Authors: Marin Robinson, Fredricka Stoller, Molly Costanza-Robinson, James K. Jones
Plot:
Well, Write Like a Chemist is a technical how-to book with not-so-much character development. Actually, that's wrong, there is plenty of character development - of you! Ever read a really confusing paper? Ever written a really confusing paper (I certainly have)? Write Like a Chemist seeks to provide the reader with the mindset and skill set to effectively communicate science in the written form. Arranged into three modules - The Journal Article, The Scientific Poster, and The Research Proposal - this book focuses on three of the most important areas of technical writing, whether you be in academia as a student or in a technical job. A companion website provides resources such that a self-learner can practice the concepts being presented.
More about the details: Each module stands alone as a resource. For example, the journal article module walks a reader through what a modern peer-reviewed journal article looks like, beginning with a flow scheme showing typical subsections before breaking it down into Results, Discussion, Introduction, etc. Students are presented with excerpts of real journal articles to analyze, sentences to correct, and prompts intended to guide you through writing your own 'canned' paper (using data provided on the companion website).
More about the details: Each module stands alone as a resource. For example, the journal article module walks a reader through what a modern peer-reviewed journal article looks like, beginning with a flow scheme showing typical subsections before breaking it down into Results, Discussion, Introduction, etc. Students are presented with excerpts of real journal articles to analyze, sentences to correct, and prompts intended to guide you through writing your own 'canned' paper (using data provided on the companion website).
Brian's Opinion:
I am a chemist by trade now beginning graduate school, and if I were only allowed to buy a single textbook in my entire chemistry education, Write Like a Chemist would be it. Unlike my standardized orgo textbook, there is literally no competition for this guide (the ACS style guide, while useful, doesn't come close). I found the book extremely easy to follow and the canned projects very well done. In short, Write Like a Chemist provides to a budding scientist something they almost never get in formal (and expensive) education - how to actually write science well.
Who Would Like It:
Every chemist should read this book. No joke. It is quite cheap relative to most science textbooks ($39 for paperback, cheaper for Kindle) yet infinitely more useful in my opinion. Also, if you just want to learn to be a better technical writer despite your field I would highly recommend it. Should you be a scientific educator or communicator, Write Like a Chemist can both help you cut through the jargon of published to focus on what is important and serve as a teaching aid for students writing lab reports.
Read It!
Public Library Finder (check your local university library, if they don't have it, ask them to buy it)
Amazon Paperback
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