Successful Scientific Writing Full Canadian Binding: A Step-by-Step Guide for the Biological and Medical Sciences

by Janice R. Matthews , John M. Bowen , Robert W. Matthews

• ISBN13: 9780521789622
• ISBN10: 0521789621
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-18
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Successful Scientific Writing is a user-friendly book of detailed practical guidance which will enable students and researchers in the biological and medical sciences to communicate their work effectively through the published literature. This new edition of the acclaimed step-by-step guide encompasses all aspects of typescript preparation from first to final draft, including efficient use of word processing, electronic database literature services, the Internet and email. The authors provide sensible guidance on inclusive word choices and communication when writers and readers have different first languages. Abundant examples, practical advice and self-help exercises draw on extensive experience with actual typescripts. A detailed index and numerous references make information easy to find. Applicable to a variety of scientific writing contexts in the sciences, Successful Scientific Writing is a powerful tool for improving individual skills, as well as an eminently suitable text for classroom courses or seminars on scientific writing.

Author Biography

John M. Bowen is Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, former Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs, and former Director of the Veterinary Medical Experiment Station at the University of Georgia.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
From Start to Finish: The Big Picture	1	(22)
Scientific writing begins where research does-with a question	1	(4)
Keep the big picture in mind
Periodically assess research progress and direction
Organization is a journey, not a destination
Use many different search strategies
Make it easy to relocate relevant material
The message determines the medium	5	(5)
What message do I want to convey?
Which format is most appropriate for my message?
Who will be most interested in my message?
Where should this paper be published?
Evaluate journal suitability and impact
Avoid salami-slicing science
Write and revise systematically	10	(3)
Take charge with the Process Approach
Message, format, and audience
Know when to stop
Keep tasks in perspective
Attention to detail: the ``final'' copy	13	(3)
Recheck journal format
Number all pages
Double-check the accuracy of references and attributions
Give the paper its final in-house double review
Submit the typescript for publication	16	(2)
Typescript, computer file, or both?
Include a cover letter with the typescript
Make at least three copies, and label everything
Package it carefully and mail it correctly
Back and forth: editorial review	18	(2)
What happens at the editor's office: round one
Deal respectfully with reviewers' comments
What happens at the editor's office: round two
Correct galley proof conscientiously	20	(3)
Read the proof carefully
Mark corrections attentively
Return proof promptly
Enjoy the fruits of your labor
Scientific Writing In the Computer Age	23	(30)
Conduct an efficient and thorough literature search	23	(10)
Understand the strengths of different communication channels
Informal channels directly link researchers and literature sources
Formal channels involve third parties
Compilations are there to help-use them!
Consult research bibliographies and research registers
Locate and use reference databases and abstracting services
Consult citation indexes and Dissertation Abstracts
Learn to use keyword search terms and apply Boolean logic
Plan an effective search strategy
Handle search results wisely
Search strategy and Boolean logic
Use the Internet wisely and well	33	(7)
Know how the Internet is structured
Understand Web addresses
Know what Gopher is
Appreciate FTP
Be aware of telnet
Learn the differences between subject directories and search engines
Use broad and inclusive terms to search subject directories
Prefer narrowly defined and unusual terms with search engines
Take advantage of advanced search features
Keep your eyes and mind open to new services
Keep the Internet in perspective
Use email as a time-saving resource	40	(3)
Pay attention to details in email addresses
Be civil, circumspect, and courteous
Make your messages easy to read
Substitute for italics, if necessary
Use word processing to write more efficiently	43	(3)
Use automatic formatting to save time and ensure consistency
Create tables without the hassle of setting tabs
Use special features to handle mathematics
Use hidden text for notes
Plan ahead to make revisions easier
Save your work often, and always make backups
Revising with a word processor	46	(7)
Use special features to revise material easily on the screen
Resist premature cosmetic work
Use computerized grammar-checking programs wisely, if at all
Use a spellchecker but never entrust it with everything
Grammar and style analysis programs
Spellcheckers
Proofread the final version on paper
Guard your investment
Writing The First Draft	53	(21)
Organize and plan the content	53	(6)
To compile possibilities, consider brainstorming (random topic lists)
To suggest organization, try clustering (concept maps)
To assess balance, develop an issue tree
To develop the paper's framework, consider an outline
Deal with matters of authorship	59	(3)
Organizing ideas
Discuss authorship before starting the first draft
Agree on the order of authors' names
Let authorship guide collaboration, and vice versa
Understand matters of copyright	62	(1)
Determine whether published material is copyrighted
Understand ``fair use''
Understand how copyright affects your own publication
Follow standard structure	63	(6)
Introduction-What is the problem and why should anyone care?
Materials and Methods-How was the evidence obtained?
Results -- What was found or seen?
Discussion and Conclusion -- What do these findings mean?
The title -- What is the paper about?
References -- Who did what?
Abstracts and Summaries are different entities
Attend to the title page, keywords, acknowledgments, and the rest
Title choices
Approach writing in a way that builds momentum-and keeps it	69	(5)
Start in the place that makes sense for you
Minimize distractions any way you can
Keep the text simple, but somewhat organized
When really pressed for time, spend more time on the first draft, not less
Write around missing information
Recognize the signs of bogging down
Deal constructively with writer's block
Supporting the Text with Tables and Figures	74	(25)
Choose visual aids wisely and use them well	74	(4)
Is this illustration really necessary?
Choose the illustration that best fits the purpose
Suit the illustration to the audience
Check journal requirements
