Writing for Computer Science

by Justin Zobel

All researchers need to write or speak about their work, and to have research  that is worth presenting. Based on the author's decades of experience as a researcher and advisor, this third edition provides detailed guidance on writing and presentations and a comprehensive introduction to research methods, the how-to of being a successful scientist. 

Topics

·         Development of ideas into research questions;

·         How to find, read, evaluate and referee other research;

·         Design and evaluation of experiments and appropriate use of statistics;

·         Ethics, the principles of science and examples of science gone wrong.

Much of the book is a step-by-step guide to effective communication, with advice

 ·         Writing style and editing;

·         Figures, graphs and tables;

·         Mathematics and algorithms;

·         Literature reviews and referees’ reports;

·         Structuring of arguments and results into papers and theses;

·         Writing of other professional documents;

·         Presentation of talks and posters.

Written in an accessible style and including handy checklists and exercises, Writing for Computer Science is not only an introduction to the doing and describing of research, but is a valuable reference for working scientists in the computing and mathematical sciences.

Genres: Writing, Computer Science, Nonfiction, Research, Science, Technical, Education

510 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1997

Reviews

[Rod Hilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indispensable.

As a Computer Science PhD candidate, I was absolutely shocked to see a book like this even exists - it seems so specific, but writing in the Computer Science field is often terrible, and Justin Zobel's book painlessly dissects what makes CS papers so bad, and how to avoid those problems.

The book covers everything, ranging from how to conduct research to how to perform experiments, and, of course, how to actually write the paper. No stone is left unturned, Zobel doles out advice for grammar as well as figure and table design, software to use, bibliographies, and how to best structure a paper to effectively communicate ideas. He even includes sections on ethics, giving presentations, and refereeing papers.

Most of the book consists of an explanation of how to write effectively in Computer Science, followed by one or more examples of how to fail in that specific way, followed by an example of how to succeed. These comparisons make it very easy to understand Zobel's points, so the book is very easy to digest and understand.

If you're in Computer Science, and you're writing papers with the goal of publishing, this is an absolute must-read, end of story.

The only bad thing I can say about this book is, now that I know what kind of mistakes to avoid in CS writing, I see them everywhere. Clearly, more people need to read this book.

[Jonathan Schuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of not just how to write about computer science research, but also how to do research itself. I wish I had read this book when I first started my PhD so that I had a better view of the overall process.

[Freddie Barr-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Game changer, 10/10

[Francisco Galán · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book can be either too obvious ("use good slides in a presentation") or not sufficiently clear. In general, it isn't engaging at all.

I can see very few people benefiting from it, mostly graduate students who aspire to become academics. Otherwise, I don't recommend it.

Unfortunately, it is the only book out there that deals specifically with writing in CS. I wish there were better resources.

[Thore Husfeldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bravo. This book is comprehensive, clear, useful, concrete, non-trivial, non-dogmatic, and competent. Stellar advice for students and researchers alike. Very useful for an introductory class for academic writing, or to hit thesis students (and colleagues) over the head with.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read this back to back but it was very useful for writing my bachelor thesis. Would definetly recommend it for anyone writing for computer science!

[Nathan Gavenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wished I had read this book when I started my master's. This book is indispensable for anyone thinking of becoming a researcher in computer science. Although the book is named "Writing for Computer Science", the book is divided into two parts: writing and research.

The writing part is not only about grammar but also covers conventions, good practices and how we should look when writing our own research (paper, thesis or book). It covers a wide range of writing topics with a very to-the-point approach (Zobel doesn't waste any of your time). The author brings many examples and explains the reasoning behind each point he makes. He also provides checklists that became notion templates for me.

The research part involves all the steps related to research: planning, doing, and publishing. From ethics to metrics, Zobel delivers accessible information on what we should look for when doing our research. It is a very gentle introduction to a lot of different topics.

I couldn't recommend more.

[The Sleepy Nightowl · Rating 4 out of 5]

As it says in the title, a book about writing for Computer Science; or more specifically writing papers in Computer Science. The book gives general advice on writing and specific advise on writing and formatting papers. There are also four chapters included that talk more general about good practises in research, ethics, and presentations.

The book seems to be aimed at a general audience of Computer Science students. However, that general aiming creates a lot of the issues the book has. The writing advise is not introductory enough for students who struggle with writing. Yet, it contains too much simple advise and not enough deep, technical advise that it would be a good choice for experienced writers. I believe part of the problem stems for the attempt to include as many students as possible. That makes the book a good fit for none.

Overall, the book gives a good introduction into paper writing for Computer Science but lacks details for beginners and technical depth and advise for more experienced writers looking to improve their writing.

[Felix U-O · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm very grateful for this book, packed full of no-nonsense advice, illustrative examples and even some writing exercises at the end. The end-of-chapter checklists are a good place to dive back in when preparing for a presentation, talk, or literature review.
It is well written, to the point and will hopefully contribute to raising the standard of written work produced in Computer Science.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I was not a target audience for this book. In some chapters, it was too detailed, and in others, I desperately needed more info. I liked checklists, tho, and will use them in the future. So, to conclude, it was a good book, but not for me right now.

[Max Lybbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had expected a book on writing user manuals, developer documentation, or similar documents. Instead, this book focuses on writing ACM-style articles and conference papers. There is material about doing research and refereeing papers as well. I was very happy with the book, and would recommend it to anybody.

[Szymon Szott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great manual not only on academic writing, but also on refereeing, giving presentations, and doing ethical research. Its packed full of great, actionable advice so even though I'm tagging it #read, it's not leaving my work desk anytime soon. Highly recommended!

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zobel explains in much detail what it takes to write for a scientific publication. Even when you don’t want to write a technical paper, the ideas and examples can help you to write more precise and to the point.

[David Tedjopurnomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zobel provided a lot of excellent tips and surprising insights into the world of science writing. I recommend going through the book and noting common writing mistakes you have been making or will potentially make in the future.

[Stanislav Vorobyev · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly comprehensive overview on how to describe and present your research, must-read for a novice computer scientist.

[Domenico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really useful!