A Field Guide for Science Writers


Book Description

This guide offers practical tips on science writing - from investigative reporting to pitching ideas to magazine editors. Some of the best known science witers in the US share their hard earned knowledge on how they do their job.




The Scientist's Guide to Writing


Book Description

A concise and accessible primer on the scientific writer's craft The ability to write clearly is critical to any scientific career. The Scientist's Guide to Writing provides practical advice to help scientists become more effective writers so that their ideas have the greatest possible impact. Drawing on his own experience as a scientist, graduate adviser, and editor, Stephen Heard emphasizes that the goal of all scientific writing should be absolute clarity; that good writing takes deliberate practice; and that what many scientists need are not long lists of prescriptive rules but rather direct engagement with their behaviors and attitudes when they write. He combines advice on such topics as how to generate and maintain writing momentum with practical tips on structuring a scientific paper, revising a first draft, handling citations, responding to peer reviews, managing coauthorships, and more. In an accessible, informal tone, The Scientist's Guide to Writing explains essential techniques that students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists need to write more clearly, efficiently, and easily. Emphasizes writing as a process, not just a product Encourages habits that improve motivation and productivity Explains the structure of the scientific paper and the function of each part Provides detailed guidance on submission, review, revision, and publication Addresses issues related to coauthorship, English as a second language, and more




ESL Writers


Book Description

This book's focus on the different types of ESL learners, such as students from different countries, students of various academic levels, and Generation 1.5 Learners, is remarkable. It is a very useful book, and we frequently refer to it in our Writing Center. -Franziska Liebetanz Writing Center Director, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) Do you have second language students in your writing center? Do you have peer writing tutors? If so, here is the very book you and your tutors have been hoping for! -Harvey Kail Writing Center Coordinator, University of Maine The second edition of ESL Writers continues to be the single most useful resource for tutor education on ESL matters....Writing center professionals will find the text to be an invaluable addition to their staff education program. Writing center tutors and consultants will benefit from the comprehensive review of L2 tutoring practice. -Clint Gardner Former president, International Writing Centers Association Writing centers are seeing more and more kinds of ESL students. That's why the much-loved ESL Writers (winner of the International Writing Centers Association's Outstanding Scholarship Award for Best Book) has changed with the times to reflect the expanding diversity of writing center students. The Second Edition features five totally new essays and has been thoroughly revised to be more useful than ever. ESL Writers, Second Edition: expands the definition of students and tutors with respect to their linguistic backgrounds, describing specifically the characteristics of a variety of English learners, including bilingual writers, Generation 1.5ers, recent immigrants, and foreign students who need support with academic English in a new first chapter focuses greater attention on the diversity of cultural and literacy identities among students and tutors addresses tutors' most frequently asked questions about helping ESL writers with English grammar outlines methods for succeeding with tutoring ESL writers online as well as tips for common pitfalls. Filled with suggestions and strategies based on a rigorous combination of experience, research, and theory, ESL Writers, Second Edition, remains a tutor's top resource for working with English learners.




The Chicago Guide to Writing About Numbers


Book Description

For students, scientists, journalists and others, a comprehensive guide to communicating data clearly and effectively. Acclaimed by scientists, journalists, faculty, and students, The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers has helped thousands communicate data clearly and effectively. It offers a much-needed bridge between good quantitative analysis and clear expository writing, using straightforward principles and efficient prose. With this new edition, Jane Miller draws on a decade of additional experience and research, expanding her advice on reaching everyday audiences and further integrating non-print formats. Miller, an experienced teacher of research methods, statistics, and research writing, opens by introducing a set of basic principles for writing about numbers, then presents a toolkit of techniques that can be applied to prose, tables, charts, and presentations. She emphasizes flexibility, showing how different approaches work for different kinds of data and different types of audiences. The second edition adds a chapter on writing about numbers for lay audiences, explaining how to avoid overwhelming readers with jargon and technical issues. Also new is an appendix comparing the contents and formats of speeches, research posters, and papers, to teach writers how to create all three types of communication without starting each from scratch. An expanded companion website includes new multimedia resources such as slide shows and podcasts that illustrate the concepts and techniques, along with an updated study guide of problem sets and suggested course extensions. This continues to be the only book that brings together all the tasks that go into writing about numbers, integrating advice on finding data, calculating statistics, organizing ideas, designing tables and charts, and writing prose all in one volume. Field-tested with students and professionals alike, this is the go-to guide for everyone who writes or speaks about numbers.




