Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences

With detailed instruction on researching, drafting, revising, and documenting papers, reviews, poster presentations, and more, Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences teaches you to exprtly write on topice relevant to biology, zoology, and botany.

Victoria E. McMillan (PhD, Syracuse University) teaches in the interdisciplinary writing department, the biology department, and the women's studies program at Colgate University. A behavioral ecologist who has published a number of scholarly and popular articles on animal behavior, McMillan is currently focusing her research activities on reproductive strategies in insects, dragonflies in particular.

Preface
About the Author

How and Why Biologists Write: An Introduction to Biological Literature

Chapter 1　Locating and Using Biological Literature
　Searching the Literature
　　　Sample Database Search
　Using the Internet
　Reading Scientific Papers
　Avoiding Plagiarism and Taking Notes

Working Collaboratively

Keeping Up with the Literature

Chapter 2　Handling Data and Using Statistics
　Getting Started
　Recording and Organizing Your Findings
　Using Statistics to Analyze Your Data

Additional Sources

Chapter 3　Using Tables and Figures
　Tables
　Figures
　Checklist for Tables and Figures

Additional Sources

Chapter 4　Writing Lab Reports and Research Papers
　Title
　Abstract
　Introduction
　Materials and Methods
　Results
　Discussion
　Acknowledgments
　References
　Checklist for Lab Reports and Research Papers
　Additional Sources　

Sample Laboratory Report
　　Sample Student Research Paper

Chapter  5　Writing a Review Paper
　Choosing a Topic
　Deciding on a Title
　Working with the Literature
　Presenting Your Material
　Checklist for Review Papers
　　Sample Review Paper

Chapter 6　Documenting the Paper
　Citing Sources in the Text
　Preparing the References Section

Chapter 7　Drafting and Revising
　The First Draft
　Practical Suggestions for Revising
　Checking Content and Structure
　Improving Paragraphs
　Writing Clear, Accurate Sentences
　Avoiding Wordiness
　Verb Tense
　Punctuation

Chapter  8　Preparing the Final Draft
　Mechanics and Technicalities
　Manuscript Format
　Writing and Acknowledgments Section
　Proofreading

Chapter 9　Using Writing to Prepare for Examinations
　Getting the Most Out of Textbooks
　Taking Good Lecture Notes
　Preparing for Laboratory Exams
　Studying for Short-Answer Questions
　Answering Essay Questions

Additional Sources

Chapter 10　Other Forms of Biological Writing
　Oral Presentations
Checklist for Oral Presentations
    Sample PowerPoint Presentation
　Poster Presentations
Checklist for Poster Presentations
　　Sample Poster Presentation
　Research Proposals
　　Sample Research Proposal
　Letters of Application
　　Sample Cover Letter
　Résumés
　　Sample Résumé
　　Sample Curriculum Vitae

Additional Sources

References

Index

Symbols and Abbreviations Used in Biology