Writing in the Environmental Sciences: A Seven-Step Guide

As an environmental scientist, you are used to writing scientific articles, but how confident do you feel writing policy or regulatory documents? Do you feel you have the necessary writing skills to influence policy and inform the public? This refreshingly clear guide provides environmental scientists and conservation professionals with an effective writing process that can be applied in a range of financial, political, or organizational contexts. Baker outlines a replicable seven-step writing formula based on practical experience that acknowledges the complexities inherent in the worlds of endangered species, habitat conservation, and recovery planning. Using the formula, scientists will be able to communicate confidently and successfully with a multitude of audiences. Baker's guide is written for scientists, not professional writers. In it, best practices abound. Practical examples, strategies, and diagrams guide the reader at every step, and selected resources are provided for further reference.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Introduction; Step 1. Laying the foundation; Step 2. Exploring; Step 3. Arranging; Step 4. Selecting a writing style; Step 5. Crafting; Step 6. Revising; Step 7. Polishing; Conclusion; Appendix A: the 7 steps to writing with clarity; Appendix B: environmental research databases; Appendix C: sample style guide checklist; Appendix D: writing resources for long-term professional development; Appendix E: non-English related writing skills; References.

About the Author :
L. Michelle Baker is the founder of Conservation Writing Pro, which she established to help environmental scientists communicate their message and achieve their conservation goals. She gained a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the Catholic University of America, Washington DC, in 2008. She has developed courses and tools based on extensive experience teaching college students and training environmental scientists from government agencies including the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the United States Geological Survey, as well as various non-government organizations.

Review :
'For scientists wishing to write persuasively and in their own voices, L. Michelle Baker's Writing in the Environmental Sciences is an essential read. This seven-step guide is as well-written as it is instructive. It explains the writing process in both a welcome and digestible way. Michelle includes plenty of examples and writing tips to illustrate the major concepts, which when employed, yield clear and concise writing. That is critically important when distilling scientific method and results, and even more so when explaining the underlying assumptions and limitations. Likewise, when applying science in a regulatory or decision-making context, Michelle's thoughtful approach helps in crafting influential arguments. For those seeking to make science relevant, interesting, and compelling, Writing in the Environmental Sciences is the hammer in the conservation tool box.' David Rothstein, Environmental Attorney, Wildlife Biologist and Conservation Educator 'L. Michelle Baker's Writing in the Environmental Sciences is a clear, thoughtful, and comprehensive guide to a kind of writing that is both necessary and daunting. The author understands that writing takes place in larger contexts of institutional and disciplinary expectations, and she lays out a step-by-step guide to writing effectively within these contexts. This book covers all of the bases. It shows writers how to be clearer, more concise, and more persuasive. And it includes plentiful examples of what good writing looks like.' Michael Austin, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Evansville, Indiana