Abstract
The task of writing scientific research articles can strike fear or loathing into the hearts of many young researchers. After all, they became veterinarians, physicians, and scientists because they prefer to do rather than to write. Writing Scientific Research Articles provides some relief to those who see writing as a necessary but unpleasant by-product of their research activity. This book works because it does not overreach: its primary goal is to approach the often dreaded task of writing a research article in a concrete and step-by-step manner and thus make the process less daunting. It is an easy read with short chapters, clearly labeled subheadings, bulleted lists of important points, and good organization. Along the way, it offers numerous helpful suggestions and, most important, emphasizes seeing the research article from the reviewer and editor’s viewpoint, an often neglected aspect of how-to books on this subject.
The authors are from the University of Adelaide in South Australia. Dr Cargill is an applied linguist and Dr O’Connor a research ecologist, environmental consultant, and science educator. Their template is “research articles published in English in the international literature,” and they provide additional (but not distracting) advice and resources for scientists who are “users of English as an additional language (EAL).” The 2013 second edition has been updated from the 2009 first edition, including the addition of a chapter on writing review articles and one on writing funding proposals. These new chapters apply the principles laid out for writing research articles to these 2 additional formats and so do not overwhelm the focus of the book. There is a companion website (www.writeresearch.com.au) that offers more information, additional example articles for the exercises, and links to free language analysis software.
Writing Scientific Research Articles has a workbook format with exercises (“tasks”) embedded in each chapter that take a useful 3-tier approach. For the first tier, readers choose 1 of 3 provided example articles (PEAs) printed in full in the last chapters of the book. The correct answers for the tasks that involve PEAs are provided in the Answer pages at the end of the book. Exact answers make the process less abstract and provide more feedback to let readers know if they are on the right track. For the second tier, readers use a selected article (SA) from their own research field, preferably from their target journal, in parallel in the tasks. Although obviously there are no answers provided for this tier, it does serve as an important bridge between the PEAs and the actual article to be written. The third and optional tier is for readers to use their own article (OA) that they write as they progress through the book. This option is appropriately flexible (readers are told they can postpone it) to appeal to a wider audience. As suggested by the authors, this book can be used in multiple settings: in a classroom or seminar with an instructor or mentor, by a group of young scientists themselves (ie, in a journal club), or by an individual.
This is of course one of many books available on writing scientific articles, and in some sense, all offer similar helpful advice. What struck me about this book, compared with some of the others, is that while other books tell you how to write a scientific paper, this one tells you what to actually put in it, a valuable if often neglected point. It wisely recommends starting with the Results section and, within that, starting with the figures and tables. The chapters on what to put in an Introduction and a Discussion are especially good and could rescue a few beleaguered principal investigators from writing those sections themselves to avoid enduring another rambling draft from an inexperienced young scientist. In addition, the authors strike a good balance between giving advice that is useful to all disciplines and emphasizing the need for readers to familiarize themselves with the specifics of publishing in their field (and how to do that).
Writing Scientific Research Articles also makes considerable efforts to reinforce the first tenet of technical writing: Who is your audience? The book begins with this question and ends the last chapter reminding readers that “the goal is to keep your focus firmly on the audience for the document.” In between, there is a wealth of reminders to consider your audience, an important and often missed point among scientists. The authors point out that your primary audience is the editor and reviewers; if you do not reach them, your secondary audience of journal readers will never materialize. The chapter on submitting a manuscript reminds readers that reviewers will be “busy with their own research, writing, teaching, administration, family, etc.” and “willing to review manuscripts but have limited time and patience.” There is a detailed and very useful section in Chapter 14 on how to resubmit a revised manuscript. These sections, as well as the new chapter on writing funding proposals, all place the audience front and center to good effect.
The major limitation of this book for researchers in biomedical science might be its general approach using PEAs from plant science, ecology, and physical science (the website does offer 1 gastroenterology article). Although most of the concepts and suggestions translate well from these other areas, readers might prefer a more focused look at the specific parameters and challenges of publishing biomedical research. Some of the advice also seems meant for single scientists reporting primarily on their own research, as indeed was often true in the past. However, the reality for many in biomedical research today is highly collaborative science with specialized contributors who must each contribute a “piece of the pie” when it comes to the data. Other minor shortcomings are mostly what the book is missing, sometimes in actual content but more often in providing resources for areas beyond the scope of the book. A few examples for the novice author might include digital art, online submission challenges, presenting complex data from databases, PubMed Central compliance (for US readers), and statistical considerations. The index is a bit limited, but the Table of Contents is very descriptive and allows you to find areas of interest quickly.
I enjoyed reading this book and came away feeling that it would provide reluctant writers with the tools to sit down and get the job done. It will also help them capture that most important and elusive of creatures: a happy, enthusiastic reviewer!