The Scientist's Guide to Writing

The Scientist's Guide to Writing

Author: Stephen B. Heard

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2016-04-12

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 0691170223

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A concise and accessible primer on the scientific writer's craft The ability to write clearly is critical to any scientific career. The Scientist's Guide to Writing provides practical advice to help scientists become more effective writers so that their ideas have the greatest possible impact. Drawing on his own experience as a scientist, graduate adviser, and editor, Stephen Heard emphasizes that the goal of all scientific writing should be absolute clarity; that good writing takes deliberate practice; and that what many scientists need are not long lists of prescriptive rules but rather direct engagement with their behaviors and attitudes when they write. He combines advice on such topics as how to generate and maintain writing momentum with practical tips on structuring a scientific paper, revising a first draft, handling citations, responding to peer reviews, managing coauthorships, and more. In an accessible, informal tone, The Scientist's Guide to Writing explains essential techniques that students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists need to write more clearly, efficiently, and easily. Emphasizes writing as a process, not just a product Encourages habits that improve motivation and productivity Explains the structure of the scientific paper and the function of each part Provides detailed guidance on submission, review, revision, and publication Addresses issues related to coauthorship, English as a second language, and more


The Scientist’s Guide to Writing, 2nd Edition

The Scientist’s Guide to Writing, 2nd Edition

Author: Stephen B. Heard

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2022-02-08

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 0691219192

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An updated and expanded edition of the acclaimed writing guide for scientists The Scientist’s Guide to Writing explains the essential techniques that students, postdocs, and early-career scientists need to write more clearly, efficiently, and easily. Now fully updated and expanded, this incisive primer offers practical advice on such topics as generating and maintaining writing momentum, structuring a scientific paper, revising a first draft, handling citations, responding to peer reviews, managing coauthorships, and more. The ability to write clearly is critical to any scientific career. The Scientist’s Guide to Writing shows scientists how to become better writers so that their ideas have the greatest possible impact. New chapters discuss effective reading, choosing the right journal for your research, and the advantages and disadvantages of posting preprints Provides additional advice on reporting statistical results, dealing with conflicting peer reviews, managing coauthorships, writing with English as an additional language, and more Emphasizes writing as a process, not just a product Encourages habits that improve motivation and productivity Offers detailed guidance on submission, review, revision, and publication Includes a wealth of new exercises


Scientists Must Write

Scientists Must Write

Author: Robert Barrass

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-08-21

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1134991932

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This book, by a scientist, is not a textbook on English grammar: nor is it just one more book on how to write a technical report, or a thesis, or a paper for publication. It is about all the ways in which writing is important to scientists and engineers in helping them to remember to observe, to think, to plan, to organize and to communicate.


Writing Science in Plain English

Writing Science in Plain English

Author: Anne E. Greene

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2013-05-24

Total Pages: 137

ISBN-13: 022602640X

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Scientific writing is often dry, wordy, and difficult to understand. But, as Anne E. Greene shows in Writing Science in Plain English,writers from all scientific disciplines can learn to produce clear, concise prose by mastering just a few simple principles. This short, focused guide presents a dozen such principles based on what readers need in order to understand complex information, including concrete subjects, strong verbs, consistent terms, and organized paragraphs. The author, a biologist and an experienced teacher of scientific writing, illustrates each principle with real-life examples of both good and bad writing and shows how to revise bad writing to make it clearer and more concise. She ends each chapter with practice exercises so that readers can come away with new writing skills after just one sitting. Writing Science in Plain English can help writers at all levels of their academic and professional careers—undergraduate students working on research reports, established scientists writing articles and grant proposals, or agency employees working to follow the Plain Writing Act. This essential resource is the perfect companion for all who seek to write science effectively.


