Biologists agree on several conventions when they write:
Scientific writing often uses the passive voice to describe how a researcher has performed an experiment (The sardine is heavily fished all over its distribution). The passive voice can be useful for drawing attention to the action itself, not to who has performed the action. But biologists increasingly use the active voice whenever possible to convey information clearly and efficiently (Spain and Morocco capture about 77% of the total annual catch).
As the use of the active voice becomes more widespread in scientific writing, the use of first-person pronouns (I and we) is acceptable, even preferred, if the passive voice creates awkward-sounding sentences and adds unnecessary words. Use first person if your focus is on decisions or judgments you made as a researcher. If your focus is on the experiment, method, or data, don’t insert yourself into the discussion.
Direct quotation of sources is rare; instead, biologists paraphrase to demonstrate their understanding of the source material and to convey information economically.
Biologists use the past tense to describe the materials and methods and the results of their own experiments.
Biologists use the present tense to describe the published findings of other studies.
Biologists often include specific scientific names for species (Hyla cinerea for the green treefrog, for instance).
Related topics:
Using the active voice
Appropriate uses of the passive voice
Special uses of tenses
passive voice A verb is in the passive voice when the subject receives the action of the verb: The butterfly was caught by Joan.
active voice A verb is in the active voice when its subject performs the action: Joan caught a butterfly.
paraphrase A restatement by a writer of a source's words or ideas in the writer's own words.