Writing Scientific Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Writing Scientific Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders is a comprehensive guide to the preparation and publication of research papers for researchers in communication sciences and disorders. Individual chapters address the structure, content, and style of the introduction, method, results, and discussion sections of a research paper. The balance of the text examines the writing process, including the nuts and bolts of preparing tables and graphs, reviewing different voices and grammar issues, editing your own work, working with editors and peer reviewers, and getting started toward becoming a productive writer. Each topic is illustrated with informative examples, with clear, direct, and often humorous discussion of what makes the examples good or bad.

Writing is essential in nearly every profession and particularly in communication sciences and disorders, where researchers must be able to express complex ideas to a variety of audiences--from colleagues to members of health care teams to clients and family members. Therefore, competency in written expression is required for certification and entry into clinical practice in communication sciences and disorders.

Writing Scientific Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders will be a valuable supplementary text for undergraduate and graduate students in courses that include writing assignments and critical assessment of research literature, such as research methods and evidence-based clinical methods courses, as well as in thesis and dissertation preparation. Researchers looking for a guide to help improve their own writing will also find this text to be an invaluable resource that answers the big and little questions that arise in preparing manuscripts.

Robert H. Brookshire, PhD, CCC-SLP, F-ASHA, was the director of the Speech Pathology Section at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and a professor in the Communication Disorders Department at the University of Minnesota. He loved working with students, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, and guiding students through their graduate research.

Shelley B. Brundage, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-F, Fellow-ASHA is an associate professor in the Speech and Hearing Science Department at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington DC. She joined the GWU faculty in 2003 after teaching for ten years at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. She enjoys teaching graduate courses and a Writing in the Disciplines research course for undergraduate majors.