Peer reviewed journal articles are typically considered the gold standard in science writing, but students often lack formal training in how to write about their research and get published. Likewise, junior faculty and new scientists may need tips and direction in publishing and/or presenting their work. A good guidebook can help alleviate anxiety of those new to the scholarly communication process and avoid potentially embarrassing, costly, and time-consuming mistakes. Here are the three useful books to guide students, faculty and others through the writing and publication process, specific to science.

What Editors Want: An Author’s Guide to Scientific Journal Publishing by P.J. Benson and S.C. Silver (University of Chicago Press, 2013)

This compact guidebook gets right to the point of what writers need to consider when completing and submitting articles to scientific journals. Journal selection, submission, dealing with editors and peer reviewers, and more are covered. The authors are both respected science editors, and the book is written in an easy to read, conversational style while also being exceptionally informative. Sidebars include interviews with experts on current topics like copyright, citing data, mobile apps and more. One particular strength of this guidebook is that it emphasizes open access publishing throughout. 

How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper (8^th ed.) by B. Gastel and R. A. Day (Greenwood, 2016)

This classic guide is broken into eight parts and assists readers with a wide variety of scientific communication topics. The entire process of writing an article is explained section by section, from creating a title and listing the authors to preparing tables and figures, citations and acknowledgements.  Conference papers, posters, reports, proposals, theses, opinion pieces, and other types of scientific output are also covered. Special topics include preparing CV’s and peer reviews, writing in English as a second language, and more. This book is written in an easy to understand style and includes witty cartoons and quotes which students appreciate. 

Scientific Papers and Presentations (3^rd ed.) by M. Davis, K. J. Davis, and M. M. Dunagan (Academic Press, 2012)

Similar to How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, this detailed and practical guide assists readers with various types of scientific communication (articles, proposals, theses, presentations, etc.) and also covers ethical issues, communication with non-scientists, and tips for international students. This book also includes a thorough chapter on literature searching and review. It is particularly strong in its advice on visual aids, presentation skills and multimedia. Overall, this extensive guide provides a wealth of information for both students and established scientists.  

Kimberly Reycraft, Florida Gulf Coast University

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