Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences

by McMillan, Victoria E.

• ISBN13: 9780312649715
• ISBN10: 0312649711
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Spiral Bound
• Copyright: 2011-12-07
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

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, poster presentations, and other forms of writing.

Author Biography

Victoria E. McMillan (PhD, Syracuse University) taught in the interdisciplinary writing department, the biology department, and the women's studies program at Colgate University. A behavioral ecologist who has published a number of scholarly and popular articles on animal behavior, McMillan is currently focusing her research activities on reproductive strategies in insects, dragonflies in particular.

Table of Contents

Preface
About the Author

 

How and Why Biologists Write: An Introduction to Biological Literature

 

CHAPTER 1 Locating and Using Biological Literature
 Searching the Literature
   Sample Database Search
 Using the Internet
 Reading Scientific Papers
 Taking Notes

 

CHAPTER 2 Handling Data and Using Statistics
 Getting Started
 Recording and Organizing Your Findings
 Using Statistics to Analyze Your Data

 

CHAPTER 3 Using Tables and Figures
 Tables
 Figures
 Checklist for Tables and Figures

 

CHAPTER 4 Writing Lab Reports and Research Papers
 Title
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 Acknowledgments
 Literature Cited
 Checklist for Lab Reports and Research Papers
  Sample Laboratory Report
  Sample Student Research Paper

 

 CHAPTER 5 Writing a Review Paper
 Choosing a Topic
 Deciding on a Title
 Working with the Literature
 Presenting Your Material
 Checklist for Review Papers
  Sample Review Paper

 

CHAPTER 6 Documenting the Paper
 Citing Sources in the Text
 Preparing the Literature Cited Section

 

CHAPTER 7 Drafting and Revising
 The First Draft
 Practical Suggestions for Revising
 Checking Content and Structure
 Improving Paragraphs
 Writing Clear, Accurate Sentences
 Avoiding Wordiness
 Verb Tense
 Punctuation

 

CHAPTER 8 Preparing the Final Draft
 Mechanics and Technicalities
 Manuscript Format
 Writing and Acknowledgments Section
 Proofreading

 

CHAPTER 9 Using Writing to Prepare for Examinations
 Getting the Most Out of Textbooks
 Taking Good Lecture Notes
 Preparing for Laboratory Exams
 Studying for Short-Answer Questions
 Answering Essay Questions

 

CHAPTER 10 Other Forms of Biological Writing
 Oral Presentations
  Sample PowerPoint Presentation
 Checklist for Oral Presentations
 Poster Presentations
Checklist for Poster Presentations
  Sample Poster Presentation
 Research Proposals
  Sample Research Proposal
 Letters of Application
  Sample Cover Letter
 Résumés
  Sample Résumé
  Sample Curriculum Vitae

 

Literature Cited

Index