Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences

by Victoria E. McMillan

• ISBN13: 9780312258573
• ISBN10: 0312258577
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Spiral Bound
• Copyright: 2001-02-19
• 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, and other forms of writing.

Table of Contents

Preface	v
Introduction How and Why Biologists Write: An Introduction to Biological Literature	1	(4)
Locating and Using Biological Literature	5	(15)
Searching the Literature	5	(6)
Using the Internet	11	(3)
Reading Scientific Papers	14	(2)
Taking Notes	16	(4)
Handling Data	20	(10)
Getting Started	20	(3)
Recording and Organizing Your Findings	23	(3)
Using Statistics to Analyze Your Data	26	(4)
Using Tables and Figures	30	(21)
Tables	31	(7)
Figures	38	(13)
Writing A Research Paper	51	(37)
Title	52	(3)
Abstract	55	(4)
Introduction	59	(2)
Materials and Methods	61	(5)
Results	66	(5)
Discussion	71	(4)
Acknowledgments	75	(1)
Literature Cited	76	(1)
Sample Research Paper	76	(12)
Writing a Review Paper	88	(19)
Choosing a Topic	89	(1)
Deciding on a Title	90	(1)
Working With the Literature	90	(1)
Presenting Your Material	91	(9)
Sample Review Paper	100	(7)
Documenting the Paper	107	(19)
Citing Sources in the Text	107	(10)
Preparing the Literature Cited Section	117	(9)
Drafting and Revising	126	(26)
The First Draft	126	(2)
Practical Suggestions for Revising	128	(2)
Checking Content and Structure	130	(2)
Improving Paragraphs	132	(3)
Writing Clear, Accurate Sentences	135	(8)
Avoiding Wordiness	143	(4)
Verb Tense	147	(1)
Punctuation	148	(4)
Preparing the Final Draft	152	(9)
Mechanics and Technicalities	152	(5)
Manuscript Format	157	(3)
Writing an Acknowledgments Section	160	(1)
Proofreading	160	(1)
Using Writing to Prepare for Examinations	161	(9)
Getting The Most Out of Textbooks	161	(1)
Taking Good Lecture Notes	162	(1)
Preparing For Laboratory Exams	163	(2)
Studying' For Short-Answer Questions	165	(2)
Answering Essay Questions	167	(3)
Other Forms of Biological Writing	170	(23)
Oral Presentations	170	(4)
Poster Presentations	174	(1)
Research Proposals	175	(9)
Letters of Application	184	(2)
Sample Cover Letter	186	(1)
Resumes	187	(3)
Sample Resume	190	(1)
Sample Curriculum Vitae	191	(2)
Additional Readings	193	(4)
Literature Cited	197	(2)
Index	199