For more than a decade, The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science has been the go-to reference for anyone who needs to write or speak about their research. Whether a student writing a thesis, a faculty member composing a grant proposal, or a public information officer crafting a press release, Scott Montgomery's advice is perfectly adaptable to any scientific writer's needs.
This new edition has been thoroughly revised to address crucial issues in the changing landscape of scientific communication, with an increased focus on those writers working in corporate settings, government, and nonprofit organizations as well as academia. Half a dozen new chapters tackle the evolving needs and paths of scientific writers. These sections address plagiarism and fraud, writing graduate theses, translating scientific material, communicating science to the public, and the increasing globalization of research.
The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science recognizes that writers come to the table with different needs and audiences. Through solid examples and concrete advice, Montgomery sets out to help scientists develop their own voice and become stronger communicators. He also teaches readers to think about their work in the larger context of communication about science, addressing the roles of media and the public in scientific attitudes as well as offering advice for those whose research concerns controversial issues such as climate change or emerging viruses.
More than ever, communicators need to be able to move seamlessly among platforms and styles. The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science's comprehensive coverage means that scientists and researchers will be able to expertly connect with their audiences, no matter the medium.
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Part 1. The Language and Rhetoric of Science: Using Them to Your Advantage
1. Communicating Science
2. The Language of Science: Historical Realities for Readers and Writers
3. Reading Well: The First Step to Writing Well
4. Writing Well: A Few Basics
5. Writing Very Well: Opportunities for Creativity and Elegance
6. The Review Process: Dealing with Contents and Discontents
7. Through a Flask Darkly: Plagiarism, Fraud, and the Ethics of Authorship
Part 2. Communicating Professionally: Where, What, and How
8. Professional Scientific Communication: Where Does It Happen?
9. The Scientific Paper: A Realistic View and Practical Advice
10. Other Types of Writing: Review Articles, Book Reviews, Debate/Critique
11. The Proposal
12. Graphics and Their Place
13. Oral Presentations: A Few Words
14. The Graduate Thesis (Dissertation): What It Means and How to Do It
15. The Online World: Science in a New Context
Part 3. Special Topics in Communicating Science
16. For Researchers with English as a Foreign Language
17. Translating Scientific Material: Guiding Principles and Realities
18. Meet the Press: How to Be an Effective and Responsible Source for the Media
19. Science Writing and Science Talks: Communicating with and for the Public
20. Teaching Science Communication: Helpful Ideas for the Classroom
21. In Conclusion
Selected Bibliography
Index
Scott L. Montgomery is an affiliate faculty member in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, most recently The Shape of the New: Four Big Ideas and How They Made the Modern World and Does Science Need a Global Language?: English and the Future of Research, the latter published by the University of Chicago Press. He lives in Seattle.
Reviews of the first edition:
"Montgomery wants scientists to cast off the straitjacket of convention when they write for other scientists, or at least to ask a friend to loosen the ties. He covers a huge amount of ground, from papers and review articles to book reviews, technical reports, presentations, and online publishing. He has some excellent practical advice for nervous publishing virgins with writer's block as well as encouragement for more experienced writers flirting coyly with metaphor and the occasional rhetorical flourish."
– New Scientist
"Montgomery's Chicago Guide to Communicating Science has all the authority one would expect from the publishers of The Chicago Manual of Style [...] [He] covers with scholarly grace topics ranging from writing scientific papers and grant proposals to preparing articles for the general public."
– Chris Quigg, Physics Today
"I am pleased to recommend this straightforward, realistic, and accessible guide, which is written with elegance and humor, to anyone – from graduate student to senior scientist – concerned with improving the ffectiveness of communicating scientific ideas or data to colleagues or the general public."
– George B. Kauffman, Chemical Educator
"This guide is a superb one, well written, and a pleasure to read (how often can one say that about a guide to writing for scientists?)."
– Ann C. Jordan-Paker, E-Streams