Reading and Writing Scientific and Technical Literature |
Library Guide No. 1.10 |
The purpose of technical or job-related writing is to communicate clearly information such as instructions, results, or new proposals. The following is a selected list of sources on technical writing.
Blincq, Ron. Technically-Write!.
T11.B62 2004 Porter.
Ebel, Hans Friedrich . The Art of Scientific Writing: From Student Reports to Professional Publications in Chemistry and Related Fields.
QD9.15.E23 2004 Davis.
Blum, Deborah and Mary Knudson. A Field Guide for Science Writers.
Ref T11.F52 1997 Davis.
Day, Robert A. How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper.
Ref T11.D33 1994 Davis.
Day, Robert A. Scientific English: A Guide for Scientists and Other Professionals.
Ref PE1475.D38 1995 Davis.
Mauch, James E. and Namgi Park. Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: A Handbook for Students and Faculty.
Ref LB2369.M377 2003 Davis.
Michaelson, Herbert B. How to Write & Publish Engineering Papers and Reports.
Ref T11.M418 1990 Davis.
Northey, Margot. Making Sense: A Student's Guide to Research, Writing, and Style.
Ref LB2369.N67 1993 Davis.
Science and Technical Writing: A Manual of Style.
Ref T11.S378 1992 Davis.
Sides, Charles H. How to Write & Present Technical Information.
Ref T11.S528 1999 Davis.
White, John H. From Research to Printout: Creating Effective Technical Documents.
T11.W448 1997 Davis.
Wilkinson, Antoinette Miele. The Scientists's Handbook for Writing Papers and Dissertations.
T11.W48 1991 Davis.
Young, Matt. The Technical Writer's Handbook: Writing with Style and Clarity.
Ref T11.Y68x 1989 Davis.
Additional information on technical writing can be found in TRELLIS, UW's online catalogue, under subject headings such as:
Technical Writing
Report Writing
Style manuals outline the format a formal paper should take with regard to tables, bibliographies, footnotes, etc. Format is often a question of individual style and preference, and there is not necessarily one correct method. Visit the Citation & Style Guides page from our Electronic Reference Shelf for Web resources. The following is a selected list of style guides in print.
Knapp, Mark L. A Guide to Publishing in Scholarly Communication Journals.
PN4836.K63x 2004 Porter.
The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors.
Ref QD8.5.A25 1997 Davis.
American Medical Association Manual of Style.
Ref R119.A533 1998 Davis.
CBE Style Manual Committee. Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers.
Ref Z250.6.B5C6 1994 Davis.
Kirkman, John. Good Style: Writing for Science and Technology.
Ref T11.K54 1992 Davis.
A Manual for Authors of Mathematical Papers.
Ref T11.M35x 1984 Davis.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Ref BF76.7.P83 2001 Davis and Porter Quick Ref.
BF76.7.P83 2001 Davis and Porter Reserves.
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
Ref LB2369.T8 1996 Davis, Porter, and UMD.
LB2369.T8 1996 Davis and Porter Reserves.
Turk, Christopher and John Kirkman. Effective Writing: Improving Scientific, Technical and Business Communication.
Ref T11.T75 1989 Davis.
Additional sources can be found in TRELLIS under subject headings such as:
Authorship - Handbooks, Manuals, etc.
Biology - Authorship
Geology - Authorship
The clear communication of quantitative information is very important in scientific and technical literature, and graphical representation is often the best method for displaying such data. The following is a selected list of sources on the use of graphics to communicate information.
Bounford, Trevor. Digital Diagrams: Effective Design and Presentation of Statistical Information.
Ref HA31.B68 2000 Davis.
Council of Biology Editors. Scientific Illustration Committee. Illustrating Science: Standards for Publication.
Ref Q222.C68 1988 Davis.
Q222.C68 1988 Davis.
Schmid, Calvin Fisher. Statistical Graphics: Design Principles and Practices.
QA276.3.S35 1983 Davis.
Tufte, Edward R. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information.
HA31.T83x 1983 Davis and Porter.
