Dear ECOLOGers,
Thanks to you incredible collaboration, I received over 50 emails of
suggestions for books on scientific writing. I thought everyone could
benefit from this, so here is a compilation of what I got:
TOP-5 MOST RECOMMENDED:
"How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper" by Robert Day
6th edition (2006)
Publisher: Greenwood
ISBN: 0313330409
"The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White
4th edition (1999)
Publisher: Longman
ISBN: 020530902X
"Writing Paper in the Biological Sciences" by Victoria McMillan
4th edition (2006)
Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin’s
ISBN: 0312440839
"The Craft of Scientific Writing" by Michael Alley
3rd edition (1996)
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0387947663
"They say / I say: the moves that matter in academic writing" by Graff
and Birkenstein
2nd edition (2009)
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 039393361X
OTHER BOOKS RECOMMENDED (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER):
"A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations;
Chicago Style (Students and Researchers)" by Kate Turabian
7th edition (2007)
Publisher: University of Chicago press
ISBN: 0226823377
"A rulebook for arguments " by Anthony Weston
4th edition (2008)
Publisher: Hackett Pub Co
ISBN: 0872209547
"A Short Guide to Writing About Biology" by Jan Pechenik
7th edition (2009)
Publisher: Longman
ISBN: 0205667279
"A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology" by Karin Knisely
3rd edition (2009)
Publisher: W.H. Freeman
ISBN: 1429234911
"Advice to a young scientist" by P.B. Medawar
1 edition (1981)
Publisher: Basic books
ISBN: 0465000924
"Communicating Science Effectively: A practical handbook for
integrating visual elements" by Thomas et al.
1 edition (2006)
Publisher: IWA publishing
ISBN: 1843391252
"Doing Science: Design, Analysis, and Communication of Scientific
Research " by Ivan Valiela
2nd edition (2009)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019538573X
"How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing"
by Paul Silvia
1 edition (2007)
Publisher: American psychological association (APA)
ISBN: 1591477433
"How to write and illustrate a scientific paper, 2nd edition" by Bjorn
Gustavii
2nd edition (2008)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 052170393X
"On writing Well; The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction" by William
Zinsser
30th anniversary edition (2006)
Publisher: Harper paperbacks
ISBN: 0060891548
"Practical Skills in Biology" by Jones, Reed and Weyers
4th edition (2007)
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 0131755099
"Scientific English: A Guide for Scientists and other Professionals"
by Robert Day
2nd edition (1995)
Publisher: Oryx press
ISBN: 0897749898
"Scientific Papers and Presentations" by Martha Davis
2nd edition (2004)
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0120884240
“Scientific Style and Format - The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors,
and Publishers” by the Council of Science Editors
7th edition (2006)
Publisher: CSE
ISBN: 097796650X
"Style - towards clarity and grace" by Joseph Williams
1 edition (1995)
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226899152
"Successful Scientific Writing; A step-by-step guide for the
biological and medical sciences " By Matthews and Matthews
3rd Edition (2007)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521699274
"The Elements of Teaching Writing: A Resource for Instructors in All
Disciplines" by Gottschalk and Hjortshoj
1 edition (2003)
Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin’s
ISBN: 0312406835
"Writing for Science" by Robert Goldbort
1 edition
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300117930
"Writing in the Sciences, Exploring conventions of scientific
discourse" by Penrose and Katz
3rd edition (2009)
Publisher: Longman
ISBN: 0205616712
"Writing Scientific Research Article: Strategy and Steps" by Cargill
and O'Connor
1 edition (2009)
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 1405193352
"Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to
Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis " by Joan Bolker
1 edition (1998)
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
ISBN: 080504891X
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Sand-Jensen, K. 2007. How to write consistently boring scientific
literature. Oikos. 116:723-727
WEBSITES:
http://classweb.gmu.edu/WAC/Biology/
http://ncep.amnh.org
Module on "Scientific Writing" that includes syntheses document on
scientific writing, a tutorial on conducing a literature search and an
exercise on researching scientific papers.
http://grad.berkeley.edu/acapro/pdf/scientific_writing.pdf
http://grad.uwo.ca/360/onlineResources.cfm?resource=writing
Voilà, thanks again!
Lyne Morissette, Ph.D.
Ecosystems & Marine mammals
Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski (UQAR-ISMER)
On Mar 3, 2010, at 4:02 PM, Lyne Morissette wrote:
Dear ECOLOGers,
I was wondering if any of you would have some suggestion on books or
texts providing tips on how
to improve scientific writing. I have read George Gopen’s book (The
sense of structure, writing from
the reader's perspective; 2004, Pearson Longman editors) and
recommend it, but I would like to
know if there are any other good references out there.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Lyne Morissette, PhD.
Ecosystems & marine mammals
Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski
