How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper

by Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day

Now thoroughly updated and expanded, this new edition of a classic guide offers practical advice on preparing and publishing journal articles as well as succeeding in other communication-related aspects of a scientific career.

Writing and publishing journal articles are essential aspects of a successful scientific career. Unfortunately, many scientists find the process of communicating about their work intimidating and confusing. Now in its eighth edition, How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper teaches how to apply clear focus, good organization, and simple, straightforward language to write papers as well as communicate effectively in many other scientifically related applications.

By providing practical, readable, and sometimes humorous guidance, this book enables researchers to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed in communicating about their work. The authors not only guide readers in the craft of scientific writing―broken down into the separate tasks of writing the respective sections of a scientific paper and then publishing the paper―but also address important related psychological, ethical, logistical, and cultural considerations in communicating about science.

Chapter topics include composing (and requesting) recommendation letters, writing grant proposals, providing peer review, editing one's own work, preparing oral presentations and poster presentations, and working with the popular media. This is an essential resource for researchers―both native and non-native users of English―with limited experience writing scientific papers, such as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career faculty members.

Genres: Writing, Science, Nonfiction, Reference, Research, Academic, Self Help

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[آلاء · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب ثري، مفيد وممتع..
قراءة جماعية مطوّلة في حلقة دراسية..

[Manny]

If you haven't read David Mazieres and Eddie Kohler's already-classic "Get Me Off Your Fucking Mailing List", check it out now to find new angles on how to become a published academic author. More details here, including the referee report.

[Scott Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any scientist, communication is a central part of the game. Yet many scientists did not major in English, nor did they receive great educational training about the field. Usually, they were focusing on their science. To compound matters, most graduate programs not at top research centers provide sparse resources to educate researchers. To supplement such a linguistic shortcoming, this book, laudably in its ninth edition, seeks to introduce the field to the scientific community. It discusses most forms of scientific communication generally, but as the title implies, it focuses efforts on the publication process.

I am currently composing my first self-generated scientific paper as primary author. Yay! I’m using this book (and a few others) to supplement a writing group of likeminded scientists. This book brought to mind a few insights that would improve my manuscript through a deeper understanding of the overall process. Although I regularly converse with scientific communicators, this book helped me see the entire publication journey from start to finish.

Doing good science is itself tough. So is writing well. This book teaches readers how to combine these two skills into useful products. It also has a chapter at the end about a career in scientific communications, which is generally highly compensated. Science is a team endeavor, and communicating its results with the public and with peers is itself a difficult challenge. It offers a kind of “last mile problem” like that seen with vaccine technology in public health. Writers must bring the findings to readers’ attention lest they die an unfulfilled death. The authors’ insights here help advance that noble cause.

[Faisal Al-hajji · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب مهم جدًا لأي شخص متخصص بمجال علمي.
الكتاب بالنسبة لي يحتاج لقراءة ثانية متأنية، ويحتاج لقراءة ثالثة بلغته الأم، ويحتاج لقراءة أخرى قبل الشروع بكتابة أي بحث علمي مستقبلي.

[Alireza Nazarahari · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not bad, but it is also not the best that you can find.

[Alfredo Pagnotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm writing my first scientific paper, and I was adviced by better experienced colleagues to read this manual. The edition I read was the one adapted for non-native English speakers. I found it very well done. It's written in simple and clear English, but still it's very pleasant to read. It's well structured, and its content is very valid. I found plenty of good tips and information that cleared my mind about how all the steps of writing and publishing in the scientific environment work. Also, following the last chapter there are many lists and appendixes, quick to consult and very useful. Some advices I've kept in mind since I read the book and I keep referring to them anytime I write in a formal context. A feature of this manual I really appreciated is it's fun. Just because a book is a manual, it doesn't necessarily mean it must be formal and heavy to follow, and boring. Other than with examples, this manual is peppered with jokes and anecdotes, which not only make the reading lighter and more pleasant, but also in facilitate the comprehension.
If I'm asked to be punctilious, the only (small) black mark I found about this book is that sometimes it gives some guidelines and advices that, though being reasonable, can't actually be applied. For example, the book promotes a kind of simple and direct writing that, though it would make any paper cleared, would hardly be accepted by a publisher.
Nevertheless I advice this paper to any young colleagues who is going to deal with his/her publications. This book can be read in few hours and should be kept at your side all the time when writing. I'm sure any colleagues will find at least a few good tips.

