Eloquent Science
A Practical Guide to Becoming a Better Writer, Speaker and Scientist
"Eloquent Science" evolved from a workshop aimed at offering atmospheric science students formal guidance in communications, tailored for their eventual scientific careers. Drawing on advice from over twenty books and hundreds of other sources, this volume presents informative and often humorous tips for writing scientific journal articles, while also providing a peek behind the curtain into the operations of editorial boards and publishers of major journals. The volume focuses on writing, reviewing, and speaking and is aimed at the domain of the student or scientist at the start of her career. The volume offers tips on poster presentations, media communication, and advice for non-native speakers of English, as well as appendices on proper punctuation usage and commonly misunderstood meteorological concepts. A further reading section at the end of each chapter suggests additional sources for the interested reader, and sidebars written by experts in the field offer diverse viewpoints on reference topics.
Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Professor Kerry Emanuel, MIT
How to Use This Book
Introduction: An Incoherent Truth
Part I: Writing and Publishing Scientific Research Papers
1. The Process of Publishing Scientific Papers
2. Should You Publish Your Paper? Questions to Ask Before You Begin Writing
3. Writing an Effective Title
4. The Structure of a Scientific Paper
5. The Motivation to Write
6. Brainstorm, Outline, and First Draft
7. Accessible Scientific Writing
8. Constructing Effective Paragraphs
9. Constructing Effective Sentences
10. Using Effective Words and Phrases
11. Figures, Tables, and Equations
12. Citations and References
13. Editing and Finishing Up
14. Authorship and Its Responsibilities
15. Scientific Ethics and Misconduct
16. Guidance for English as a Second Language Authors and Their Coauthors
17. Page Proofs, Publication, and Life Thereafter
18. Methods and Approaches to Writing for the Atmospheric Sciences
Part II: Participating in Peer Review
19. Editors and Peer Review
20. Writing a Review
21. Responding to Reviews
Part III: Preparing and Delivering Scientific Presentations
22. How Scientific Meetings Work
23. The Abstract and Extended Abstract
24. Accessible Oral Presentations
25. Constructing Effective Oral Presentations
26. Delivering Compelling Oral Presentations
27. Potent Poster Presentations
28. Challenges to Delivering Your Presentation
Part IV: Communicating Throughout Your Career
29. Communication in the Workplace
30. Communication with the Public and Media
31. Furthering Your Journey
Part V: Appendices
A Commas, Hyphens, and Dashes
B Commonly Misused Scientific Words and Expressions
Notes
For Further Reading
References
Index
About the Author
David M. Schultz is professor of experimental meteorology in the Department of Physics at the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. He has published on a wide range of topics in the field and is chief editor of the "Monthly Weather Review", cofounder and assistant editor for the "Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology", associate editor for "Atmospheric Science Letters", and a member of the editorial board of "Geophysica".
Reviews
"This book is amazingly complete, even conveying insider information about how things work that will allow everyone to be more active and productive members of our profession" – Daphne LaDue, Director, National Weather Center Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, University of Oklahoma
