Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words

by David Lindsay

Telling people about research is just as important as doing it. But many researchers, who, in all other respects, are competent scientists, are afraid of writing. They are wary of the unwritten rules, the unspoken dogma and the inexplicably complex style, all of which seem to pervade conventional thinking about scientific writing.

This book has been written to expose these phantoms as largely smoke and mirrors, and replace them with principles that make communicating research easier and encourage researchers to write confidently. It presents a way of thinking about writing that emulates the way good scientists think about research.

It concentrates on the structure of articles, rather than simply on grammar and syntax. So, it is an ideal reference for researchers preparing articles for scientific journals, posters, conference presentations, reviews and popular articles; for students preparing theses; and for researchers whose first language is not English.

Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words expounds principles that produce scientific articles in a wide range of disciplines that are focussed, concise and, best of all, easy to write and read. As one senior scientist observed, ‘This book not only made me a better writer; it made me a better scientist’.

Genres: Writing, Science, Research, Education

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Kimberly Davies]

I had to read 😞 to become the best i can be as a woman in STEM

[Sarah Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short primer on scientific writing. I have taken Lindsay's course on scientific writing, and it was excellent. Just as he does in person, Lindsay tells it like it is and doesn't mince words. He writes in a very straightforward matter, is very clear on what he thinks scientific writing should be, and writes very succinctly. If you'd rather not read the longer book by Day and Gastel on the subject, then this book is for you, but I would suggest the two books complement each other very well. Lindsay tends to take a more practical, 'how-to' approach, trying to demystify and simplify the process of scientific writing. He subscribes to the philosophy of using simple sentence structures and avoiding obscure words, which is a great approach for many scientist, but I don't think applies as much to the social sciences and humanities (though he would argue on that point with me). I think this book's greatest strength - as well as his course - is that it forces you to be clear in your thoughts if you are to be clear in your writing. It reminds me of a great piece by Paul Sabatier and others in 2000, wherein he argues that he didn't include interpretivist and constructivist frameworks in his book, Theories of the Policy Process, because they aren't 'clear enough to be wrong'. If you aren't clear in your argument, then a critique will never go anywhere, and it can't advance the field. This is one of the best lessons I got from Lindsay's book: be clear enough to be wrong!

[Paul Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

David gives many good examples and counter examples of how to produce good scientific writing. I have returned to this book many times as i write various papers, reports, and even talks. Although the focus of this book is on writing, there is some very good advice on how to adapt a paper or report into an effective poster or presentation.

If you only have time to skim this book you cannot miss the poster discussion that talks about "heated creeps" and "suckling pigs". The suggested poster is pure gold and make me wish i were a piglet in a heated creep.

[Chourouk Benmebarek · Rating 4 out of 5]

very helpful book, easy to read because the way it written was simple and direct

david in this book give all the keys to know and be sure that science written is not that complicated as we think

as a doctor and medical writer trainer, i find this book is perfect for everyone to start with

[Kasey Driskell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scientific Writing textbook assigned for my
ENGL221 course.
More confusing than helpful. Ironic examples that don't follow it's own rules.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provides a common sense logical approach to the task of writing scientific papers. The book provides an invaluable resource to planning, writing and editing journal papers and other forms of scientific article.

[Xi Xi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publishing is not the end. Getting it read, understood, and cited by other people is the ultimate goal.

[Dalia Fawzy]

Simple , concise , essential for any researcher .