The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science

by Scott L. Montgomery

Whether you are a graduate student or a senior scientist, your reputation rests on the ability to communicate your ideas and data. In this straightforward and accessible guide, Scott L. Montgomery offers detailed, practical advice on crafting every sort of scientific communication, from research papers and conference talks to review articles, interviews with the media, e-mail messages, and more. Montgomery avoids the common pitfalls of other guides by focusing not on rules and warnings but instead on how skilled writers and speakers actually learn their trade-by imitating and adapting good models of expression. Moving step-by-step through samples from a wide variety of scientific disciplines, he shows precisely how to choose and employ such models, where and how to revise different texts, how to use visuals to enhance your presentation of ideas, why writing is really a form of experimentation, and more.

He also traces the evolution of scientific expression over time, providing a context crucial for understanding the nature of technical communication today. Other chapters take up the topics of writing creatively in science; how to design and use graphics; and how to talk to the public about science. Written with humor and eloquence, this book provides a unique and realistic guide for anyone in the sciences wishing to improve his or her communication skills.

Practical and concise, The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science

*Writing scientific papers, abstracts, grant proposals, technical reports, and articles for the general public
*Using graphics effectively
*Surviving and profiting from the review process
*Preparing oral presentations
*Dealing with the press and the public
*Publishing and the Internet
*Writing in English as a foreign language

Genres: Science, Writing, Nonfiction

239 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2002

Reviews

[Scott Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A popular impression about science is that scientists do not know how to write well; that is, they only write in highly technical jargon that’s, well, boring. Scientists spend so much of their training, the story goes, learning about facts that they do not master the art and craft of communication. Montgomery, in this work, seeks to counter that argument by teaching scientists how to communicate well. In so doing, he harkens to a centuries-long tradition where scientific writing is viewed as literature, not mere data dumps. And he demonstrates how a scientist, by attending to the craft of writing, can attract a wider scientific or public audience attending to the results of science.

Communication is and has always been part of the core job skills of being a scientist. One must publish papers; one often teaches; one must communicate with the public directly or via media; one often writes for grants. These are not add-ons to the vocation but intrinsic, necessary roles. By teaching readers to imitate good examples (where they are left to say, “I wish I would have written that!”), Montgomery hopes to inspire scientists to attend to this art-form more.

The book is academic and suitable for classroom use. Yet it is also inspiring and lively – an example of good writing in itself. Divided into three sections and twenty chapters, it covers the art of rhetoric as it applies to science, specific communicative products of science, and how to address common audiences. It’s not a grammar or a primer interested in proscriptive rules; rather, it portrays communication as an art or craft that enhances a scientist professionally. Even non-native English communicators are addressed in their own chapter!

Examples include a host of discipline across the “hard” sciences. (The social sciences are not specifically addressed.) Online formats are explored at length, and the book is written with an eye towards history. Visual graphics are given a separate chapter. The business of science writing and publishing is a topic that lies behind many of the chapters. Montgomery provides some nuggets of advice, yet he stops short of becoming overbearing or pedantic.

Physical scientists – whether in training or practicing – will benefit from this interesting guide. It does not cover medical writing about patients directly, only the underlying biology of the basic sciences. The writing style is engaging and thought-provoking. Ambitious undergraduates later in their programs or graduate students are all suitable audiences of readers. Communication, whether to the public or to colleagues, is an essential function of scientists, both today and in yesteryear. Montgomery’s inspirational text exemplifies how good writing takes form to impact the world.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best on the market if you're interested in a sound rhetorical approach to writing in the sciences. I use it in a science writing class at an elite undergraduate liberal arts college that produces many scientists, but the book also covers many issues that graduate students or PhDs in the sciences may encounter.

Montgomery's writing is clear, witty, direct and informed by a long career of writing scientific discourse as well as studying how others do it and have done it in the past. The second edition is even better than the first (which remained relevant for a surprising number of years, despite major changes in how science is published during that time), providing an even deeper perspective on the cultural importance of well written science in all its many potential forms.

I just wish this review were as well written as that book!

[Selina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book on science communication in all aspects whether oral, written, academic publishing or casual blogging. I would think that it is suitable for doctoral students or early-career researchers who are trying to improve their tools of the trade. However, if you are going into the specifics of writing better, there are other more suitable books.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent reference and inspiration for writing and other forms of scientific communication. I will continue to integrate many of the exercises into my writing process and recommend this book to my students.

[Amethyst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, often as a scientist it's a good idea to go back and revisit some of these ideas to ensure your work is of the best quality possible. Some of the content is slightly outdated (in reference to technology and the internet) but its still a pretty useful read overall.

[Tin Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst this guide is meant for scholars in the natural sciences (life science and physical science), I came away with a lot of insights and helpful tips. Principally, this book changed my understanding (and hopefully my approach to) writer’s block. The parts I found most useful were the exercises which I have marked and decided to include in my repertoire, and the ones I enjoyed best were the analytical parts where Montgomery walks us through the revision of a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph. This is where the reader feels the proximity of going through the material and doing the work together. He establishes this voice and this relation in the first writing example we analyse: Watson and Crick’s (1953) beguiling prose in their groundbreaking paper on the structure of the DNA, scrutinised in Chapter 2. It is easily my favourite discussion in the book.

The history of scientific language and rhetoric, also in the same chapter and written as a prelude to the writing example above, is likewise fascinating. The critical discourse analyst in me is nudged to learn more. Chapters 3 to 5, meanwhile, are the most instructive and therefore the pages I would designate as must-read. There are 21 chapters in total, but the book’s strength is Part 1, which comprises the first seven chapters. Overall, this is a helpful guide to writing and speaking well in science, no matter which branch you identify with. I bought this title two autumns ago, and I’m glad to have had the chance to finally sit with it.

[Danielle T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, probably the best book you'd ever need on how to write a professional document, whether it be a grant, a proposal, a manuscript, etc. and Corvallis peeps are welcome to borrow my copy. Parts of this were required reading for COMM 550, but the whole thing is very good. The book uses examples (often excerpts from actual publications) on how to take an alright paragraph and tighten it up into a great one. He recommends keeping a bank of good examples to refer to for style & flow. The style of this book is self-demonstrating; easy to read without getting too chummy, but with a decent sense of humor too.

One of the drawbacks is that it was published ~2002, so references to e-journals, media storage, digital presentation vs slides, email, usenet groupsetc. are very dated. The principles behind how to write well, however, are not.

[Michael Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't remember much about it, except it taught me the basics of writing. I especially enjoyed the chapter dedicated to writing abstracts and introductions--two of the most difficult parts for beginner researchers. A must-read for my PhD students.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book I've found so far about science writing. I'll be using it in my upper-division science writing class.