Make each illustration independent but integral
Label illustrations carefully and completely
Use tables to present complex data or parallel descriptions	78	(7)
Word tables and numerical tables have their place
Understand how tables are constructed
Understand basic printers' terms
Use space efficiently
Draft concise table titles
Help readers make comparisons by organizing tables logically
Avoid grossly oversized tables
Watch the details!
Know when and how to include figures	85	(2)
Decide when a figure is appropriate
Make figures both independent and indispensable
Prepare attractive figures, but beware of ``glitziness''
Pay attention to size and scale
Write and position legends carefully
Use graphs to promote understanding of numerical results	87	(5)
Keep line graphs simple
Limit logarithmic and scatter graphs to professional audiences
Reveal general relationships with bar graphs
Illustrate the relationship of parts to a whole with divided-circle graphs
Let pictographs show numerical relationships in a visually symbolic manner
Keep graphs visually honest
Use documentary illustrations effectively	92	(2)
Obtain the best documentation possible
Compose the illustration to help the reader
Use explanatory artwork effectively	94	(5)
What is a gazinta?
Guide readers through sequential processes with algorithms
Use traditional drawings to focus on essentials
Table and figure format choices
Revising Structure and Style	99	(20)
Structural changes come first	100	(4)
Is the title accurate, succinct, and effective?
Does the abstract represent all the content within the allowed length?
Does the introductory material set the stage adequately but concisely?
Is the rest of the text in the right sequence?
Is all of the text really needed?
Is any needed content missing?
Do data in the text agree with data in the tables?
Are the correct references included?
Revising the first draft
Should any of the tables or illustrations be omitted? Restructured? Combined?
Revise for clarity	104	(10)
Consider person and point of view
Person and point of view
Pay attention to factors that influence readability
Strive for sentences of about 20 words
Limit average paragraph length
Present ideas in expected word order
Readability
Uncouple long strings of nouns and adjectives
Strings of pearls
Remove unnecessary hedging
Hedging
Revise for brevity	114	(5)
Beware of verbiage
Remove empty fillers
Omit ``hiccups'' and other needless repetition
Shorten modifying phrases and clauses
Condense figure legends
Revising for brevity
Checking Grammar and Number Use	119	(22)
Check for grammatical correctness	120	(9)
Decide whether active or passive voice is appropriate
Use the active voice unless you have good reason to use the passive
Check subject--verb agreement
Active and passive voice
Rewrite sentences with collective nouns and noun phrases
Strings of subjects or verbs require special care
Move misplaced modifiers
Subject--verb agreement
Deal with dangling participles
Dangling participles and other misplaced modifiers
Watch the grammar in comparisons
Grammatical correctness and consistency are important for lists too
Comparisons and lists
Use tense to show the status of the work being discussed	129	(2)
Use present tense when a fact has been published
Use present perfect tense for repeated events
Use past tense to discuss results that cannot be generalized
Use past tense for unpublished results
Use present tense to refer readers to your figures and tables
Treat numbers clearly and sensibly	131	(10)
Conservative rules determine when numbers should be spelled out
Tense use
Know when to combine words and numbers
Do not start sentences with numerals
Prefer Arabic numerals to Roman numerals
Use the SI metric system for measurements and weights
Know how to express very large and very small numbers
Express percentages correctly
Report statistics sensibly and accurately
Use specialized symbols and notations sparingly and with care
Number usage and interpretation
Revising for Word Choice	141	(24)
Recognize and minimize jargon	141	(5)
Watch out for spoken biomedical jargon
Watch -ology word endings
Avoid coining new words, phrases, or usage
Jargon
If you must use computer jargon, use it appropriately
Use the right word	146	(5)
Watch out for commonly misused and confused word pairs
Beware of ``which'' and ``that''
Devil pairs
Which and that
Use bias-free, inclusive language	151	(3)
Use language inclusively, specifying only those differences that are relevant
Be sensitive to group labels
Guard against the perception of bias or prejudice
Find alternatives to sexist language
Handling language sensitively
Avoid awkward coinage
Revise for better verb choice	154	(3)
Watch out for lazy verbs
Unmask disguised verb forms
Search for warning words
Lazy verbs and verbal nouns
Special tips when writers and readers have different first languages	157	(8)
Address second-language English readers effectively
Choose an effective approach when writing English as a second language
Distinguish between count nouns and noncount nouns
Watch use of definite and indefinite articles
Watch gerunds, infinitives, and participles
Understand participle use
Watch verb forms in conditional sentences
Peruse prepositions and prepositional phrases
Watch SVO word order
Revising Punctuation and Other Mechanics	165	(25)
Punctuate for clarity	165	(7)
Prefer the period
Prevent false joining
Insert commas for clarity and emphasis
Punctuate the elements of series clearly
Identify quoted passages from other texts
Know when not to use quotation marks
Hyphenation rules are complex and changing
Punctuation
Capitalize consistently	172	(3)
Recall proper and common names
Capitalize significant words in titles
Check journal requirements
Capitalization
Know how to treat scientific names	175	(3)
Capitalize everything but species and variety
Underline or italicize names of the genus, species, and below
Make the first mention a comprehensive one
Scientific names
Know when and how to include trade names	178	(2)
Distinguish carefully between trade names and common names
Substitute generic or chemical names whenever possible
Cite trade names correctly
Watch foreign words and phrases	180	(3)
Consider degree of assimilation
Trade names
Prefer English equivalents over Latin and Greek abbreviations
Foreign words and phrases
Minimize abbreviations, acronyms, and other shortened forms	183	(5)
Avoid alphabet soup
Distinguish between abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms
Use approved forms
Define shortened forms at first mention
Pluralize correctly
Watch the names of geopolitical entities
When in doubt, spell it out
Shortened forms
Practicing mixed corrections: a self-test	188	(2)
Selected references	190	(5)
Appendix 1. Suggested responses to exercises and self-test	195	(12)
Appendix 2. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals	207	(24)
Index	231