Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences by Victoria E. McMillan - Seventh Edition, 2021 from Macmillan Student Store
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Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences

Seventh Edition ©2021 Victoria E. McMillan

Written by a professional biologist and experienced writing teacher, Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, is a comprehensive guide for students that provides detailed instruction on researching, drafting, revising, and documenting lab reports, research papers, review...

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ISBN:9781319268480

ISBN:9781319268466

ISBN:9781319457488

ISBN:9781319457495

Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences by Victoria E. McMillan - Seventh Edition, 2021 from Macmillan Student Store

Go Digital with this title’s e-book and Achieve for Writer’s Help-Hacker.

Compact, yet comprehensive guide to writing in biology

Written by a professional biologist and experienced writing teacher, Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, is a comprehensive guide for students that provides detailed instruction on researching, drafting, revising, and documenting lab reports, research papers, reviews, poster presentations, and other commonly assigned projects in biology courses. The seventh edition features updated coverage of research methods and new student examples from a wider variety of sub-disciplines in biology that support students at all levels of biology.

Achieve for Writer’s Help is a powerful online resource and reference developed to meet the writing and research needs of students across disciplines. With trusted content from the widely used Diana Hacker/Nancy Sommers handbooks, Writer’s Help takes students through first-year writing and beyond.

Features

Concise, self-teaching guide to writing in biology. Modeled on a handbook format – with bulleted rules, checklists for formatting various scientific papers, and a spiral binding – Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences is a handy reference that new to advanced students can readily use on their own.

Comprehensive coverage of the most common writing assignments in undergraduate biology courses. Thorough chapters on writing and documenting research papers, lab reports, and reviews are illustrated with annotated student examples. Writing Papers covers each stage of the writing process, from researching and drafting to revising and preparing the final paper. Special attention is paid to student integrity and avoiding plagiarism.

Thorough coverage of other forms of biological writing, including guidelines for oral presentations, lecture slide and poster presentations, research proposals, letters of application, resumes, and cover letters.

A chapter on reading effectively and preparing for exams. Providing smart advice on getting the most out of textbooks and preparing for laboratory exams, the book also covers studying for short-answer and essay questions.

New to This Edition

More student models that offer a diversity of annotated examples. Offering more in-text examples than competing texts, new examples from biological sub-disciplines - including cellular and molecular biology, animal ecology, microbiology, and plant physiology - ensure that the seventh edition remains accessible to freshmen and relevant to advancing students as they progress through their coursework.

New and updated "Tech Talk" tips throughout the text offer students support on how to use accessible tools to search databases, organize research, and provide documentation for their sources.

Revised and updated Chapter 1, Locating and Using Biological Literature, with new coverage of accessible tools for collaboration and organizing research materials.


“Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences guides students through the major genres of biology student writing. It includes helpful hints on finding and evaluating sources, recording and presenting data, and writing IMRAD lab reports and review papers in biology.”
-- David Dansereau, Saint Mary's University
 
“This book provides a plethora of highly relevant information about how to disseminate research, which is an extremely important component of being a successful biologist. The book not only covers how to write a report for a science course, but also how to prepare PowerPoint presentations and posters, how to employ commonly used stats, and how to properly make tables and figures. In short, this is the most comprehensive book on the topic and a valuable resource for upcoming biologists. One of the most appealing aspects of this book is the ability to present a large amount of information in a manner that is easy to follow and understand.”
-- Matthew Lehnert, Kent State University at Stark
 
"Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences is an excellent handbook for the biology student. It can not only serve as a text for a biological writing course, but it can also be a reference for students throughout their years in a biology program. It covers not only the classical definition of "writing papers" but also other important items such as oral presentations (with and without PowerPoint), poster presentations and writing cover letters and resumes for prospective job seekers."
--Felicia Barbieri, Gwynedd Mercy University

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Table of Contents


Introduction How and Why Biologists Write: An
 Introduction to Biological Literature  

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  
Tech Talk      
Keeping Up with the Literature

 
2 Handling Data and Using Statistics  
Getting Started  
Recording and Organizing Your Findings  
TECH TALK     
Using Statistics to Analyze Your Data  
Additional Sources  

3  Using Tables and Figures  
Tables  
Figures  
Tech Talk      
Checklist for Tables and Figures  
Additional Sources 

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 (Botany)
Sample Laboratory Report (Microbiology)
Sample Student Research Paper (Plant Physiology)
Sample Student Research Paper (Animal Ecology)

5 Writing a Review Paper 
Choosing a Topic  
Deciding on a Title  
Working with the Literature  
Presenting Your Material  
Tech Talk  
Checklist for Review Papers  
Sample Review Paper (Human Physiology)

6 Documenting the Paper  
Citing Sources in the Text  
Preparing the References Section  
TECH TALK  

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

8  Preparing the Final Draft  
Mechanics and Technicalities  
Tech Talk  
Manuscript Format  
Writing an Acknowledgments Section  
Proofreading 

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 

10 Other Forms of Biological Writing  
Oral Presentations  
TECH TALK     
Checklist for Oral Presentations  
Sample PowerPoint Presentation (Plant Physiology)  
Poster Presentations  
Checklist for Poster Presentations  
Sample Poster Presentation (Animal Ecology)  
Research Proposals  
Sample Research Proposal (Plant Physiological Ecology)  
Letters of Application  
Sample Letter of Application  
Résumés  
Tech Talk      
Sample Résumé  
Sample Curriculum Vitae  
Additional Sources  

Works Cited in Text
  Examples  
Index  
Symbols and
  Abbreviations Used in Biology  

Victoria E. McMillan

Victoria E. McMillan (PhD, Syracuse University) taught for 27 years in the interdisciplinary writing department, biology department, and women's studies program at Colgate University. A behavioral ecologist who has published a number of scholarly and popular articles on animal behavior, McMillan has focused her research on reproductive strategies in insects, dragonflies in particular. Now retired, she writes and lectures widely on insects, plants, and behavioral ecology.

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Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences 6e to 7e Transition Guide