Additional sources can be found in TRELLIS under the subject heading:
Statistics - Graphic Methods
Abbreviations and symbols are common in the literature of science and technology, and it is important to have uniformity in their use. Listed below are several sources for the interpretation of symbols or abbreviations encountered in the literature.
ABBR, Abbreviations for Scientific and Engineering Terms.
Ref Q179.A22x 1983 Davis Quick Ref.
Periodical Title Abbreviations.
Ref Z6945.A2 W34 (latest ed.) Davis and Porter Quick Ref, and Davis Ref.
Dreyfuss, Henry. Symbol Sourcebook: An Authoritative Guide to International Graphic Symbols.
Ref AZ108.D74 1972 Davis and Porter.
Additional sources can be found in TRELLIS under the following subject headings:
Abbreviations
Science - Abbreviations
Signs and Symbols
Scientific disciplines often develop a terminology that is unique to their subject area. Scientific dictionaries define words used exclusively in a discipline, or common words that have a special meaning within a discipline. Listed below are some examples of specialized dictionaries.
Oxford Reference Online is a suite of online dictionaries including many titles in Biological Sciences, Computing, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Medicine, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, and Sciences. (From UW Library's homepage, visit the "e-reference collection", click on "Dictionaries, Thesauri & Glossaries", and look under "Specialized Dictionaries & Glossaries".)
Claphman, Christopher. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics.
Electronic version (1996).
A Dictionary of Chemistry.
Electronic version (2000).
Hyam, Roger and R. J. Pankhurst. Plants and Their Names: A Concise Dictionary.
Ref QK96.P35 1995 Davis.
IEEE Standard Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics Terms.
Ref TK9.I478 5th ed. 1992 Davis.
Jackson, Julia A. and Robert Latimer Bates. Glossary of Geology.
Ref QE5.G37 1997 Davis.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms.
Ref Q123.M15 2003 Davis.
The Oxford Dictionary for Scientific Writers and Editors.
Ref T11.O94 1991 Davis.
T11.O94 1991 Optometry.
Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Stedman's Medical Dictionary.
Ref R121.S8 2000 Davis.
Ref R121.S8 2000 Optometry.
Additional dictionaries can be found in TRELLIS under the appropriate subject heading for a discipline followed by the subheading Dictionaries. For example:
Engineering - Dictionaries
Civil Engineering - Dictionaries
Physics - Dictionaries
Biotechnology - Dictionaries
Foreign technical or scientific words, unique to a particular discipline, may not be found in a regular translation dictionary. Specialized discipline related translation dictionaries are available to translate these terms. Listed below are some example s of discipline related translation dictionaries.
A large number of translation dictionaries are available online.
Borovkov, K. A. Russian-English, English-Russian Dictionary on Probability, Statistics, and Combinatorics.
Ref QA276.4.B67 1994 Davis.
Bucksch, Herbert. Dictionary Geotechnical Engineering : English German.
Ref TA704.B83 1997 Davis.
Elsevier's Dictionary of Biometry: In English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Italian, and Russian.
QH323.5.E45 1994 Davis.
Lydersen, Aksel. Dictionary of Chemical Engineering: English, French, German, Spanish.
Ref TP9.L83 1992 Davis.
Malyavskaya, Greta and Natalia Shveyeva. Russian-English Dictionary of Scientific and Engineering Terms.
Ref Q123.M23 1999 Davis.
Michel, J. P. (Jean-Pierre). Dictionary of Earth Sciences: English-French, French-English.
Ref QE5.M52 1992 Davis.
Routledge German Technical Dictionary: German-English.
Ref T10.R688x 1996 Davis.
Additional translation dictionaries can be found in TRELLIS under the appropriate subject heading for a discipline followed by the subheading Dictionaries and the language of interest. For example:
Computer Science - Dictionaries - French
Electronics - Dictionaries - Polyglot
Mathematics - Dictionaries - German
Physics - Dictionaries - French
Carol Stephenson (94/02)
Updated by Dan Sich (2007/11)
For assistance enquire at the Davis Centre, Dana Porter, or University Map and Design Library Information Desk or consult the Ask a Librarian web page at http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/asklib/.
Library Guide, No. 1-10 Reading and Writing Scientific and Technical Literature
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/libguides/1-10.html
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