Customer Reviews

Communicating in Science: Writing a Scientific Paper and Speaking at Scientific Meetings (2nd Edition)

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This book is by one of the first authors to recognise that communication skills are important in science, and that they are a craft that has rules and principles that any student can learn relatively easily. It deserves to be treated as a classic, and should be compulsory reading for any student of the life sciences.

I can recall reading it with much interest during my PhD in the 1980's, when it was about the only work available in this field, and various biochemical societies in the UK made it available to students. Much of the advice on straightforward communication style is still extremely valid today. In the later 80's and 90's, the field of writing skills took off, and now most University bookshops have several shelves of books on writing skills and how to write a thesis. Booth's book is short, direct, and the advice is very practical. Read it!

The book is written in a very segmented form. If you are looking for a reference book that you can look up sections for specific presentations or papers, this is the book for you. It is, however, hard to just sit down and read from cover to cover.