From Research to Manuscript: A Guide to Scientific Writing

Observations Plus Recipes It has been said that science is the orderly collection of facts about the natural world. Scientists, however, are wary of using the word ‘fact. ’ ‘Fact’ has the feeling of absoluteness and universality, whereas scientific observations are neither ab- lute nor universal. For example, ‘children have 20 deciduous [baby] teeth’ is an observation about the real world, but scientists would not call it a fact. Some children have fewer deciduous teeth, and some have more. Even those children who have exactly 20 deciduous teeth use the full set during only a part of their childhood. When they are babies and t- dlers, children have less than 20 visible teeth, and as they grow older, children begin to loose their deciduous teeth, which are then replaced by permanent teeth. ‘Children have 20 deciduous [baby] teeth’ is not even a complete scientific sta- ment. For one thing, the statement ‘children have 20 deciduous teeth’ does not tell us what we mean by ‘teeth. ’ When we say “teeth,” do we mean only those that can seen be with the unaided eye, or do we also include the hidden, unerupted teeth? An observation such as ‘children have 20 deciduous teeth’ is not a fact, and, by itself, it is not acceptable as a scientific statement until its terms are explained: scientifically, ‘children have 20 deciduous teeth’ must be accompanied by definitions and qualifiers.

Written in simple, straightforward language, From Research to Manuscript, explains how to understand and summarize a research project. It is a writing guide that goes beyond grammar and style by demonstrating how to pull together the information needed for each section of a polished scientific paper. This book is a systematic guide, leading you from the data on your desk through the drafts and rewrites that are needed to build a complete and tightly-written science article.

From Research to Manuscript:

• includes tools and techniques for structuring the sentences, paragraphs, and sections of a research paper.
• gives wide-ranging examples from well-written research articles.
• offers advice to speakers of other languages.
• explains the effective use of tables, graphs, statistics, and figures.
• shows you how to organize your data to clearly present your results.
• guides you through the process of manuscript submission and editorial review.

The updated second edition includes more examples, advice on publishing in online journals, software suggestions, and updated references.

Overall, From Research to Manuscript argues that scientists should be working on their paper during their active research. Writing will keep the research project organized, thorough, and thoughtful. From Research to Manuscript provides a format for integrating writing and research, so that you can strengthen your science, compose a better paper, and get the paper published.

 "Compulsory reading for post-docs wanting to achieve success in the scientific field."
(Ronan Bree, National University of Ireland, Galway)

"A great addition to the personal libraries of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows bent on careers in science. Many seasoned scientists could also be advised to read the book to improve their skillsin writing."
(Donald K. Ingram, Editor-in-Chief of AGE)