The Craft of Scientific Writing

Preface

Acknowledgments

Contents

Introduction

1 Analyzing the Audience, Purpose, and Occasion

Analyze who your audience is, why they are reading, and what they know

Analyze how much persuasion your document requires

Account for the document’s occasion: the form, formality, and politics

References

2 Balancing Precision with Clarity

Choose the right word

Avoid needless complexity

Balance precision and clarity in illustrations

References

3 Avoiding Ambiguity

Avoid words with multiple interpretations

Consider the ordering of words, especially the word only

Be selective with it and avoid the standalone this

Insert commas after introductory phrases and clauses

References

4 Sustaining Energy

Select energetic verbs

Rely on concrete nouns

Be concise

References

5 Connecting Your Ideas

Begin each new sentence in a way that connects with the one before

Integrate equations into paragraphs

Connect illustrations with the text

References

6 Beginning with the Familiar

Select a first sentence that not only orients, but also takes a significant step

Map sections in which readers could become lost

If you cannot avoid an unfamiliar term, then define it

Anchor illustrations in the familiar

References

7 Organizing the Content for the Audience

A title specifies the scope of the work

The introduction prepares readers for the middle

The middle presents the work in a logical and persuasive fashion

The conclusion summarizes the middle and provides a future perspective

References

8 Providing Proper Emphasis

Emphasize details with wording

Emphasize details with repetition

Emphasize details with placement

Move larger blocks of secondary information into appendices

References

9 Adapting Your Style to Emails, Instructions, and Proposals

An effective email is a balance between I and you

Instructions rely on numbered lists

A proposal is an argument for how to solve a problem

References

10 Using Your Writing Time Efficiently

Preparation puts you into a position to succeed

For long documents, draft at least one page a day

Revising allows writers who struggle to create documents that excel

Finishing focuses on correcting, not on improving

References

11 Erratum to: Analyzing the Audience, Purpose, and Occasion

Erratum to: Chapter 1 in: M. Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing,https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8288-9_1

Conclusion

Grammar:Recognizing Whata Sentence Isand Is Not

Punctuation: HelpingReaders NavigateYour Sentences

Usage: AvoidingEgregious Errors

Format: DressingDocumentsfor Success

Glossary

Index