The Scientist's Guide to Writing

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

"Delightfully informative. Heard covers nearly every circumstance in which a scientist may need to write—from preparing a scientific paper for publication, to preparing a grant application, to responding to reviewers. This book is a gold mine of useful guidelines and good advice."—Mark P. Silverman, author of A Certain Uncertainty: Nature's Random Ways

Through engaging writing and practical writing advice, Beard attempts to guide the young science professional through the writing process to avoid common pitfalls. . . . Highly recommended, especially for academic libraries supporting applied sciences and research-heavy programs.---Megan W. Lowe, ARBA Online

"Writing skills are vital for scientists, contrary to persistent myths among some undergraduates. Stephen Heard has produced a helpful, tightly written guide that will help many in their quest to communicate their research elegantly."—Jeremy T. Kerr, University of Ottawa

Heard's book is both a delight to read and highly informative. . . . The Scientist’s Guide to Writing meets with my approval, strongly. I recommend Stephen Heard’s book to anyone, not just to scientists who choose to improve their academic writing.---Stephen K. Donovan, Journal of Scholarly Publishing

In an accessible, informal tone, this book explains essential techniques that students, postdoctoral researches, and early career scientists need to write more clearly, efficiently, and easily.

This book does a great job of providing readers with the tools needed to make writing easier and more effective by focusing on the process and developing the habit of writing. As a consequence, this is a great guide for graduate students, and will also be helpful to scientists who are looking for ways to improve their writing, and get more of it done.---Dianna K. Padilla, Quarterly Review of Biology

Heard provides a well-written, useful guide across the various scientific specialties, emphasizing the need to create a paper that clearly reflects the goal of the writer and also has literary merit.