Successful scientific writing : a step-by-step guide for the biological and medical sciences / Janice R. Matthews, John M. Bowen, and Robert W. Matthews.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Matthews, Janice R., 1943-

Contributor:

Bowen, John M.

Matthews, Robert W., 1942-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Medical writing.

Physical Description:

xv, 235 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, U.K. ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Summary:

Successful scientific writing is a user-friendly book providing detailed practical guidance to help students and researchers in the biological and medical sciences to communicate their work effectively through the published literature.

This acclaimed step-by-step guide covers all aspects of typescript preparation from first to final draft, including word processor use and electronic database literature services. Abundant examples, practical advice and self-help exercises draw on the authors' extensive experience with actual typescripts. Uniform typescript format conventions given here are accepted by 500+journals.

Applicable to a variety of scientific writing contexts in the majority of disciplines, Successful scientific writing is a powerful tool for improving individual skills, as well as an eminently suitable text for classroom courses or seminars on scientific writing.

Contents:

1 From Start to Finish: The Big Picture 1

Scientific writing begins where research does

with a question 1

Keep the big picture in mind

Periodically assess research progress and direction

Organization is a journey, not a destination

Use many different search strategies

Make it easy to relocate relevant material

The message determines the medium 5

What message do I want to convey?

Which format is most appropriate for my message?

Who will be most interested in my message?

Where should this paper be published?

Evaluate journal suitability and impact

Avoid salami-slicing science

Write and revise systematically 10

Take charge with the Process Approach

Exercise 1-1. Message, format, and audience

Know when to stop

Keep tasks in perspective

Attention to detail: the "final" copy 13

Recheck journal format

Number all pages

Double-check the accuracy of references and attributions

Give the paper its final in-house double review

Submit the typescript for publication 16

Typescript, computer file, or both?

Include a cover letter with the typescript

Make at least three copies, and label everything

Package it carefully and mail it correctly

Back and forth: editorial review 18

What happens at the editor's office: round one

Deal respectfully with reviewers' comments

What happens at the editor's office: round two

Correct galley proof conscientiously 20

Read the proof carefully

Mark corrections attentively

Return proof promptly

Enjoy the fruits of your labor

2 Scientific Writing in the Computer Age 23

Conduct an efficient and thorough literature search 23

Understand the strengths of different communication channels

Informal channels directly link researchers and literature sources

Formal channels involve third parties

Compilations are there to help

use them!

Consult research bibliographies and research registers

Locate and use reference databases and abstracting services

Consult citation indexes and Dissertation Abstracts

Learn to use keyword search terms and apply Boolean logic

Plan an effective search strategy

Handle search results wisely

Exercise 2-1. Search strategy and Boolean logic

Use the Internet wisely and well 33

Know how the Internet is structured

Understand Web addresses

Know what Gopher is

Appreciate FTP

Be aware of telnet

Learn the differences between subject directories and search engines

Use broad and inclusive terms to search subject directories

Prefer narrowly defined and unusual terms with search engines

Take advantage of advanced search features

Keep your eyes and mind open to new services

Keep the Internet in perspective

Use email as a time-saving resource 40

Pay attention to details in email addresses

Be civil, circumspect, and courteous

Make your messages easy to read

Substitute for italics, if necessary

Use word processing to write more efficiently 43

Use automatic formatting to save time and ensure consistency

Create tables without the hassle of setting tabs

Use special features to handle mathematics

Use hidden text for notes

Plan ahead to make revisions easier

Save your work often, and always make backups

Revising with a word processor 46

Use special features to revise material easily on the screen

Resist premature cosmetic work

Use computerized grammar-checking programs wisely, if at all

Use a spellchecker but never entrust it with everything

Exercise 2-2. Grammar and style analysis programs

Exercise 2-3. Spellcheckers

Proofread the final version on paper

Guard your investment

3 Writing the First Draft 53

Organize and plan the content 53

To compile possibilities, consider brainstorming (random topic lists)

To suggest organization, try clustering (concept maps)

To assess balance, develop an issue tree

To develop the paper's framework, consider an outline

Deal with matters of authorship 59

Exercise 3-1. Organizing ideas

Discuss authorship before starting the first draft

Agree on the order of authors' names

Let authorship guide collaboration, and vice versa

Understand matters of copyright 62

Determine whether published material is copyrighted

Understand "fair use"

Understand how copyright affects your own publication

Follow standard structure 63

Introduction

What is the problem and why should anyone care?

Materials and Methods

How was the evidence obtained?

Results

What was found or seen?

Discussion and Conclusion

What do these findings mean?

The title

What is the paper about?

References

Who did what?

Abstracts and Summaries are different entities

Attend to the title page, keywords, acknowledgments, and the rest

Exercise 3-2. Title choices

Approach writing in a way that builds momentum

and keeps it 69

Start in the place that makes sense for you

Minimize distractions any way you can

Keep the text simple, but somewhat organized

When really pressed for time, spend more time on the first draft, not less

Write around missing information

Recognize the signs of bogging down

Deal constructively with writer's block

4 Supporting the Text With Tables and Figures 74

Choose visual aids wisely and use them well 74

Is this illustration really necessary?

Choose the illustration that best fits the purpose

Suit the illustration to the audience

Check journal requirements

Make each illustration independent but integral

Label illustrations carefully and completely

Use tables to present complex data or parallel descriptions 78

Word tables and numerical tables have their place

Understand how tables are constructed

Understand basic printers' terms

Use space efficiently

Draft concise table titles

Help readers make comparisons by organizing tables logically

Avoid grossly oversized tables

Watch the details!

