- ISBN13: 9780387947662
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
The Craft of Scientific Writing is designed to help scientists and engineers–both professionals already active in the disciplines as well as students preparing to enter the professions–write about their work clearly and effectively. The author, who is both a writer and an applied physicist, approaches the subject in a fresh way. Using scores of examples from a wide variety of authors and disciplines (including such well-known figures as Einstein, Bohr, and Freud)… More >>
The Craft of Scientific Writing
Tags: bohr, disciplines, einstein, freud, physicist, professions, scientific writing, scientists
#1 by Anonymous on June 29, 2010 - 10:26 pm
I’ve had this book for many years, and I still pull it out to use it. It is a light read, and not the style guide of other technical writing manuals. What is unique is that it points out the usual ruts we all get into, like redundant or overly complicated sentence construction. By giving ‘before’ and ‘after’ writing samples, it is easy to see how much better a few changes make. I have gotten more out of this book, in terms of being a better technical writer (I’m a systems engineer), than I have out of any other book. I also like the reference section in the back about proper word usage (ex: affect vs effect). The book also covers illustration do’s and don’ts. If you want style guide info, you will have to look elsewhere. But to improve the clarity of your writing, this is the book to get.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Mostyn on June 29, 2010 - 11:38 pm
The goal of writing in science is to communicate information. Unfortunately too many people in science, including myself, write in a manner that is little more than unintelligible. Having read this book, I now feel sorry for the people who had to read my work. Too much scientific literature is poorly crafted and it is only natural that newcomers try to science emulate this poor style.
As a reader of scientific literature, I always though there was something wrong with me because I could not read the articles. I would get stuck on a passage and, no matter how hard I tried, I would not be able to get past it. Now I know that this is because the writing is poorly crafted.
The Craft of Scientific Writing gives an appreciation of the flaws that we all make in our writing. There are plentiful examples of poor writing, which are contrasted with good writing styles. Also, the explanations are clear and easy to understand.
Despite appearances, there is no rule, man-made or natural, that says that scientific writing cannot be clear, crisp and fluid. If you write any kind of scientific literature do yourself a favour and read this book. It will help you to become a better writer.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Steve M. Potter on June 29, 2010 - 11:46 pm
Substantial book, with lots of actual examples of both good and bad scientific writing to learn from (you will learn about solar power plants!). Practical advice galore. My only minor quibble is that it does seem like a monograph (which it is), and thus is only one person’s opinions about some key issues that are subjective in nature, such as how to deal with ‘writer’s block’.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Cristian Atala Bianchi on June 30, 2010 - 12:38 am
This is a good book to start with. The book gives an outline of the structure and rules of scientific writing. The tone is always funny yet always complete and usefull. It is full with practical examples that complement the text. The only drawback is that most examples -not all- are taken from engeneering and similar sciences and thay may sound extrange to biologist or scientists from other areas. I would recomend this books to young scientists and students that are looking to improve their writing skills.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by Elaine L. Miller on June 30, 2010 - 3:19 am
Arrived in excellent condition. Works well as a resources for the College course that I teach.
Rating: 5 / 5