The Scientist's Guide to Writing : How to Write More Easily and Effectively Throughout Your Scientific Career

Part I. What Writing Is. 1. On Bacon, Hobbes, and Newton, and the Selfishness of Writing Well ; 2. Genius, Craft, and What This Book Is About -- Part II. Behavior. 3. Reading ; 4. Managing Your Writing Behavior ; 5. Getting Started ; 6. Momentum -- Part III. Content and Structure. 7. Finding and Telling Your Story ; 8. The Canonical Structure of the Scientific Paper ; 9. Front Matter and Abstract ; 10. The Introduction Section ; 11. The Methods Section ; 12. The Results Section ; 13. The Discussion Section ; 14. Back Matter ; 15. Citations ; 16. Deviations from the IMRaD Canon -- Part IV. Style. 17. Paragraphs ; 18. Sentences ; 19. Words ; 20. Brevity -- Part V. Revision. 21. Self-Revision ; 22. Friendly Review ; 23. Formal Review ; 24. Revision and the "Response to Reviews" -- Part VI. Some Loose Threads. 25. The Diversity of Writing Forms ; 26. Managing Coauthorships ; 27. Writing in English for Non-Native Speakers -- Part VII. Final Thoughts. 28. On Whimsy, Jokes, and Beauty: Can Scientific Writing Be Enjoyed?;"The ability to write clearly is critical to any scientific career. The Scientist's Guide to Writing provides practical advice to help scientists become more effective writers so that their ideas have the greatest possible impact. Drawing on his own experience as a scientist, graduate adviser, and editor, Stephen Heard emphasizes that the goal of all scientific writing should be absolute clarity; that good writing takes deliberate practice; and that what many scientists need are not long lists of prescriptive rules but rather direct engagement with their behaviors and attitudes when they write. He combines advice on such topics as how to generate and maintain writing momentum with practical tips on structuring a scientific paper, revising a first draft, handling citations, responding to peer reviews, managing coauthorships, and more. In an accessible, informal tone, The Scientist's Guide to Writing explains essential techniques that students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists need to write more clearly, efficiently, and easily"--Back cover. A concise and accessible primer on the scientific writer's craft The ability to write clearly is critical to any scientific career. The Scientist's Guide to Writing provides practical advice to help scientists become more effective writers so that their ideas have the greatest possible impact. Drawing on his own experience as a scientist, graduate adviser, and editor, Stephen Heard emphasizes that the goal of all scientific writing should be absolute clarity; that good writing takes deliberate practice; and that what many scientists need are not long lists of prescriptive rules but rather direct engagement with their behaviors and attitudes when they write. He combines advice on such topics as how to generate and maintain writing momentum with practical tips on structuring a scientific paper, revising a first draft, handling citations, responding to peer reviews, managing coauthorships, and more. In an accessible, informal tone, The Scientist's Guide to Writing explains essential techniques that students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists need to write more clearly, efficiently, and easily. Emphasizes writing as a process, not just a product Encourages habits that improve motivation and productivity Explains the structure of the scientific paper and the function of each part Provides detailed guidance on submission, review, revision, and publication Addresses issues related to coauthorship, English as a second language, and more "The ability to write clearly is critical to any scientific career. The Scientist's Guide to Writing provides practical advice to help scientists become more effective writers so that their ideas have the greatest possible impact. Drawing on his own experience as a scientist, graduate adviser, and editor, Stephen Heard emphasizes that the goal of all scientific writing should be absolute clarity; that good writing takes deliberate practice; and that what many scientists need are not long lists of prescriptive rules but rather direct engagement with their behaviors and attitudes when they write. He combines advice on such topics as how to generate and maintain writing momentum with practical tips on structuring a scientific paper, revising a first draft, handling citations, responding to peer reviews, managing coauthorships, and more. In an accessible, informal tone, The Scientist's Guide to Writing explains essential techniques that students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists need to write more clearly, efficiently, and easily"--Page 4 de la couverture Contents Preface Part I. What Writing Is 1. On Bacon, Hobbes, and Newton, and the Selfishness of Writing Well 2. Genius, Craft, and What This Book Is About Part II. Behavior 3. Reading 4. Managing Your Writing Behavior 5. Getting Started 6. Momentum Part III. Content and Structure 7. Finding and Telling Your Story 8. The Canonical Structure of the Scientific Paper 9. Front Matter and Abstract 10. The Introduction Section 11. The Methods Section 12. The Results Section 13. The Discussion Section 14. Back Matter 15. Citations 16. Deviations from the IMRaD Canon Part IV. Style 17. Paragraphs 18. Sentences 19. Words 20. Brevity Part V. Revision 21. Self-Revision 22. Friendly Review 23. Formal Review 24. Revision and the “Response to Reviews” Part VI. Some Loose Threads 25. The Diversity of Writing Forms 26. Managing Coauthorships 27. Writing in English for Non-Native Speakers Part VII. Final Thoughts 28. On Whimsy, Jokes, and Beauty: Can Scientific Writing Be Enjoyed? Acknowledgements References Permanent URLs Index The ability to write clearly is critical to any scientific career. This book provides practical advice to help scientists become more effective writers so that their ideas have the greatest possible impact. Drawing on his own experience as a scientist, graduate adviser, and editor, the author emphasizes that the goal of all scientific writing should be absolute clarity, that good writing takes deliberate practice, and that what many scientists need are not long lists of prescriptive rules but rather direct engagement with their behaviors and attitudes when they write. The book combines advice on such topics as how to generate and maintain writing momentum with practical tips on structuring a scientific paper, revising a first draft, handling citations, responding to peer reviews, managing coauthorships, and more. The author explains essential techniques that students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists need to write more clearly, efficiently, and easily