Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences

by MCMILLAN V

• ISBN13: 9780312115043
• ISBN10: 0312115040
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-08-01
• Publisher: St Martins Press

Summary

Written by a professional biologist who is also an experienced writing teacher, this comprehensive guide for students writing in biology, zoology, and botany provides detailed instruction on researching, drafting, revising, and documenting papers, reviews, and other forms of writing.

Table of Contents

Preface	iii
INTRODUCTION How and Why Biologists Write: An Introduction to Biological Literature	1	(6)
CHAPTER 1 Locating and Using Biological Literature	7	(15)
SEARCHING THE LITERATURE	7	(9)
READING SCIENTIFIC PAPERS	16	(2)
TAKING NOTES	18	(4)
CHAPTER 2 Handling Data	22	(10)
GETTING STARTED	22	(3)
RECORDING AND ORGANIZING YOUR FINDINGS	25	(3)
USING STATISTICS TO ANALYZE YOUR DATA	28	(4)
CHAPTER 3 Using Tables and Figures	32	(21)
TABLES	33	(6)
FIGURES	39	(14)
CHAPTER 4 Writing a Research Paper	53	(32)
TITLE	54	(3)
ABSTRACT	57	(4)
INTRODUCTION	61	(2)
MATERIALS AND METHODS	63	(5)
RESULTS	68	(5)
DISCUSSION	73	(4)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	77	(1)
REFERENCES	77	(1)
SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER	77	(8)
CHAPTER 5 Writing a Review paper	85	(18)
CHOOSING A TOPIC	85	(1)
DECIDING ON A TITLE	86	(1)
WORKING WITH THE LITERATURE	86	(1)
PRESENTING YOUR MATERIAL	87	(9)
SAMPLE REVIEW PAPER	96	(7)
CHAPTER 6 Documenting the Paper	103	(17)
CITING SOURCES IN THE TEXT	103	(10)
PREPARING THE REFERENCES SECTION	113	(7)
CHAPTER 7 Drafting and Revising	120	(26)
THE FIRST DRAFT	120	(2)
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR REVISING	122	(1)
REVISING WITH A WORD PROCESSOR	123	(1)
CHECKING CONTENT AND STRUCTURE	124	(2)
IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS	126	(3)
WRITING CLEAR, ACCURATE SENTENCES	129	(8)
AVOIDING WORDINESS	137	(4)
VERB TENSE	141	(1)
PUNCTUATION	142	(4)
CHAPTER 8 Preparing the Final Draft	146	(9)
MECHANICS AND TECHNICALITIES	146	(5)
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT	151	(3)
WRITING AN ACKNOWLEDGMENTS SECTION	154	(1)
PROOFREADING	154	(1)
CHAPTER 9 Using Writing to Prepare for Examinations	155	(7)
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF TEXTBOOKS	155	(1)
TAKING GOOD LECTURE NOTES	156	(1)
PREPARING FOR LABORATORY EXAMS	157	(1)
STUDYING FOR SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS	158	(1)
ANSWERING ESSAY QUESTIONS	159	(3)
CHAPTER 10 Other Forms of Biological Writing	162	(21)
ORAL PRESENTATIONS	162	(4)
POSTER PRESENTATIONS	166	(1)
RESEARCH PROPOSALS	167	(9)
LETTERS OF APPLICATION	176	(3)
RÉSUMÉS	179	(4)
Additional Readings	183	(6)
References Cited	189	(2)
Index	191