 Ecological Society of America. This version of this article is open access and can be downloaded and shared. The original author(s) and source must be cited.