Writing scientific publications is a fundamental step in the research process. Furthermore, as science becomes more interdisciplinary and the number of journals continues to expand, individual papers increasingly need to stand out to be read and have any form of impact. It is widely assumed that students and early career scientists will simply acquire the necessary expertise. However, this could not be further from the truth - many early career scientists find writing both intimidating and overwhelming; writing is a skill that needs to be learnt and actively developed. This novel book's fundamental principle is simple - the reader must come first. The purpose of a scientific paper is to pass on knowledge, and so impactful writing must focus on attracting, holding, and illuminating readers. The authors demonstrate how just a few simple pointers can significantly improve both writing quality and impact. They tackle each component of a paper in turn, providing a simple framework that makes clear what needs to be included (and what doesn't!), and in what order. They also provide advice for writing up different types of science, from laboratory experiments to theoretical modelling. The focus throughout is on the need to use simple, jargon-free English, and to assume that the reader has little or no prior knowledge. In summary, the book is about writing better scientific papers that are more likely to be read and have impact. Scientific Papers Made Easy is targeted at a broad audience of students and professionals, across the biological, life, and human sciences. It uses simple biological and human examples that assume no prior knowledge and will resonate with any scientist.

About the Author
Stuart West was the recipient of the Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal (June 2007), the Phillip Leverhulme Prize (October 2006), and the Chancellor's Rising Star Award, Edinburgh University (August 2006). Lindsay Turnbull was the recipient of the University of Oxford Excellence in Teaching Award in 2019.

Reviews
I know of no other book dealing with the basics of scientific writing as cleanly and as directly as this one does. Indeed, the book sticks admirably to its own principles on two fronts: it is short and to the point. Great scientists still need to know how to write cleanly and plainly, and Scientific Papers Made Easy is an excellent guide for acquiring that skill. * Science *
This book is well-written... It should become an essential starting point for new scholars and the much-needed voice on the shoulder of all as they continue in their endeavours. * Tom Dickins, British Psychological Society *
It is stock full of advice of how to write academic papers from start to finish, all presented in a breezy but precise style. * J. Arvid Agren, BioScience, 2023 *
Do we really need another book on writing? The answer is 'yes' for scientific papers, as long as that book is Stuart West and Lindsay Turnbull's new book, Scientific Papers Made Easy: How to Write with Clarity and Impact in the Life Sciences (2023). * Pat Barclay, Science Direct *
Anyone scared of a blank page when starting writing a manuscript will benefit from reading this book. * ISBE Newsletter Vol 35 *
Scientific Papers Made Easy stands with the best of the genre. It is stock full of advice of how to write academic papers from start to finish, all presented in a breezy but precise style. * Arvid Agren, Bioscience *
In Scientific Papers Made Easy, Stuart West and Lindsay Turnbull have delivered an excellent guide to the production of research papers, and one relevant to all empirical disciplines. Despite my quarter century as an academic, their advice on clarity, concision, and how to address the reader caused me to rethink my own practices and highlighted several errors (I will confess to none...). This book should be adopted in research methods teaching for undergraduate students helping them to produce well-crafted theses. And I use 'should' in the strongest imperative sense possible. * Tom Dickins, The Psychologist *
...the positive tone of this book succeeds in encouraging clear and objective communication without aiming to eradicate the human idiosyncrasies that make reading scientific papers enjoyable as well as practical. So I recommend it to potential authors, and must try to adopt more of its advice for myself. * H. L. Pearson FLS, The Linnean *



Book Information
ISBN 9780192862792
Author Stuart West
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 245mm * 170mm * 11mm