Know when and how to include figures 85

Decide when a figure is appropriate

Make figures both independent and indispensable

Prepare attractive figures, but beware of "glitziness"

Pay attention to size and scale

Write and position legends carefully

Use graphs to promote understanding of numerical results 87

Keep line graphs simple

Limit logarithmic and scatter graphs to professional audiences

Reveal general relationships with bar graphs

Illustrate the relationship of parts to a whole with divided-circle graphs

Let pictographs show numerical relationships in a visually symbolic manner

Keep graphs visually honest

Use documentary illustrations effectively 92

Obtain the best documentation possible

Compose the illustration to help the reader

Use explanatory artwork effectively 94

What is a gazinta?

Guide readers through sequential processes with algorithms

Use traditional drawings to focus on essentials

Exercise 4-1. Table and figure format choices

5 Revising Structure and Style 99

Structural changes come first 100

Is the title accurate, succinct, and effective?

Does the abstract represent all the content within the allowed length?

Does the introductory material set the stage adequately but concisely?

Is the rest of the text in the right sequence?

Is all of the text really needed?

Is any needed content missing?

Do data in the text agree with data in the tables?

Are the correct references included?

Exercise 5-1. Revising the first draft

Should any of the tables or illustrations be omitted? Restructured? Combined?

Revise for clarity 104

Consider person and point of view

Exercise 5-2. Person and point of view

Pay attention to factors that influence readability

Strive for sentences of about 20 words

Limit average paragraph length

Present ideas in expected word order

Exercise 5-3. Readability

Uncouple long strings of nouns and adjectives

Exercise 5-4. Strings of pearls

Remove unnecessary hedging

Exercise 5-5. Hedging

Revise for brevity 114

Beware of verbiage

Remove empty fillers

Omit "hiccups" and other needless repetition

Shorten modifying phrases and clauses

Condense figure legends

Exercise 5-6. Revising for brevity

6 Checking Grammar and Number Use 119

Check for grammatical correctness 120

Decide whether active or passive voice is appropriate

Use the active voice unless you have good reason to use the passive

Check subject

verb agreement

Exercise 6-1. Active and passive voice

Rewrite sentences with collective nouns and noun phrases

Strings of subjects or verbs require special care

Move misplaced modifiers

Exercise 6-2. Subject

Deal with dangling participles

Exercise 6-3. Dangling participles and other misplaced modifiers

Watch the grammar in comparisons

Grammatical correctness and consistency are important for lists too

Exercise 6-4. Comparisons and lists

Use tense to show the status of the work being discussed 129

Use present tense when a fact has been published

Use present perfect tense for repeated events

Use past tense to discuss results that cannot be generalized

Use past tense for unpublished results

Use present tense to refer readers to your figures and tables

Treat numbers clearly and sensibly 131

Conservative rules determine when numbers should be spelled out

Exercise 6-5. Tense use

Know when to combine words and numbers

Do not start sentences with numerals

Prefer Arabic numerals to Roman numerals

Use the SI metric system for measurements and weights

Know how to express very large and very small numbers

Express percentages correctly

Report statistics sensibly and accurately

Use specialized symbols and notations sparingly and with care

Exercise 6-6. Number usage and interpretation

7 Revising for Word Choice 141

Recognize and minimize jargon 141

Watch out for spoken biomedical jargon

Watch -ology word endings

Avoid coining new words, phrases, or usage

Exercise 7-1. Jargon

If you must use computer jargon, use it appropriately

Use the right word 146

Watch out for commonly misused and confused word pairs

Beware of "which" and "that"

Exercise 7-2. Devil pairs

Use bias-free, inclusive language 151

Use language inclusively, specifying only those differences that are relevant

Be sensitive to group labels

Guard against the perception of bias or prejudice

Find alternatives to sexist language

Exercise 7-4. Handling language sensitively

Avoid awkward coinage

Revise for better verb choice 154

Watch out for lazy verbs

Unmask disguised verb forms

Search for warning words

Exercise 7-5. Lazy verbs and verbal nouns

Special tips when writers and readers have different first languages 157

Address second-language English readers effectively

Choose an effective approach when writing English as a second language

Distinguish between count nouns and noncount nouns

Watch use of definite and indefinite articles

Watch gerunds, infinitives, and participles

Understand participle use

Watch verb forms in conditional sentences

Peruse prepositions and prepositional phrases

Watch SVO word order

8 Revising Punctuation and Other Mechanics 165

Punctuate for clarity 165

Prefer the period

Prevent false joining

Insert commas for clarity and emphasis

Punctuate the elements of series clearly

Identify quoted passages from other texts

Know when not to use quotation marks

Hyphenation rules are complex and changing

Exercise 8-1. Punctuation

Capitalize consistently 172

Recall proper and common names

Capitalize significant words in titles

Exercise 8-2. Capitalization

Know how to treat scientific names 175

Capitalize everything but species and variety

Underline or italicize names of the genus, species, and below

Make the first mention a comprehensive one

Exercise 8-3. Scientific names

Know when and how to include trade names 178

Distinguish carefully between trade names and common names

Substitute generic or chemical names whenever possible

Cite trade names correctly

Watch foreign words and phrases 180

Consider degree of assimilation

Exercise 8-4. Trade names

Prefer English equivalents over Latin and Greek abbreviations

Exercise 8-5. Foreign words and phrases

Minimize abbreviations, acronyms, and other shortened forms 183

Avoid alphabet soup

Distinguish between abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms

Use approved forms

Define shortened forms at first mention

Pluralize correctly

Watch the names of geopolitical entities

When in doubt, spell it out

Exercise 8-6. Shortened forms

Practicing mixed corrections: a self-test 188

Appendix 1. Suggested responses to exercises and self-test 195

Appendix 2. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals 207.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0521789621

OCLC:

43786547