This handbook for technical and scientific writing describes in detail the various aspects, issues, and techniques of the endeavor. General topics include: audience analysis and document planning; writing for non-native audiences; grammar, usage, and revising; punctuation; acceptable spelling; incorporating specialized terminology; using numbers and symbols; quotations, citations, and references; creating indexes; creating nontextual information; creating usable data displays; and, designing useful documents. Within each general topic, information is arranged into an outline form, with main sections, smaller sections, and subsections. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Similar in concept to "The Chicago Manual of Style", this book is aimed at the scientific and technical writer or editor. It is organized in outline form with a listing of topics at the beginning of each chapter. Chapters include such subjects as audience analysis and document planning, paragraph and sentence construction, punctuation, scientific terminology, quotations, indexing, and design. Much of the advice here is not specific to science and technical writing. For instance, rules on plurals, possessives, and suffixes and prefixes are similar to those found in other style manuals. Other chapters, however, do contain unique material: "Specialized Terminology" gives lists of sci/tech terms, and "Numbers and Symbols" covers scientific notation and tells how to compare powers of 10
Useful chapters include those on creating indexes, illustrations, tables, charts, and page layout. Another addresses writing for audiences that include nonnative readers of English, since the scientific community is an international one. A major drawback, particularly in the sciences, is that this manual includes nothing on writing for electronic media, such as electronic newsletters, journals, and discussion groups, nor is mention made of the use of electronic-publishing software. A bibliography is arranged by chapter but doesn't have a list of specific style manuals in the sciences, such as the one from the American Chemical Society, nor is any reference made to the style requirements of major sci/tech journals such as "Science" and "Nature". Little space is devoted to citation practices in the sciences. The index at the back of the book is not as detailed as the one in "The Chicago Manual of Style"
For the advantages noted above, this manual can be a very useful guide for individual purchase or as a reference item in an office, but academic libraries will want to continue to rely on the style manuals published by the specific scientific disciplines. Public libraries will want to consider purchase for science and technical journalists.
"The book really shines when it tackles the specifics of science writing. The sections on scientific terms and symbols; technology terms; units of measurement; mathematical expressions; equations; and citations, notes, and references are invaluable for those who frequently deal with these issues." — Bob Andrews,Technical Communication
