How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 6th Edition / Edition 6

by Robert A. Day, Barbara Gastel

Overview

To be useful, scientific research needs to be explained clearly to others—to colleagues, to administrators, to foundations and governmental bodies, and to the public. This thoroughly revised edition of the classic How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper gives beginning scientists and experienced researchers alike practical advice on writing about their work and publishing what they write. The core of the book consists of a how-to guide to writing and publishing research articles for scientific journals, explaining every step of the process, from choosing a suitable journal for your work to presenting the results and citing references. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper is the essential guide every scientist needs to achieve success in today's competitive environment.

This revised edition of How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper provides such practical advice for anyone working in any scientific discipline who needs to communicate his or her work effectively to others.

In addition to information on writing for scientific journals, the book provides additional advice for the scientist of the 21st century:

• What ethical issues are important in scientific publishing?

• What should a scientist know about rights and permissions?

• How does a scientist write a grant proposal, or prepare progress reports for administrators?

• What should a scientist know to work well with the media, or to write for a general audience?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313330407
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/30/2006
Edition description:	6TH
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	0.72(w) x 9.00(h) x 6.00(d)

About the Author

Robert A. Day is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Delaware, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in scientific writing from 1986 through 1999. He was previously Director of ISI Press, and served as Managing Editor of the Journal of Bacteriology and other journals published by the American Society for Microbiology. He is the author of Scientific English: A Guide for Scientists and Other Professionals, second edition (Greenwood, 1995).

Barbara Gastel is Associate Professor of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Humanities in Medicine, and Biotechnology at Texas A&M University. She is the author of Presenting Science to the Public, Teaching Science: A Guide for College and Professional School Instructors, and Health Writer's Handbook. She is editor of Science Editor, the periodical of the Council of Science Editors.

Table of Contents

Preface

A Word to International Readers

Some Preliminaries

What Is Scientific Writing?

Historical Perspectives

Approaching a Writing Project

What Is a Scientific Paper?

Ethics in Scientific Publishing

Where to Submit Your Manuscript

Preparing the Text

How to Prepare the Title

How to List the Authors and Addresses

How to Prepare the Abstract

How to Write the Introduction

How to Write the Materials and Methods Section

How to Write the Results

How to Write the Discussion

How to State the Acknowledgments

How to Cite the References

Preparing the Tables and Figures

How to Design Effective Tables

How to Prepare Effective Graphs

How to Prepare Effective Photographs

Publishing the Paper

Rights and Permissions

How to Submit the Manuscript

The Review Process (How to Deal with Editors)

The Publishing Process (How to Deal with Proofs)

Doing Other Writing for Publication

How to Write a Review Paper

How to Write Opinion (Book Reviews, Editorials, and Letters to the Editor)

How to Write a Book Chapter or a Book

How to Write for the Public

Conference Communications

How to Present a Paper Orally

How to Prepare a Poster

How to Write a Conference Report

Scientific Style

Use and Misuse of English

Avoiding Jargon

How and When to Use Abbreviations

Writing Clearly Across Cultures and Media

How to Write Science in English as a Foreign Language

Other Topics in Scientific Communication

How to Write a Thesis

How to Prepare a Curriculum Vitae

How to Prepare Grant Proposals and Progress Reports

How to Write a Recommendation Letter—And How to Ask for One

How to Work with the Media

How to Provide Peer Review

How to Seek a Scientific-Communication Career

Appendix 1

Selected Journal Title Word Abbreviations

Appendix 2

Words and Expressions to Avoid

Appendix 3

Prefixes and Abbreviations for SI (Système International) Units

Glossary of Technical Terms

References

Index

Editorial Reviews

"[I]f you know someone who is a scientist and who has to write and publish papers, recommend this book to them. It provides the kind of advice that scientists/authors need when preparing a paper." - Technical Communication


"Dr. Gastel addresses questions on a range of issues impacting today's scientific publishing world, including writing clearly across cultures and media; writing science in English as a foreign language; providing peer review; and how to work with the media….Academics and researchers, as well as authors, editors, and publishers of scientific papers, should gain a wealth of insights from one of the industry's leading thinkers." - Beyondthebook.com


"The book is an excellent self-help reference for researchers who write, and could be used as a course book or as a supplementary text for doctoral programmes that aim to train researchers in basic publication skills. It is also worth consulting by scientific-technical-medical translators and editors-in-training, because it provides and efficient, solid introduction to science 'genres', and contains useful guidance on scientific writing and style….[h]ighly recommended." - The Journal of the European Medical Writers Association


"If you're looking to welcome postdocs into a company or lab, a copy of the sixth edition of How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper is a good place to start. It acknowledges two ongoing and mutually supporting trends in science—broadening internationalism and digitizing of publishing—while delivering the basics to give a leg up for getting a paper published. It may even help new recruits become better scientists." - The Scientist


"[D]ay and Gastel concisely provide valuable, accurate, and up-to-date information. They focus on providing practical advice to readers, while still recognizing the difficulty and ambiguity of some aspects of the scientific writing and publishing process. No other available publication provides both the quality and quantity of information as this work which builds on the previous five editions….[t]he comprehensiveness of coverage regarding writing and publishing scientific papers by Day and Gastel ensure its appeal to academic and science audiences." - Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship


"Day and Gastel describe the basic practical principles of scientific writing that are accepted in most disciplines in a straightforward how-to or cookbook format. After dealing with preliminaries, they present sections on preparing the text, preparing tables and figures, publishing the paper, doing other writings for publication (such as book reviews or editorials), conference communication, scientific style, and other topics in scientific communication." - SciTech Book News


"This updated book provides advice for anyone working in a scientific discipline who needs to communicate his or her work effectively to others. The book's core consists of a how-to guide to writing and publishing research articles for scientific journals. It explains the steps of the process, from choosing a suitable journal for an author's work to presenting the results and citing references." -


"A scientific experiment, Day and Gastel explain, is not complete until its results are published. To that end, they provide this guide to writing scientific papers that are clear and effective, publishing those papers, and communicating as a science professional….This edition includes new chapters on writing a grant proposal, communicating science to the public, and providing peer review of another scientist's paper." - Nuclear News

From the Publisher