Summary

JJ Lim is a Malaysian nutrition scientist and doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland, contributing to Medium's Illumination publication to improve writing skills, communicate science effectively, and earn supplemental income.

Abstract

JJ Lim, a Human Nutrition graduate from the University of Nottingham, is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. Invited by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz, JJ writes for Illumination on Medium, a publication that supports diverse writers and promotes their work. JJ aims to enhance English writing proficiency, communicate scientific concepts in a reader-friendly manner, and generate side income through Medium. With a focus on nutrition, metabolism, appetite, and weight management, JJ's articles are grounded in scientific research, and he distinguishes personal opinions from scientific facts. JJ values the constructive community within Illumination and acknowledges the platform's role in his writing development.

Opinions

JJ Lim appreciates the opportunity to write for Illumination, highlighting its supportive community and the potential for writers to expand their reach.
He believes that to understand a subject, one must be able to explain it simply, emphasizing the need for clear communication in science.
JJ acknowledges the challenge of writing in English, as it is not his first language, and sees Medium as a platform to refine his writing skills.
He views Medium as a viable source of side income, particularly for those writing about science, and finds the platform's curation process beneficial.
JJ emphasizes the importance of distinguishing personal opinions from scientific facts in his writing to maintain credibility and transparency.
He values the meaningful interactions with other writers on the Slack channel provided by Illumination.
JJ expresses a desire to translate his scientific articles into more accessible pieces on Medium for a broader audience.

Author’s Biography: JJ Lim

Who Am I And What Am I Doing On Medium?

Hi readers, I am glad to be invited by Dr Mehmet Yildiz to write for Illumination on Medium. Illumination is indeed an outstanding publication on Medium with writers of a diverse background. Illumination is like a mini-Medium itself, with Dr Mehmet Yildiz’s team constantly promoting its writers and articles, boosting the reach of articles beyond what is possible by individual authors. Moreover, there are plenty of opportunities for writers to interact with each other meaningfully on our Slack channel.

Who am I?

I am originally from Malaysia, graduated with a BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition, from The University of Nottingham, and now pursuing a doctoral degree in Biological Sciences, major in Human Nutrition, at The University of Auckland, New Zealand.

To date, I have authored two scientifical articles. The first article is part of my Honours Degree’s research project, investigating the salt consumption among young university’s adult in Malaysia.

A screenshot from the author. Source: Bioscience Horizons

The second article is part of my doctoral degree’s research project, reviewing the role of satiety hormones in modifying our feelings of appetite and eating behaviour.

A screenshot from the author. Source: NCBI

In the near future, I aim to publish more scientific articles. Of course, I will be writing some science communication articles casually on Medium. In the near future, it is within my writing plan to translate my scientific articles to articles on Medium.

Apart from science and writing, I used to enjoy creating music, by playing musical instruments and creating midi using a music notation software. However, I did not have this opportunity since I moved to New Zealand as I have neither musical instruments nor music notation software anymore. I occasionally mark exam papers and also used to work as an online tutor prior to joining Medium. Nowadays, I am quite busy at the final-stage of my doctoral degree, which is thesis write-up.

Why am I on Medium?

First of all, I would like to polish my English writing skills. Since English language is not my first language, I honestly face a lot of difficulties being able to write fluently and quickly, with little grammatical errors.

Secondly, to understand something well enough, we must be able to explain it simply. Academics and researchers are very well trained in writing research papers. However, the language for essay or blog writing is very different from academic research papers. For example, research papers are full of passive voices and jargons. Moreover, research papers are monotone and can be quite boring as we are trained to use consistent wordings to meet clarity ends. Bombastic phrases and creative writings are the primary weakness of many researchers. Hopefully, I get to improve my science communication writing skills by writing on Medium.

Thirdly, Medium is a good way to earn side income. I think it is quite easy to earn back the $5 monthly membership if we write about science and get curated by Medium.

Why do I write for Illumination?

Illumination is not your clap-for-clap group. We have many Samaritans who can help you with proof-reading or giving constructive advice to write a good piece. Furthermore, you build connections with real people via LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Dr Mehmet had put in unprecedented efforts in coordinating this.

Examples of my writings

I mainly write about nutrition, metabolism, appetite and weight management. I write factual articles substantiated by scientific research. When I write my personal opinion, it is my style to distinguish my personal opinion from scientific opinion, by using phrases such as “I believe”, “I hope”, “In my opinion”, etc.

Here are my top 3 performing articles of all time:

Why do we gain weight each year? Science explains.

Understanding the science behind age-related weight gain may help you to strategise weight maintenance.

medium.com

What Is A Healthier Lunch After Skipping Breakfast? Science Explains.

Skipping breakfast elevates post-lunch glucose level. Alleviate it by having a healthier lunch.

medium.com

Why Not Move Some Protein From Dinner To Breakfast? Science Explains.

Too much protein at dinner, if you do not use it, you lose it.

medium.com

These 2 articles are contributed to Illumination which I wish could perform better:

What Do Health Experts Mean By “Inflammation”?

We frequently use this technical term in daily conversations, but do we really understand it?

medium.com

How can you identify a credible nutrition blog post?

Checklists developed by researchers for lay readers

medium.com

Let this biography maintains a ripple effect

I appreciate Lanu Pitan mentioned me in her biography.

Shin Jie Yong is a young and brilliant researcher. Achieving 1k followers on Medium within 5 months (I think). He is an editor for Illumination and a good reader. His owns a unique writing niche on Medium, writing all sorts of things related to the microscopic living beings and how they affect human life.

Thanks for reading my biography.