Web Resources for Science Students

The Writing Process

http://ugrad.stat.ubc.ca/~nancy/writing/gopen_swan.pdf
A detailed writing guide for science students, which considers the importance of audience expectation and clarity of communication in science writing.

http://ugrad.stat.ubc.ca/~nancy/writing/checklist/
A brief but comprehensive checklist geared toward technical writing, covering everything from formatting to argumentation and organisation.

http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWcritique.html
A few tips on peer reviewing that focus on turning negative feedback into positive, constructive feedback.

http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWrevisions.html
Suggestions on where to focus when revising an assignment, including concerns related to the assignment as a whole, each paragraph, and each sentence.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900017394.pdf
A highly comprehensive and detailed guide to grammar in technical writing. It also includes guidelines on capitalisation and punctuation.

http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/word_usage.php
An alphabetical list of word usage issues common in scientific writing, including solutions or suggestions for each.

http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/presentations/writing.pdf
A PowerPoint on what to consider when developing your writing style for a particular assignment.

Genres

http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/
A very informative and detailed guide to scientific writing. It includes general tips on the purposes and styles of scientific writing, but its main focus is on common assignments written in the sciences: correspondence (including memos, letters, emails, and resumes), reports (including lab, design, and progress reports), proposals, instructions, and dissertations.

http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/marc/Sci-Writing.pdf
A complete guide to scientific papers and lab reports, including prewriting tips, a section-by-section paper breakdown, and advice on grammar and word choice.

http://www.studygs.net/labreports.htm
A very quick guide to writing scientific papers and lab reports, including their purpose, format, and style.

http://www.brandeis.edu/writingprogram/davisgrant/writingassignments/biology/bio_researchpaperparts.pdf
A good beginner's guide to the scientific paper, focusing on the overall purpose of the genre and the purposes of each section.

http://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/res/labreport/res-sample-labrep.html
A few brief samples of lab reports, both standard and descriptive, that give beginning science writers an idea of how completed reports are organised and formatted.

http://classweb.gmu.edu/biologyresources/writingguide/ScientificPaper.htm
A quick section-by-section guide to writing a scientific paper that focuses on the purpose of each section. Included are examples of each section, in both draft and final form, along with evaluative commentary on each example.

http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/science/index.cfm
Some advice on writing scientific papers, including section purposes and writing style, that is most useful for its extensive list of examples.

http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWtoc.html
A comprehensive resource for writing scientific papers, particularly lab reports. It includes a short, step-by-step guide to the writing process; more detailed guides to writing each section of the paper; and a formatting and citation guide for research, including tables and figures.

http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/review_essay/index.cfm
An introductory guide to writing the review paper that, while a little aggravating to navigate, provides brief descriptions of the sub-genres of review and links useful writing tips to each section of the paper.

http://classweb.gmu.edu/biologyresources/writingguide/Summary.htm
A few pieces of advice to consider when writing an effective summary of a scientific article.

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/writingcenter/ppt/ppframe.htm
A helpful PowerPoint for poster assignments: it considers the unique audience of posters, recommends what to include in each section, and gives advice on organising appealing layouts.

http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/presentations/speaking.pdf
Useful suggestions on designing an effective, memorable, and easily understood PowerPoint presentation.