Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words

Telling people about research is just as important as doing it. But many competent researchers are wary of scientific writing, despite its importance for sharpening scientific thinking, advancing their career, obtaining funding for their work and growing the prestige of their institution.

This second edition of David Lindsay’s popular book Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words presents a way of thinking about writing that builds on the way good scientists think about research. The simple principles in this book will help you to clarify the objectives of your work and present your results with impact. Fully updated throughout, with practical examples of good and bad writing, an expanded chapter on writing for non-scientists and a new chapter on writing grant applications, this book makes communicating research easier and encourages researchers to write confidently.

It is an ideal reference for researchers preparing journal articles, posters, conference presentations, reviews and popular articles; for students preparing theses; and for researchers whose first language is not English.

• Makes it easy to understand what goes where in scientific publications and, equally importantly, why
• Reinforces principles with examples of good and bad writing
• Addresses new issues for publishing, including open access and predatory journals
• Emphasizes writing effectively in other media that scientists must use, including conference papers, posters, theses, reviews, popular articles and grant applications
• Explains the principles behind writing and how it affects readers rather than proposing recipes for good writing

David Lindsay was a researcher and teacher in animal biology and behavior at the University of Western Australia for 33 years. He initiated formal studies in writing for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Now retired from active research, he teaches scientific writing to scientists all over the world.