Writing Guides, Style Manuals and the Publication Process in the Health Sciences

Print and electronic resources available to current University of Minnesota students, staff and faculty

Books

• Books available on the topic of Medical Writing
  • Catalog search results on the topic of medical/healthcare writing
• Books available on the topic of Publishing
  • Catalog search results on the topic of medical/healthcare publishing
• Books available on the topic of Authorship
  • Catalog search results on the topic of medical/healthcare authorship
• Books available on the topic of Data Display / Information Visualization
  • Catalog search results on the topic of data display / information visualization
• Books available on the topic of Research Methods
  • Catalog search results on the topic of research methods or methodology.

Internet resources

• Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
  • This popular book is an indispensable and entertaining guide for writers, proofreaders, editors, managers, clerical staff, teachers, and students. Use this site to find the answers to your questions concerning proper English grammar and punctuation.
• Clinical Chemistry Guide to Scientific Writing
  • Series of educational articles on how to design and write scientific research papers for publication. These articles will help authors, educators, researchers, training program directors, and other professionals write more clearly and effectively, thereby improving their chances for success. Clinical Chemistry encourages educators and training program directors to use them as a teaching aid, and provide a link to them on their own Web sites.
• Deadwood Phrases
  • Phrases that Kill Good Writing
    • 129 Deadwood Phrases that Kill Good Writing
      • By Anthony James, from Klariti.com
    • Plague Words & Phrases
      • "Avoid problems created by these words or phrases"
• EASE Guidelines for Authors and Translators of Scientific Articles to be Published in English.
  • The EASE Guidelines for Authors and Translators of Scientific Articles to be Published in English provide simple, clear advice aimed at making international scientific communication more efficient. They also draw attention to ethical issues such as authorship criteria, plagiarism, conflict of interests and more. This concise and readable set of editorial guidelines was first published by EASE in 2010 and updated annually until 2018.
• Elements of Style Online
  • The electronic version of the classic work by William Strunk, Jr. that includes rules of grammar and usage, principles of composition, and commonly misused and misspelled words.
• Grammar, punctuation, and capitalization: a handbook for technical writers and editors.
  • Mary K. McCaskill, Langley Research Center.
• Guide to Grammar & Writing
  • An online textbook on basic writing sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation. Developed by Dr. Charles Darling.
• Harvard Guide to Using Sources
  • From the Expository Writing Program. Covers integrating sources into a paper; misuse of sources and when/when not to cite.
• How to publish in top journals
  • This brief manual provides useful suggestions for today's authors. By Kwan Choi, Editor, RIE.
• How To Write A paper in Scientific Journal Style and Format
  • Department of Biology, Bates College - Tutorial on writing scientific journal articles.
• Improve Your Scientific Writing: A Short Guide.
  • Frederic D. Busman. (59 p.). University of Pennsylvania, Dept of Microbiology
• Internet Grammar of English
  • An online course in English grammar.
• Mayfield Handbook of Technical & Scientific Writing
  • Authors: Leslie C. Perelman, Edward Barrett, and James Paradis ; ESL Consultant: Erika Mitchell

    The Web-based version of The Mayfield Handbook of Scientific and Technical Writing is the result of more than ten years of collaborative development at MIT. The Handbook is the first hypertextual reference work designed specifically for technical and scientific writing. MIT authors Leslie Perelman, James Paradis, and Edward Barrett offer information and advice on grammar and usage, strategies for planning and producing documents, and common document formats and citation styles.

• Online Grammar Handbook

  • University of Minnesota. "21 Chapters of Links about College Writing and Research with Videos, Literature, Arguments, and Sample Papers." 2012 edition.

• Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in the health sciences
  • Guide that describes the differences between primary, secondary and tertiary sources.
• Publishing Your Research 101

  • The Publishing Your Research 101 video series helps authors and reviewers understand how to get a manuscript accepted, respond to reviewer comments, navigate ethical considerations, and improve their manuscript submission process experience.

     

    Based on American Chemical Society (ACS)on Campus' interactive sessions, the video series includes interviews with prominent authors and editors of ACS journals who provide insights and answers from their own perspectives, and the perspectives of their journals. (updated 2016)

    • Episode 1 - How to Write a Paper to Communicate Your Research
    • Episode 2 - Writing Your Cover Letter
    • Episode 3 - Selecting Peers to Suggest as Reviewers
    • Episode 4 - Submitting Your Manuscript Using the ACS Paragon Plus Environment
    • Episode 5 - Ethical Considerations for Authors and Reviewers
    • Episode 6 - The Review Process for Authors and Reviewers
    • Episode 7 - Open Access and ACS AuthorChoice
    • Episode 8 - Tips for English as a Second Language Speakers
    • Episode 9 - The Basics of Copyright and Fair Use
    • Episode 10: My Manuscript Has Been Accepted! Now What?
• Scientific Writing Booklet
  • Complied by Marc E. Tischer, PhD. (25 p.). University of Arizona, Dept of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics.
• Scientific Writing Made Easy: a step-by-step guide to undergraduate writing in the biological sciences.
  • Turbek, S. P., Chock, T. M., Donahue, K., Havrilla, C. A., Oliverio, A. M., Polutchko, S. K., ... & Vimercati, L. (2016). The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 97(4), 417-426.
• Student Writing Guide: University of Minnesota
  • Center for Writing. Revised ed. 2010: -Reading, research & writing strategies; - U Writing requirements; - Writing resources & more
• Lectures on Scientific Writing for Epidemiology and Public Health
  • 8 module online course. Modules take between 20-30 minutes to complete. Includes 128 p. course guide and each module has handouts to complete.
  • Dr. Paul Siegel, based on materials developed in collaboration with Dr. Richard A. Goodman. University of Cincinnati, Dept of Environmental and Public Health Sciences.
• The Unofficial guide for authors (or how to produce research articles worth citing)
  • Guide by Tomislav Hengl & Mike Gould (2006). Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.

    Freely downloadable guide that covers in 54 pages all aspects of scientific writing.

• Writing and presenting your thesis or dissertation
  • Guide by S. Joseph Levine, Michigan State University
• Writing Guides
  • From Colorado State University. Covers the writing process, types of documents, researching sources and using sources.