Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [scientific-publishing]

This tag should be used for style guides, ethics and common practices relating to publishing of papers in a scientific context.

This tag should be used for guides, and common practices relating to of s in a scientific context. You should mention what type of writing you are interested in, such as or and point out what parts are giving you problems, such as rules about or .

87 questions
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How to respond to overenthusiastic copy-editing

I was approached by a science magazine to write a long-form critical essay, and I gave them a 6000-word piece with extensive endnotes. After two months of being with the editorial team it comes back with the style altered to sound like generic…
David Roberts
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What is the key reference documentation and how should I cite BASH?

I originally posted this question at SO, but two users there suggested that I take it here. I am writing a scientific research paper, and I want to know if it is appropriate to cite bash, and if so, how should I do so? I am having trouble finding a…
David LeBauer
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Single author scientific paper, 'we' or 'I'?

I am authoring a single author paper. Usually when referring to oneself in a paper, 'we' is used. In single author papers I found both 'we' and 'I' (e.g., 'here we/I report xyz'). Which one is stylistically better? To me 'we' seems odd when I read a…
Dahlai
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For publishing negotations I would like to know what a publishing company makes in profit?

I did a little research but blogs are never enough. I would like expert advice or even sample contracts which spell out everything if possible.
The_Watcher
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What is the image size in scientific paper if indicated as "a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image"?

I would like to submit my manuscript in ecology, containing Figures. However, in Author guidelines, I found that I have to Indicate per figure if it is a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image. What are those measures? In another journals I found…
maycca
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When should I use italics in scientific writing?

I noticed that proper nouns, such as names of theorems or techniques are often set in italics in scientific writing but not always. Are there rules about it, for example each proper noun should be set in italic the first time it occurs? A contrived…
Konrad Höffner
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Should I prefer long or short sentences in scientific writing?

Currently, I am writing papers with rather short sentences: About half of them contain around 20 words, about 10% to 20% even less. I am doing this for three reasons: I find short sentences easier to read, prefer to show relationships using other…
DaveBall
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Journal subscription secrecy

Robert Darnton, an accomplished scholar and important name in the open access movement, has a piece in the current New York Review of Books, The Library: Three Jeremiads, where he mentions that publishers usually insist on keeping the terms [of any…
Charles Stewart
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How can I publish a translation of a book?

I'm in the process of translating a book (scientific publication) for private use. If I ever decide to publish it: what is the procedure? Who is the right person to ask for publishing rights and translation approval? Two of three authors are…
Lost in Translation
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How to cite an entire paragraph?

How to cite an entire paragraph taken from a book? Is it just writing the paragraph as a separate one and adding (Author, Year) in the end? Will it not imply that only the last sentence in the paragraph is written by that reference?
Chethan S.
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Writing a math exercise book

I am in the process of compiling a collection of exercises in Linear Algebra, (freshman course). This is mainly just a series of examples, with a short theoretical introduction to each chapter with a few broad ideas of the concepts used in the…
Per Alexandersson
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In scientific writing, what is the protocol for shortening nouns?

I often see place or species names shortened in scientific journal articles and would like to know what the correct protocol is. Can I shorten "Gough Island" to just "Gough"? Or "leatherback turtle" to "leatherback"?
JaimieC
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Should I cite a source that cites an older source?

I am writing a scientific research paper and one of the sources I am using introduced a concept which I am using within the paper. The source I read (published in 1969) credits this concept as being coined by a different source (published in 1944).…
Robales
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If I quote part of an article that itself contains a quote, what do I cite?

In an article I'm writing, for a conference in engineering education, I would like to quote the following: They do so “freely, with a full sense of volition and without the necessity of material rewards or constraints” (Deci et al., 1991, p.…
Michael Stachowsky
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How can I consistently distinguish among tables, fields, and records in a database?

I am describing a database for a scientific publication. The database has many tables, and each table has fields (spreadsheet columns) and records (rows). I spend a lot of time discussing tables and relationships among tables, as well as the…
Abe
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