[Gede Suprayoga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a different edition to this one, however I assume that the content is similar. This book contains a practical guideline that one can follow in order to publish a scientific work. Taken from a traditional approach of scientific writing, called as IMRAD, the book elaborates the process of writing starting from deciding the title and the publishing journals to presenting results and references. For those who are at the beginning of their research career, this book provides a clear insight and companion for accomplishing their writing tasks in a friendly way. The book is not only focusing on journal articles, but also wide ranges of scientific publication media, including poster presentations, books, and other form dedicated to general audiences.

[Ahmed Elsherbiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب لطيف يستحق المرور عليه. مصدر معقول للمعرفة عن الكتابة العلمية في مختلف صورها للمبتدئين. ويحتوي أيضاً على بعض النصائح الجيدة لمت وسطي الخبرة. الترجمة معقولة بصورة عامة وان كانت هناك بعض الجمل والكلمات الغير مفهومة ومعقدة التركيب واعتقد ان الترجمة كان من الممكن ان تكون أفضل كثيراً.

[Eman Helmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well organized ,simple and useful book. Used very good examples and quotations, with a touch of humor .

[Hasnaa]

كتاب فى غاية الروعة واسلوبه بسيط ومرح وساعدنى كتير فى عمل الابحاث العلمية

[Fábio Fortkamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if the act of writing a scientific paper were a scientific subject itself, with detailed rules? Then "How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper" would the reference textbook. This is clearly written to be used in university courses on writing and publishing, with an incredible granularity on chapters: how to write an abstract, an introduction, a method section etc.; how to write different types of articles (research, literature review, book review), how to prepare tables and graphs, how to deal with references. Every aspect of article-writing is approached here, although with not much depth (that is left for the recommended references) - which again would make more sense when taking a course that uses this book, as the class discussions would complement the guidelines from each chapter.

If you are completely new to writing scientific papers, then you have here a good overview of everything that is needed - but that should be augmented by actually reading and reading and writing and writing.

[Ostilio Portillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m heavily involved in scientific writing & usually read these kinds of publications in search of tips or clues to improve my writing skills. I'm of the opinion that writing scientific manuscripts is an art & a science per se that you only manage to master through the process of reading other’s publications and by writing your own essays (The practice makes the perfect).
By reading this book, I found many things I was already familiarized with, but also other topics that were pretty much new to me. However, although I like learning how to write the truth is that this kind of reading can be boring for some people. It is for that reason that I think that writers are the ones who not only will enjoy the material but also benefit from it.
If you’re involved in scientific writing, I advise reading this book. It is well written & provides plenty of insight that will allow you to improve the quality of your manuscripts and eventually your readers will appreciate it.

[Carolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leí la versión en castellano publicada en 2005. En general me parece una buena guía, con muchos consejos de sentido común y humor. Sin embargo, muchas secciones están obsoletas, incluso en 2005 me parece que capítulos enteros dedicados al email o al envío de trabajos por correo postal ya estaban desactualizados.

Para aquellos que estén buscando una guía práctica y llevadera para escribir papers, proposals, etc. recomiendo Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded de Joshua Schimel.

[Miguel Manchola · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There is no great writing, only great rewriting"

I read a different edition of this book (8th edition) but I assume its content is pretty similar. I found it to be an amazing guide for people who are starting their careers in the scientific field. It tackles a great variety of topics, not only limited to scientific papers but also related to grant proposals and conference proceedings. It is written in a simple way and has some valuable tips for non-native English speakers trying to publish their work. Reading this book made me realize that scientific publications should not be written targeting a restricted population, but they should rather use the language you would use on a daily basis in order to reach a broader spectrum of readers.

