Communicating Science: The Scientific Article from the 17th Century to the Present

by Alan G. Gross, Joseph E. Harmon, Michael S. Reidy

This book describes the development of the scientific article from its modest beginnings to the global phenomenon that it has become today. Their analysis of a large sample of texts in French, English, and German focuses on the changes in the style, organization, and argumentative structure of scientific communication over time. They also speculate on the future currency of the scientific article, as it enters the era of the World Wide Web. This book is an outstanding resource text in the rhetoric of science, and will stand as the definitive study on the topic.

Genres: Science

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Alan G. Gross (born 1936) is a Professor of Rhetoric and Communication Studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He has written a number of books, perhaps most well-known being The Rhetoric of Science (Harvard University Press, 1990 and 1996). This book was reviewed by the historian and philosopher of science Joseph Agassi. Gross received his Ph.D. in 1962 from Princeton University.

His research is centered around three areas: scientific communication, rhetorical theory and, most recently, visual communication. Currently, he is completing a manuscript on scientific communication and putting the finishing touches on prospectus for a book on visual conmmunication the sciences.

Publications:

The Rhetoric of Science. Gross, Alan, Harvard, Author, 1996.
Rhetorical Hermeneutics: Invention and Interpretation in the Age of Science. Gross, Alan, William M. Keith, SUNY, Co-Editor, 1997.
Rereading Aristotle's Rhetoric. Gross, Alan, Arthur E. Walzer, Southern Illinois Press, Co-Editor, 2000.
Chaim Perelman. Gross, Alan, Ray D. Dearin, SUNY, Co-Author, 2003.
Communicating Science: The Scientific Article from the 17th Century to the Present. Gross, Alan, Joseph E. Harmon; Michael Reidy, Oxford, Co-Author, 2002.
Starring the Text: The Place of Rhetoric in Science Studies. Gross, Alan, Southern Illinois, Author, 2006.
The Scientific Literature: A Guided Tour. Gross, Alan, Joseph E. Harmon, Chicago, Co-Editor, 2007.

Reviews

[Michael Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book opens with an origin story, a story of birth. Where did the scientific article come from? Was it a bastard? Was it legitimate? Who were the parents?

Science as an enterprise had difficult beginnings. You can quickly see why when you examine the ways of various groups of people around the world. Life is short, we must get on with it. Who has time to stop and ask, "Why does that happen?" In fact, in most cultures asking such questions is considered uppity. Submit and get on with it is the prime directive of all human cultures. Violating that taboo means you become an outcast. The outcast is the one who makes science, at least until science gained standing, which it now enjoys. The struggle to make science legitimate was difficult and often bloody.

Once science and the types of questions scientists asked became socially acceptable, there was clearly a need for rapid communication of research. This is the place where this book comes in. I might remind most of you that George Romero's Day of the Dead film, featuring an outstanding performance by Richard Liberty, R.I.P., presents a character "Doc" who tells his colleagues, "My father never thought I'd get rich doing pure research." That statement alone validates my claim for the awkward social position of the scientist.

Gross and his collaborators now want us to become more aware, in the course of their explication, how the scientific article is designed, vetted, and published.