How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Definition of jargon
Avoiding jargon
Scientific style

Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.

—William Zinsser

Definition of jargon

According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition), definitions of jargon include the following: (1) “confused, unintelligible language”; (2) “the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group”; and (3) “obscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions and long words.”

The first and third types of jargon should be avoided. The second type (“technical terminology”) is much more difficult to avoid in scientific writing, and it may be used if readers already are familiar with it or if you have defined or explained it. If you are writing for a technically trained audience, only the unusual technical terms need explanation.