BSCB Newsletter, Winter 2001

Book Reviews

Endocrine Cell Culture
Successful Scientific Writing
Neuronal Growth Cones
More books for review

Successful Scientific Writing
JR Matthews, JM Bowen and RW Matthews
£15.95
Paperback, 252 pages, 2nd Ed. Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 0521789621.

This was one of the most enjoyable and informative books that I have read in recent years. Primarily, it is aimed at those writers who are hoping to have their scientific work published for the first time. However, it is also a must for all undergraduate and postgraduate science students.

The authors have the ability to convey, in a user-friendly way, all the stages that are needed in order to write any scientific work, from an essay or dissertation through to a full journal article. The book is well organised, allowing the reader to pick and choose sections that are most suited to their individual needs. There are chapters on literature searching as well as those describing useful techniques for organising and planning the content of your written work. Other chapters give advice on every stage of writing from the first draft to the final version, including when and where to use tables and figures and, importantly, chapters on everybody's favourite grammar and punctuation.

I know that I will refer to this book frequently throughout my time as a PhD student and onwards into my scientific career.

Elaine Hemers, Department of Physiology, University of Liverpool