Table of Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
1 Communication Skills in Science 1
About this chapter 1
Why are communication skills important for scientists? 1
Scientific writing: a little bit of history 3
Scientific language 5
Peer review 6
Basic rules for writing (scientific) English 6
Punctuation 12
More on plural words 17
Commonly confused words 17
Commonly misspelled words 20
UK and American English 21
Further reading 22
2 Using Scientific Literature 23
About this chapter 23
What is scientific literature? 23
Where to start 28
Peer review 29
Why use scientific literature for your assignments? 30
Reading the literature 31
Using material from the Internet 42
Plagiarism 43
Referencing conventions 44
The Harvard style of referencing 45
Quotations and how to cite and reference them 47
Using software to generate your references 48
Examples of citations and references 48
References 59
Further reading 60
3 Essay Writing 61
About this chapter 61
The purpose of assignments 61
Why write an essay? 62
Skills 63
Preparation 63
The paragraph 69
The sentence 69
General points of style 71
Plagiarism 75
Examination essays 77
Further reading 80
4 Writing Practical Reports 83
About this chapter 83
Introduction 83
Some general points 84
What to do before the practical session 85
During the practical session 86
How should it be written? 87
Other forms of report 95
Further reading 96
5 The Project Report 97
About this chapter 97
Introduction 97
How to begin 98
Writing the report 101
Dissertation-based projects 108
Ethical issues to consider when reporting your project work 110
And finally... 111
Further reading 112
6 Scientific Posters 113
About this chapter 113
Why use posters? 113
When to use a poster format 114
Designing a poster 115
Printing your poster 120
Examples of posters 121
Further reading 124
7 Oral Presentations 125
About this chapter 125
Introduction 125
Rules to follow and pitfalls to avoid 126
Presentations with a group of participants 130
Summary: a quick guide to oral presentations 136
Further reading 137
8 Preparing a Curriculum Vitae and Job Application 139
About this chapter 139
Introduction 139
The curriculum vitae 141
Covering letters 144
Application forms 147
How to write a good personal statement 150
Interviews 151
Personal development planning 159
Some terms 159
Further reading 160
Index 161
