5 Writing resources every chemistry researcher should know about
Writing about research is a vital task for researchers in chemistry or any other scientific field, regardless of their professional level. While every scholar recognizes that writing is necessary, the process can be quite unpleasant, even if your research is going well. When the time comes to sit down and write out a paper, so many researchers experience writer’s block1, despite knowing the contents of their study better than anybody.
One of the best ways of ensuring that you can write productively and persuasively is making use of the many published writing resources that will help you efficiently structure your thoughts and text to write with maximum impact and minimum fuss. Here, we would like to introduce some writing resources that will help any research chemist, and indeed, many other scientists.
1. The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication
Published by American Chemical Society (ACS)
The ACS is one of the largest and most influential learned societies. Since 1876, ACS has successfully promoted chemistry both within the United States and worldwide2. ACS provides a wealth of useful material for researchers in chemistry and related subfields. Since 1986, the ACS Style Guide has aimed to be the definitive source on the writing, editing, review, and submission of scientific manuscripts3. It has since become a well-known style guide in the field of chemistry, particularly for papers submitted to ACS journals.
Recently, the ACS Style Guide has been superseded by the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication4. This version not only contains all guidance maintained from previous versions of the Style Guide, but also includes guidance on all aspects of scientific reporting and communication. It is excellent both as a primer before writing a paper and as a reference during the writing. Access does require an ACS membership, but a free membership will allow access to 50 articles per year.
2. Scientific Style and Format (Eighth Edition)
Published by Council of Science Editors, University of Chicago Press
This style guide was created in 1960 as a recommended format for biology reporting, but its scope has expanded to encompass all sciences5. Now in its eighth edition, it provides recommendations and rules for every aspect of scientific reporting. As it is produced by the Council of Science Editors (CSE), it contains many concrete recommendations on the preparation of manuscripts from an editor’s perspective.
Much like the ACS guide, it is a useful resource even if you do not intend to publish to a journal asking for the CSE style. Even if you do not have the full guide, the website provides some very useful quick guides6 on manuscript preparation, including referencing and communication samples.
3. IUPAC Brief Guides to Nomenclature
Published by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
As a chemist, you must already be aware of IUPAC and what they do. They are the world’s foremost organization standardizing chemistry nomenclature, digital formats, and symbols, and their Color Books are indispensable. The digital versions are free, so do add them to your must-have list of resources7.
However, it is still common to see nomenclature errors in manuscripts produced by professional researchers. Some simple, yet common, errors include incorrect use of punctuation marks such as hyphens and commas in chemical formulae. Another is using “sulphur” instead of “sulfur,” which is no longer the recommended even in British English spelling. While the Color Books are the definitive guides on IUPAC standards, the Brief Guides are excellently presented short reviews on the key points of nomenclature8. These guides are definitely worth bookmarking and reviewing.
4. A Short Guide to Writing about Chemistry
Published by Pearson Longman
This guide9 is not especially well known, but it is an excellent addition to your library, regardless of whether you are a seasoned professional or a postgraduate writing up their first reports. It is part of The Short Guide series by Pearson Longman, who offers guides for various other academic subjects. This guide has a laid-back style that is easily accessible even to non-specialist readers.
Furthermore, this book contains concrete tips and broader strategies on how to effectively communicate your findings. Another great point is that it even gives advice on literature research, taking notes, and revising your own text. I highly recommend giving this book a thorough read and then keeping it around as a reference book, as it provides a lot of food for thought long before writing your paper.
5. The Editor’s Manual
While this resource does not carry the weighty backing of a major organization like the previous resources10, it deserves mention for its simple and engaging presentation of many common guidelines and pitfalls in writing. The resource includes simple, sharable infographics and many in-depth discussions with plenty of examples. It is a good, quick reference for busy researchers who cannot afford to waste time flipping through books to find the best answer.
Furthermore, its simple presentation makes it easily accessible to many academics. Most researchers are not native English speakers, and English language errors are one of the most commonly mentioned issues in peer review. The simple and straightforward format of the Editor’s Manual makes it very useful for scholars with any English skill level, including native English speakers.
We hope that these resources will serve you well as you get ready to share your research with the world. Do you have any other useful resources to share? Feel free to leave them in the comments below for your fellow researchers!
References
1. Writer’s block: Why do scientists hate writing and what can we do about it? Science with style http://www.sciencewithstyle.org/1/post/2015/09/writers-block-why-do-scientists-hate-writing-and-what-can-we-do-about-it.html.
2. About ACS. American Chemical Society https://www.acs.org/about.html.
3. Dodd, J. S. & Society, A. C. The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors. (American Chemical Society, 1986).
4. The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication. (American Chemical Society, 2020). doi:10.1021/acsguide.
5. Scientific Style and Format Online - History. https://www.scientificstyleandformat.org/info/About-Scientific-Style-and-Format/History-of-Scientific-Style-and-Format.html.
6. Scientific Style and Format Online - Tools. https://www.scientificstyleandformat.org/Tools.html.
7. Color Books. IUPAC | International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry https://iupac.org/what-we-do/books/color-books/.
8. Brief Guides to Nomenclature. IUPAC | International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry https://iupac.org/what-we-do/nomenclature/brief-guides/.
9. Davis, H., Tyson, J. & Pechenik, J. A. A Short Guide to Writing about Chemistry. (Longman, 2010).
10. About The Editor’s Manual. The Editor’s Manual https://editorsmanual.com/about/.
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