Writing scientific research articles : strategy and steps / Margaret Cargill and Patrick O'Connor.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Section 1. A framework for success. How the book is organized, and why -- Research article structures -- Referees' criteria for evaluating manuscripts -- Section 2. When and how to write each article section. Results as a "story": the key driver of an article -- Results: turning data into knowledge -- Writing about results -- The methods section -- The introduction -- The discussion section -- The title -- The abstract -- Section 3. Getting your manuscript published. Considerations when selecting a target journal -- Submitting a manuscript -- How to respond to editors and referees -- A process for preparing a manuscript -- Section 4. Developing your publication skills further. Skill-development strategies for groups and individuals -- Developing discipline-specific English skills -- Section 5. Provided example articles. Provided example article 1: Kaiser and others (2003) -- Provided example article 2: Britton-Simmons and Abbott (2008).

Writing Scientific Research Articles: Strategy and Steps guides authors in how to write, as well as what to write, to improve their chances of having their articles accepted for publication in international, peer reviewed journals. The book is designed for scientists who use English as a first or an additional language; for research students and those who teach them paper writing skills; and for early-career researchers wanting to hone their skills as authors and mentors. It provides clear processes for selecting target journals and writing each section of a manuscript, starting with the results. The stepwise learning process uses practical exercises to develop writing and data presentation skills through analysis of well-written example papers. Strategies are presented for responding to referee comments, as well as ideas for developing discipline-specific English language skills for manuscript writing. The book is designed for use by individuals or in a class setting. Margaret Cargill's background as a linguist and research communications educator and Patrick O'Connor's experience as both research scientist and educator synergize to improve both the science and art of scientific writing. If the authors' goal is to give scientists the tools to write and publish compelling, well documented, clear narratives that convey their work honestly and in proper context, they have succeeded admirably.