BookStephen B. Heard.
Summary: 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 productEncourages habits that improve motivation and productivityExplains the structure of the scientific paper and the function of each partProvides detailed guidance on submission, review, revision, and publicationAddresses issues related to coauthorship, English as a second language, and more.
Contents:
Frontmatter
Contents
Preface
Part I. What Writing Is
1. On Bacon, Hobbes, and Newton, and the Selfishness of Writing Well
2. Genius, Craft, and What This Book Is About
Part II. Behavior
3. Reading
4. Managing Your Writing Behavior
5. Getting Started
6. Momentum
Part III. Content and Structure
7. Finding and Telling Your Story
8. The Canonical Structure of the Scientific Paper
9. Front Matter and Abstract
10. The Introduction Section
11. The Methods Section
12. The Results Section
13. The Discussion Section
14. Back Matter
15. Citations
16. Deviations from the IMRaD Canon
Part IV. Style
17. Paragraphs
18. Sentences
19. Words
20. Brevity
Part V. Revision
21. Self- Revision
22. Friendly Review
23. Formal Review
24. Revision and the "Response to Reviews"
Part VI. Some Loose Threads
25. The Diversity of Writing Forms
26. Managing Coauthorships
27. Writing in English for Non- Native Speakers
Part VII. Final Thoughts
28. On Whimsy, Jokes, and Beauty: Can Scientific Writing Be Enjoyed?
Acknowledgements
References
Permanent URLs
Index.