Our Sources

The following books and articles guide our editing decisions. For specific suggestions about improving your writing, see our writing tips here.

Books on Scientific Writing

  1. The Elements of Technical Writing. By Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly, Longman 1993.
  2. Scientific English: A Guide for Scientists and Other Professionals, 2nd ed. By Robert A. Day, Oryx, 1995.
  3. The Craft of Scientific Writing, 3rd ed. By Michael Alley, Springer, 1996.
  4. Eloquent Science: A practical guide to becoming a better Writer, Speaker, & Atmospheric Scientist. By David M. Schultz, American Meteorological Society, 2009.
  5. Scientific Writing 2.0: A Reader and Writer's Guide. By Jean-Luc Lebrun, World Scientific, 2011.
  6. Scientists Must Write, 2nd ed. By Robert Barrass, Routledge, 2007.
  7. Scientific Papers and Presentations. By Martha Davis, Academic Press, 1997.
  8. Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 6th ed. By the Style Manual Committee of the Council of Biology Editors, Cambridge University Press, 1995.
  9. The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors, 2nd ed. Edited by Janet S. Dodd, American Chemical Society, 1997.
  10. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 5th ed. By Robert A. Day, Oryx, 1998.
  11. AIP Style Manual, 4th ed. By the American Institute of Physics Publication Board, American Institute of Physics, 1990.

Articles on Scientific Writing

  1. The Science of Scientific Writing. By George D. Gopen and Judith A. Swan, American Scientist, 78, 550-558, 1990. (Find a copy here.)
  2. Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems With Using Long Words Needlessly. By Daniel M. Oppenheimer, Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20(2), 139-156, 2005.
  3. Wheeler's Rules of Writing. By John A. Wheeler, Am. J. Phys. 67 (11), pg 945, 1999.

Books on English Style and Writing Conventions

  1. The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers, 14th ed. Managing Editor John Grossman, University of Chicago Press, 1993.
  2. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, 30th Anniversary Edition. By William Zinsser, Harper-Collins, 2006.
  3. The Elements of Style, 3rd ed. By William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, MacMillan, 1979.
  4. Practical English Handbook, 5th ed. By Floyd C. Watkins, William B. Dillingham, and Edwin T. Martin, Houghton Mifflin, 1978.

Books on Figures and Tables

  1. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. By Edward R. Tufte, Graphics Press, 1999.
  2. Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative. By Edward R. Tufte, Graphics Press, 1997.



Useful Links

The following links to websites provide other useful tips and guidelines for scientific work.

Sites about Scientific Writing Issues

  1. Useful suggestions about paragraph construction (from Indiana University).
  2. Good arguments for getting your manuscript checked (Eloquent Science blog).
  3. Many useful links about scientific writing, presenting, and peer-review (Eloquent Science).