How to Write and Illustrate a Scientific Paper

A concise and easy-to-read guide to writing and illustrating a scientific paper, detailing examples of good versus bad practice.

Björn Gustavii (Author)

9781107154056, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 February 2017

238 pages, 71 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.6 x 1.3 cm, 0.5 kg

Review of previous edition: 'Every aspiring writer should read and follow the advice in How to Write and Illustrate a Scientific Paper. Even accomplished scientific authors will add to their proficiency by going through this enjoyable volume.' Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

This compact and easy-to-read book contains essential advice on how to take a manuscript from planning right through to publication. It will help both first-time writers and more experienced authors to present their results more effectively. While retaining the easy-to-read and well-structured approach of previous editions, the third edition of this essential guide has been expanded to include comprehensive advice on drawing graphs, and information about Open Access publishing. Illustrations are discussed in detail, with examples of poor illustrations taken from real papers in top-ranked journals, redrawn for comparison. Such before-and-after examples are also provided to demonstrate good and bad writing styles. The reader is offered practical advice - from how to present a paper and where to submit the manuscript, through to responding to reviewers' comments and correcting the proofs - all developed through the author's extensive teaching experience and his many years spent working as a journal editor.

Preface to the third edition
Acknowledgements
1. Basic rules of writing
2. Comments on scientific writing
3. Drafting the manuscript
4. Choosing a journal
5. How to begin
6. Figure captions (legends)
7. Preparing a graph
8. Graph combination
9. Drawings
10. How to design a table
11. Title
12. Authors
13. Abstract
14. Introduction
15. Methods
16. Results
17. Discussion
18. Acknowledgements
19. References
20. PhD and other doctoral theses
21. Letters and case reports
22. Numbers
23. Abbreviations
24. How to present statistical results
25. Typing
26. Dealing with editors and referees
27. Correcting proofs
28. Authors' responsibility
Literature needed on your desk
Further reading
Literature cited
Index.

Subject Areas: Biology, life sciences [PS], Science: general issues [PD], Mathematics & science [P]