Writing Science

Writing Science

Author: Joshua Schimel

Publisher: OUP USA

Published: 2012-01-26

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0199760233

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This book takes an integrated approach, using the principles of story structure to discuss every aspect of successful science writing, from the overall structure of a paper or proposal to individual sections, paragraphs, sentences, and words. It begins by building core arguments, analyzing why some stories are engaging and memorable while others are quickly forgotten, and proceeds to the elements of story structure, showing how the structures scientists and researchers use in papers and proposals fit into classical models. The book targets the internal structure of a paper, explaining how to write clear and professional sections, paragraphs, and sentences in a way that is clear and compelling.


A Field Guide for Science Writers

A Field Guide for Science Writers

Author: Deborah Blum

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2005-09-08

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0199884099

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This is the official text for the National Association of Science Writers. In the eight years since the publication of the first edition of A Field Guide for Science Writing, much about the world has changed. Some of the leading issues in today's political marketplace - embryonic stem cell research, global warming, health care reform, space exploration, genetic privacy, germ warfare - are informed by scientific ideas. Never has it been more crucial for the lay public to be scientifically literate. That's where science writers come in. And that's why it's time for an update to the Field Guide, already a staple of science writing graduate programs across the country. The academic community has recently recognized how important it is for writers to become more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and skeptical about what they write. More than 50 institutions now offer training in science writing. In addition mid-career fellowships for science writers are growing, giving journalists the chance to return to major universities for specialized training. We applaud these developments, and hope to be part of them with this new edition of the Field Guide. In A Field Guide for Science Writers, 2nd Edition, the editors have assembled contributions from a collections of experienced journalists who are every bit as stellar as the group that contributed to the first edition. In the end, what we have are essays written by the very best in the science writing profession. These wonderful writers have written not only about style, but about content, too. These leaders in the profession describe how they work their way through the information glut to find the gems worth writing about. We also have chapters that provide the tools every good science writer needs: how to use statistics, how to weigh the merits of conflicting studies in scientific literature, how to report about risk. And, ultimately, how to write.


Am I Making Myself Clear?

Am I Making Myself Clear?

Author: Cornelia Dean

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2009-10-30

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 0674036352

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What we don’t know can hurt us—and does so every day. Climate change, health care policy, weapons of mass destruction, an aging infrastructure, stem cell research, endangered species, space exploration—all affect our lives as citizens and human beings in practical and profound ways. But unless we understand the science behind these issues, we cannot make reasonable decisions—and worse, we are susceptible to propaganda cloaked in scientific rhetoric. To convey the facts, this book suggests, scientists must take a more active role in making their work accessible to the media, and thus to the public. In Am I Making Myself Clear? Cornelia Dean, a distinguished science editor and reporter, urges scientists to overcome their institutional reticence and let their voices be heard beyond the forum of scholarly publication. By offering useful hints for improving their interactions with policymakers, the public, and her fellow journalists, Dean aims to change the attitude of scientists who scorn the mass media as an arena where important work is too often misrepresented or hyped. Even more important, she seeks to convince them of the value and urgency of communicating to the public. Am I Making Myself Clear? shows scientists how to speak to the public, handle the media, and describe their work to a lay audience on paper, online, and over the airwaves. It is a book that will improve the tone and content of debate over critical issues and will serve the interests of science and society.


Eloquent Science

Eloquent Science

Author: David Schultz

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-01-16

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 1935704036

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Mary Grace Soccio. My writing could not please this kindhearted woman, no matter how hard I tried. Although Gifed and Talented seventh-grade math posed no problem for me, the same was not true for Mrs. Soccio’s English class. I was frustrated that my frst assignment only netted me a C. I worked harder, making re- sion afer revision, a concept I had never really put much faith in before. At last, I produced an essay that seemed the apex of what I was capable of wr- ing. Although the topic of that essay is now lost to my memory, the grade I received was not: a B?. “Te best I could do was a B??” Te realization sank in that maybe I was not such a good writer. In those days, my youthful hubris did not understand abouc t apacity bui- ing. In other words, being challenged would result in my intellectual growth— an academic restatement of Nietzsche’s “What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.” Consequently, I asked to be withdrawn from Gifed and Talented English in the eighth grade.