[Ann-Catherine Morner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading, not only for scientists, but anyone who has opinions on science. Absolutely for all politicians.
This is more true today than ever.
It is written in a caring way. The author is really trying to help, explain, in clear, not too difficult English.
That is to say, he is not showing off.
A favourite of mine is his advice on numbers and percentages. Be careful how you use them.
"In this study, 33% of the mice were cured, 33% of the mice died. And the third mouse got away...".
It does not get clearer. You just can't forget. And you had a good laugh.
Win - win - win.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful in how to write a paper, but next time this gets revised, every single "joke" needs to be taken out. They are not at all helpful and have no place if writing a scientific paper is serious business. The book also devolves into anecdotes and rather condescending, patronizing fun being made at writing errors. I do not care to read random stories that are only marginally related, and make fun of scientific authors in their process. The authors seem to have a distaste for those they are writing for.

[Jennifer Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the parts of a scientific paper and the publishing process. However, the chapters that cover the parts of a paper from the abstract to the references refer the reader often to the instructions for authors of their target journal. The only mention of the EQUATOR Network, where all the guidelines like CONSORT are linked, is in an appendix. There are good tips on how to write a cover letter, how to deal with page proofs, and how to edit your own work.

[Cristi Stoica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is as specific as it gets. Although I really appreciate the way this book is written and the author's humor, it's still a little bit outdated, and it still does not clarify everything for me, not that I expected it to. For me personally it focuses on things that are in my advantage and not much on my weak points, but it still can be useful, especially if you read only the chapters that seems like a necessity for you

[Ana Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Solo fue una lectura por obligación meramente académica, pero perdí todo mi fin de semana leyendo sobre cómo se deben hacer las gráficas de acuerdo a las normas establecidas para una publicación dentro de una revista, así que si. Este libro va directo a mis libros del año. Siguiente libro Almendra.

[Egle J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly useful.

[Eleanor Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a classic in the field but I found other books to be more helpful.

[Almodather Awad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worthy of being on the desk of every serious researcher. Simple, direct, and informative.

[Aurelija Zagurskytė · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's ok

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Ph.D wildlife biology professor recommended this book to our class as a good reference

[teeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant and hilarious! will forever be recommending it to all the academics i know

[Sophia Huang]

I am currently reading the 9th edn.

[Mills College Library]

808.0665 G255 2016

[Lee Broderick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, this is a fair guide to the production of all forms of written output in the pure sciences. A lengthy middle section focuses on the writing of journal (or similar) papers, whilst short sections at the back focus on grant applications, posters, conference presentations, theses and even email as well as peer reviews and references. It's presented in such a way that it can be read cover to cover or used as a handy reference book when you're actually writing something.

Some of the techincal and legal content is geared towards US citizens, which makes its use elsewhere a little less complete. I'd also be curious to know how writers of other science disciplines found the advice to apply to their own field: both authors are microbiologists (I think). It's hard for me to judge then, as an archaeologist, how much of the advice is peculiarly U.S.American and how much is peculiarly pure science (archaeology being an interdisciplinary subject).

On the subject of U.S.Americanisms, I found the attempts at humour to be misplaced, puerile or simply confusing. I suspect that this is simply a cultural difference and would urge the authors to follow their own advice (see the comments I added while reading the book).

[Sarah Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite book on the topic of scientific writing. Although I am primarily a social scientist these days, and there is some variation in how we write as compared to the biophysical sciences, I have found this book immensely helpful as a reference throughout my PhD. Every time I am feeling stuck with a section or don't know where to begin, I pick up this book and almost invariably find the answer. I like that the book has succinct, clear writing (otherwise I probably wouldn't trust its advice). But I also like that it mixes humour and narrative into the advice, making it surprisingly entertaining to read. I have used previous editions of the book, but I find the 6th edition or later are the most useful given how much the publication process has changed. The writing advice in earlier editions is still solid, but the latter stages of publication have changed a bit since the early editions of the book. In addition to covering the writing, reviewing and publication of scientific papers, this book also covers other writings, conference papers & posters, theses, CVs, grant proposals, recommendation letter, and how to actual do peer review yourself. Overall, a comprehensive, well-written, useful and interesting book on the subject.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read my review in Spanish; go to http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com/2...
This book is very entertaining and its topic is really serious and important: how to write a scientific paper and how to success in publishing it. I loved the structure; the simplicity of the message and the usefulness of every thing I learned with it. This is one for my reference; no doubt.