A Scientific Approach to Scientific Writing - by John Blackwell & Jan Martin (Paperback)

About the Book

This linguistic guide to writing a scientific paper for submission to a peer-reviewed journal also demonstrates how to address referees' comments and responses. It focuses less on grammar and vocabulary than on vital elements of discourse such as tenses.

Book Synopsis

This guide provides a framework, starting from simple statements, for writing papers for submission to peer-reviewed journals. It also describes how to address referees' comments, approaches for composing other types of scientific communications, and key linguistic aspects of scientific writing.

From the Back Cover

This volume systematically guides readers through the process of writing scientific papers for submission to peer-reviewed journals, and addressing referees' responses. Beyond merely listing elements required for successful scientific writing, A Scientific Approach to Scientific Writing offers researchers a full framework for constructing papers, starting from brief statements regarding the rationale, objectives, findings and implications of the study. The writing process is illustrated through four exemplar studies of increasing complexity, worked through from title to conclusions.

The book does not focus primarily on grammar, but includes sections on important facets, such as 'voices' and tenses. It also addresses problems associated with writing other texts (reports, reviews, emails, social/professional networking communications etc.). Composed (with inputs from numerous senior scientists) by authors who have written, revised or edited more than 4,000 papers, A Scientific Approach to Scientific Writing will be essential reading for non-native English-speaking students and researchers of all disciplines, and a valuable resource for those with English as a first language.

About the Author

John Blackwell has a PhD in plant physiology, and has done post-doctoral work in both the UK and Sweden. Since then, he has worked in publishing for International Media Ltd. (now part of Agra Informa), and for 15 years he has been Director of Sees-editing Ltd., a company specializing in editing papers written in English by non-native speakers. In these capacities he has written, re-written or edited more than 3,000 papers, theses, reports and texts on diverse topics on behalf of hundreds of clients in more than 30 countries.

Jan Martin has a PhD in applied ecology and was previously Director of Lifelong Learning in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of Wales, Aberystwyth. She has also worked, freelance, for various publishers including the Taylor & Francis publishing group and (for the last ca. 12 years) Sees-editing Ltd, and hence has written, re-written and edited more than 1,000 papers on a wide variety of topics.