A Guide to Writing in the Sciences

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

Forty years ago, the undergraduate essay was common at the University of
Toronto; now, Gilpin (a graduate student) and Patchet-Golubev (a writing
instructor) at that institution, present this “practical handbook”
based on their noncredit course, “Writing for Scientists.” The
objectives and components of lab reports, research essays, essay
examinations, and other writings receive extensive coverage, while only
the basics of grammar are provided. An index and appendixes on resources
and scientific terms usefully augment the text. The attention to
plagiarism and the presentation of statistics is good to see. One
peccadillo is American Scientific, a blending of the titles of two
prominent serials. As a boost toward more effective communication in
scientific writing, this book is most welcome.