Analytic Writing Guide


Book Description

This book is a user's guide for writing papers, short memos, and emails when the objective is to inform a busy reader preoccupied with other tasks. The objective is to make sure that all the information needed to understand the main points is in the paper and in the right order, minimizing or eliminating extraneous information and ideas, and resolving inconsistencies. The guide offers a mix of strategic and tactical advice, ranging from how to get started to how to order information in a paragraph. It is not a book about grammar; nor is it a treatise on critical thinking. Grammar and style are undeniably important, but elegantly written sentences will fail to communicate your conclusions if the flow of ideas and information is flawed. If the flow of ideas and information is muddled, your reader will seldom read the paper in its entirety. The primary target audiences for the Guide are policymakers, intelligence analysts, law enforcement officers, and the business world, but the principles underlying the teaching points are applicable to anyone seeking to communicate ideas more effectively--including high school and university students.




The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing


Book Description

Every complex product needs to be explained to its users, and technical writers, also known as technical communicators, are the ones who do that job. A growing field, technical writing requires multiple skills, including an understanding of technology, writing ability, and great people skills. Whether you're thinking of becoming a technical writer, just starting out, or you've been working for a while and feel the need to take your skills to the next level, The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing can help you be a successful technical writer and build a satisfying career. Inside the Book Is This Job for Me? What does it take to be a technical writer? Building the Foundation: What skills and tools do you need to get started? The Best Laid Plans: How do you create a schedule that won’t make you go crazy? How do you manage different development processes, including Agile methodologies? On the Job: What does it take to walk into a job and be productive right away? The Tech Writer Toolkit: How do you create style guides, indexes, templates and layouts? How do you manage localization and translation and all the other non-writing parts of the job? I Love My Job: How do you handle the ups and downs of being a technical writer? Appendixes: References to websites, books, and other resources to keep you learning. Index




How to Write a Lot


Book Description

All students and professors need to write, and many struggle to finish their stalled dissertations, journal articles, book chapters, or grant proposals. Writing is hard work and can be difficult to wedge into a frenetic academic schedule. In this practical, light-hearted, and encouraging book, Paul Silvia explains that writing productively does not require innate skills or special traits but specific tactics and actions. Drawing examples from his own field of psychology, he shows readers how to overcome motivational roadblocks and become prolific without sacrificing evenings, weekends, and vacations. After describing strategies for writing productively, the author gives detailed advice from the trenches on how to write, submit, revise, and resubmit articles, how to improve writing quality, and how to write and publish academic work.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing


Book Description

A fifty percent revision of a popular Complete Idiot's Guide that now, more than ever, offers readers a thorough, creative writing class in a book, with Dr. Laurie Rozakis as their teacher. The book is refocused to more of an academic approach. Readers can begin to unlock their creativity from the first page, with fabulous exercises that help them explore their talents and experiment with different genres and forms of writing, including: • •Short stories •Narrative nonfiction •Memoirs •Magazine articles •Poetry •Drama •Blogging and freewriting




The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science


Book Description

“Enhanced with approximately 100 additional pages, this second edition is a testament to the success of the first one.” —Choice For more than a decade, The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science has been the go-to reference for anyone who needs to write or speak about their research. Whether it’s a student writing a thesis, a faculty member composing a grant proposal, or a public information officer crafting a press release, Scott Montgomery’s advice is perfectly adaptable to any scientific writer’s needs. This new edition has been thoroughly revised to address crucial issues in the changing landscape of scientific communication, with an increased focus on those writers working in corporate settings, government, and nonprofit organizations as well as academia. Half a dozen new chapters tackle the evolving needs and paths of scientific writers. These sections address plagiarism and fraud, writing graduate theses, translating scientific material, communicating science to the public, and the increasing globalization of research. Through solid examples and concrete advice, Montgomery helps scientists develop their own voice and become stronger communicators. He also addresses the roles of media and the public in scientific attitudes, and offers advice for those whose research concerns controversial issues such as climate change or emerging viruses. Today, communicators must move seamlessly among platforms and styles. The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science helps scientists and researchers expertly connect with their audiences, no matter the medium.




Storycraft, Second Edition


Book Description

Jack Hart, master writing coach and former managing editor of the Oregonian, has guided several Pulitzer Prize–winning narratives to publication. Since its publication in 2011, his book Storycraft has become the definitive guide to crafting narrative nonfiction. This is the book to read to learn the art of storytelling as embodied in the work of writers such as David Grann, Mary Roach, Tracy Kidder, and John McPhee. In this new edition, Hart has expanded the book’s range to delve into podcasting and has incorporated new insights from recent research into storytelling and the brain. He has also added dozens of new examples that illustrate effective narrative nonfiction. This edition of Storycraft is also paired with Wordcraft, a new incarnation of Hart’s earlier book A Writer’s Coach, now also available from Chicago.