The Craft of Science Writing

The Craft of Science Writing

Author: Siri Carpenter

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2024-11-05

Total Pages: 483

ISBN-13: 0226830284

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A deeply sourced, inclusive guide to all aspects of science writing with contributions from some of the most skilled and award-winning authors working today. Science writing has never been so critical to our world, and the demands on writers have never been greater. On any given day, a writer might need to explain the details of AI, analyze developments in climate change research, or serve as a watchdog helping to ensure the integrity of the scientific enterprise. At the same time, writers must spin tales that hook and keep readers, despite the endless other demands on their attention. How does one do it? The Craft of Science Writing is the authoritative guide. With pieces curated from the archives of science writers’ go-to online resource, The Open Notebook, this book explores strategies for finding and shaping story ideas, pitching editors, and building a specialty in science writing. It delves into fundamental skills that every science writer must learn, including planning their reporting; identifying, interviewing, and quoting sources; organizing interview notes; and crafting stories that engage and inform audiences. This expanded edition includes new introductory material and nine new essays focusing on such topics as how to establish a science beat, how to find and use quotes, how to critically evaluate scientific claims, how to use social media for reporting, and how to do data-driven reporting. In addition, there are essays on inclusivity in science writing, offering strategies for eradicating ableist language from stories, working with sensitivity readers, and breaking into English-language media for speakers of other languages. Through interviews with leading journalists offering behind-the-scenes inspiration as well as in-depth essays on the craft offering practical advice, readers will learn how the best science stories get made, from conception to completion. Contributors: Humberto Basilio, Siri Carpenter, Jeanne Erdmann, Dan Ferber, Tina Casagrand Foss, Geoffrey Giller, Laura Helmuth, Jane C. Hu, Alla Katsnelson, Roxanne Khamsi, Betsy Ladyzhets, Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Amanda Mascarelli, Robin Meadows, Kate Morgan, Tiên Nguyễn, Michelle Nijhuis, Aneri Pattani, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, Mallory Pickett, Kendall Powell, Tasneem Raja, Sandeep Ravindran, Marion Renault, Julia Rosen, Megha Satyanarayana, Christina Selby, Knvul Sheikh, Abdullahi Tsanni, Alexandra Witze, Katherine J. Wu, Wudan Yan, Ed Yong, Rachel Zamzow, Sarah Zhang, and Carl Zimmer


A Guide to the Scientific Career

A Guide to the Scientific Career

Author: Mohammadali M. Shoja

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2020-01-09

Total Pages: 786

ISBN-13: 1118907426

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A concise, easy-to-read source of essential tips and skills for writing research papers and career management In order to be truly successful in the biomedical professions, one must have excellent communication skills and networking abilities. Of equal importance is the possession of sufficient clinical knowledge, as well as a proficiency in conducting research and writing scientific papers. This unique and important book provides medical students and residents with the most commonly encountered topics in the academic and professional lifestyle, teaching them all of the practical nuances that are often only learned through experience. Written by a team of experienced professionals to help guide younger researchers, A Guide to the Scientific Career: Virtues, Communication, Research and Academic Writing features ten sections composed of seventy-four chapters that cover: qualities of research scientists; career satisfaction and its determinants; publishing in academic medicine; assessing a researcher’s scientific productivity and scholarly impact; manners in academics; communication skills; essence of collaborative research; dealing with manipulative people; writing and scientific misconduct: ethical and legal aspects; plagiarism; research regulations, proposals, grants, and practice; publication and resources; tips on writing every type of paper and report; and much more. An easy-to-read source of essential tips and skills for scientific research Emphasizes good communication skills, sound clinical judgment, knowledge of research methodology, and good writing skills Offers comprehensive guidelines that address every aspect of the medical student/resident academic and professional lifestyle Combines elements of a career-management guide and publication guide in one comprehensive reference source Includes selected personal stories by great researchers, fascinating writers, inspiring mentors, and extraordinary clinicians/scientists A Guide to the Scientific Career: Virtues, Communication, Research and Academic Writing is an excellent interdisciplinary text that will appeal to all medical students and scientists who seek to improve their writing and communication skills in order to make the most of their chosen career.