How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper

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.

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

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.

Review :
The major sections, including the various parts of a scientific manuscript, have not changed significantly over the editions, as authors still need to choose coauthors to draft a Materials and Methods section. Day and Gastel provide common-sense, accurate advice as to how to handle these. The straightforward, hands-on advice remains a major strength. [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. 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. 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. 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. [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. 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. 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.