Easy to read and up-to-date, How to Write and Illustrate a Scientific Paper will help both first-time writers and experienced contributors in authoring research papers. Although the examples are mainly from the medical and biological sciences, the principles described apply to virtually every branch of science. This book provides step-by-step information on how to prepare every aspect of a scientific paper, from the title and the order in which the authors are cited, through to how the reference list should be arranged. Illustrations, particularly graphs, are discussed in detail, with poor examples redrawn for comparison. The reader is offered advice on how to present the paper, where and how to submit the manuscript, and finally, how to correct the proofs. Examples of both good and bad writing, taken from actual journal articles, illuminate the author's advice in this accessible and informative guide.

Preface; Acknowledgments; 1. Basic rules of writing; Part I. The Journal Article: 2. Where to start; 3. How to design tables; 4. Preparing a graph; 5. Title; 6. Authors; 7. Abstract; 8. Introduction; 9. Methods; 10. Results; 11. Discussion; 12. Acknowledgments; 13. References; Part II. Related Topics: 14. Numbers; 15. Abbreviations; 16. Common statistical errors; 17. The language; 18. Writing the draft; 19. How to type the manuscript; 20. Choosing a journal and submitting your paper; 21. How to deal with editors and referees; 22. Correcting proofs; 23. Authors' responsibilities; 24. Literature needed on your desk; 25. Further reading; Index.