A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology

Sixth Edition

Publication Date: February 19, 2021

Paperback ISBN: 9781319308322

Pages: 352

The essential companion for writing in biology!

The newest edition of Knisely’s Student Handbook for Writing in Biology is the helping hand your students are looking for, offering the support they need to write within the conventions of biology. Topics range from reading technical literature and writing scientific papers, to...

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A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology

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ISBN: 9781319308322
A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology

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Chapter 1 The Scientific Method
Chapter 2 Finding Information About Topics in Science
Chapter 3 Reading and Writing About Science
Chapter 4 Documenting Sources
Chapter 5 Step-by-Step Instructions for Preparing a Scientific Paper
Chapter 6 Data Analysis Using Statistics
Chapter 7 Revision
Chapter 8 Sample Student Laboratory Reports
Chapter 9 Poster Presentations
Chapter 10 Oral Presentations
Appendix 1 Word Processing in MS Word 2019
Appendix 2 Making Graphs in MS Excel 2019
Appendix 3 Preparing Oral Presentations with MS PowerPoint 2019

Updated Content

Updated coverage on data analysis including the application of descriptive statistics to actual datasets and selected tests of significance
Updated poster examples produced with poster design software
Restructured literature search chapter reflects how students look for information using website searches, making sure their information is both credible and relevant

Newly Added

New chapter on documenting sources
New section comparing a journal article with a science news article on the same topic
Chapters include objectives at the beginning and self-assessment questions at the end

Topics Covered

Introduces the scientific method and experimental design
Describes how to find information about topics in science and how to assess the credibility and relevance of the sources
Provides strategies for reading technical material, emphasizes the importance of paraphrasing when taking notes, and gives examples of how to present and cite information to avoid plagiarism
Explains how scientific writing differs from science writing
Gives specific instructions for writing scientific papers with accepted format and content, self-evaluating drafts, and using peer and instructor feedback to refine writing
Describes how sample datasets could be analyzed using tools in the programming language R
Describes the revision process
Provides sample student lab reports with helpful annotations
Describes the characteristics of a well-designed poster
Provides suggestions on how to prepare oral presentations and develop a good rapport with the audience
Describes features of MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that are commonly used when preparing scientific papers, posters, and oral presentations
Provides tutorial videos for both Mac and Windows, which show time-saving tips for formatting document elements in Word and applying formulas and making graphs in Excel

Chapters include objectives at the beginning and self-assessment questions at the end
Restructured literature search chapter reflects how students look for information using website searches, making sure their information is both credible and relevant
New chapter on documenting sources expanded to include more online sources such as blogs, podcasts, and social media
Restructured chapter on reading and writing about science describes how communicating science to a general audience differs from communicating science to other scientists
Updated coverage on data analysis including the application of descriptive statistics to actual datasets and selected tests of significance
Updated poster examples produced with poster design software
Updated appendices for MS Office 2019 and Office 2019 for Mac

“It is simple enough for anyone to follow and offers useful information for any level of biologist. I recommend my students purchase and keep this book for reference throughout their career in graduate school and after.”
-Jamie Newman, Louisiana Tech University, Knisely user

“This textbook is the best balance Ive encountered of an introductory guide that could also serve as a professional review reference.”
-Anonymous Pechenik user

“It provides good coverage of the main elements of good scientific writing that we often aim to convey to our students in a short amount of time. It serves as a good reference manual for outlining the key moves of scientific writing that we hope our students to gain.”
-Anonymous Knisely user

“I have always liked the strategies presented in this chapter - starting with the timetable. I like the comparison of "faulty" and preferred text. I also think that the sequence that is suggested for preparing the report and designing the figures is good. […] Writing examples and style suggestions are excellent.”
-Lisa Baird, University of San Diego, Knisely user

Karin Knisely

Karin Knisely is Lab Director of Core Course Biology at Bucknell University. She earned a B.S. in Biology from Bucknell (where she was a three-sport athlete and is now enshrined in the Athletics Hall of Fame) and an M.S. in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire. She then completed a Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) fellowship at the University of Konstanz. Bilingual in German and English, she translated “You cannot imagine what it is like in America,” an authoritative book by Friedemann Fegert about emigration from the Bavarian Forest to the United States from 1841 to 1931 (2021 Lichtland).