There are a couple of different opinions about the length of sentences in a scientific article. A scientific argument should be precise. It usually contains many technical terms that must be well-defined, thus should be described verbally. Descriptive phrases or sentences need to be linked somehow to the central message of the paragraph, which can be an idea, a claim, a result or a fact.

I have encountered two different guidelines for constructing paragraphs. The “survival guide for scientists” insists on short sentences. On the contrary, “academic writing for graduate students” insists on the “Flow: moving from one statement in a text to the next” and provides us with a full table of linking words and phrases that can be used for introducing clauses and phrases; it means making sentences longer.

In a discussion with a colleague, he suggested another available guideline. The suggestion was to combine short and long sentences, using the contrast for emphasizing the important message that is expressed in a single short sentence.