You’re writing about biotechnology. What are the essential technical skills you need to have?

Knowing the terms and being a biologist are really important to be able to write about these topics. There are different sector-related topics. Biology topics are vast and include but is not limited to science history, biochemistry, biophysics, biostatistics, biotechnology, microbiology, genetics,and biopharmaceutics. In the next layers, there are lots of detailed topics that are not covered by biology courses. However, even someone's writing about the industrial fields such as financial cases or bio equipment, having a basic knowledge about biology is essential. This "basic" depth should be defined case by case based on the audience.

The technical skills required in biotechnology can fit into 2 large categories: 1. The ability to setup and manipulate model systems for experimentation. These model systems are typically in the form of cell culture and animal models, but can also comprise of fundamental components such as enzymes, receptors, and even biomaterials. Good lab practices and aseptic handling skills are typically required in most scenarios across domains of biotechnology. 2. The ability to analyse or visualise the outcomes of the experiment. Imaging techniques such as brightfield and fluorescence microscopy are employed. Bioanalytical techniques such a qPCR, enzymatic assays, western blots, SDS-PAGE and SPR as a sensing platform may be employed for analysis

Biotechnology is a quite a broad field so at the beginning it is probably a good idea to specialize a little bit. Topics dealing with live cells (e.g. cell culture, stem cells, cell therapy) require different expertise than cell-free topics (e.g. enzyme production, sequencing,...). Best way to learn is to read about topics that interest you and look up the terms you don't know on wikipedia or other resource.

Having both formal training and hands-on training is key. My path was getting a PhD in human anatomy and neuroscience from a medical university. After that I was a post-doctoral researcher at another medical university conducting lab research on human disease. After those trainings, I got a job running a division that created training and trained senior executives in the biotechnology industry. Eventually, I leveraged my knowledge to work on drug development with global biotechnology firms. These learnings enabled me to write biotechnology technical documents like clinical study protocol, Investigator Brochures, safety summaries and more. By joining industry associations, and speaking and publishing, I became noticed globally.

Having a strong understanding of the principles and techniques used in biotechnology, such as DNA sequencing, recombinant DNA technology, PCR, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, is crucial. It is also important to have the right research skills to evaluate research studies, understanding statistical methods used in biotech research, and staying updated with the latest scientific advancements to write effectively about them.

Having common lab skills is a remarkable point for the ones engaging in writing in biology fields! If you ask an expert to write about a technique like PCR, she knows what parts are the main ones and which are the bottlenecks. She also can focus on the frequency of material supplement or write a detailed overview about comparing different PCR machines or techniques. It's not impossible to write in this field without efficient lab skills but I believe that the difference will be pretty obvious. On the other hand, most of the lab experts tend to ramble more about the details while in some cases, avoiding too much details is necessary to provide different types of audiences with clearer data.

Minimally, you should have an understanding of the data and the implications the data has. Obviously that comes with an understanding for the underlying biology and techniques used to measure said data. Beyond that, it mostly depends on your audience. If they’re also technical, then you’ll want to lean in on that with more intricate analysis which requires more technical knowledge of stats and how to get them. But if they’re not, then it’s more about a story and a few percentages to quote. I don’t think technically, you need hands on knowledge or experience though.

I'm a Biotechnologist and I like writing about different biotopics. However, it's a while that I've understood that writing without impressive visuals isn't effective. In addition, I believe that having data analysis skills and being able to use biostatistics tools to interpret pools of data in creative ways can lead to make an ideal content. Today, AI-integrating tools make it easier for people like me to creative visual contents but it's a fact that learning these groups of skills professionally can make a design fascinating. It's a great mixture of capabilities that sciart experts have!

Clarity beats clever every time. Simplify your text and be clear on what you want to convey. Avoid acronyms. My secret:- Read out loud (not in your head) every text you write, you will be amazed at how much you can simplify afterwards!

-Use examples of the different traits developed using biotechnology and use them to highlight that not all products are created the same. -Reflect on the regulatory frameworks in place and decision making process. Very little of these biosafety processes get out to the public.

First know your audience and people who consume your message, what their expectations are and start addressing them from that angle, from their knowledge space. Secondly know how to package your message and it should be in such a way that it's pitched at their level of understanding. Thirdly drive them slow into the technical details and still massaging the audience in such a way that he /she is not lost in the process. Fourthly, know the language to use so that you are not on your own in this technical terminology. If technical terms are used, always try to distil them for the audience to enjoy your writing. Thank you

I find it beneficial to not use obscure words when not necessary. Many writers use seldom used words (e.g. GRE words) in an effort to make themselves look erudite (why not just write educated). This is completely unnecessary and counterproductive since a lot of readers are not native speakers.

In graduate school for a science degree, you will write numerous documents including journal articles that you will publish in peer reviewed publications (research journals). That is a good place to get science writing skills. Even before that in college as an undergraduate, you can take writing and English courses to gain foundational writing skills. The more you write whether for profit or to gain experience by volunteering, the better you'll get. Ask other people to critique and give feedback on your writing. Scientific writing needs to be clear, concise and accurate as well as fit for purpose. In these ways it differs from literary writing.

Use simple language, free of scientific jargon. Communicate to be understood not to impress. Whenever possible, let the spokesperson be someone the audience relates and connects with. Biotechnology should be seen as science done by 'our very own" .

Talk to your audience in a way they understand. Use local language, if possible. Testimonies, real-life examples, and quotes give life to your story. Attempt to weave technical information into a story that flows from the beginning to the end of your article.