Writing Readable Research analyses scientific writing in English for
non-native and native speakers. The Introduction looks at different
layers of constraints in scientific writing in English including
grammatical and semantic rules, register, style, rhetoric, textual
cohesion, social amenities, mode, field and genre. Section I covers the
grammatical and sentential structures relevant to scientific genres and
those that pose problems for non-native speakers. It explains the
function of the relevant tenses, of voice, and conditional clauses and
how grammatical and syntactic facets interact with rhetorical choices.
Section II looks at problems common to novice writers, whether
non-native or native English speakers, including neglect of the
paragraph as an organizing unit, superfluous words and phrases,
monotonous sentence structure and inappropriateness for the intended
readership. Many writers who have been taught academic English still
find themselves unable to cope with scientific English and the final
section of the book discusses how to analyze various scientific genres,
such as journal articles, oral presentations, abstracts, professional
letters and grant proposals. This section also covers the usually
neglected area of interpersonal relations in the scientific discourse
community. How do we handle sensitive issues such as criticizing other
researchers and advancing one's own claims? Praise for this Volume:
'A welcome addition to the array of academically inclined instructional
manuals on how to create reader-friendly scientific texts. The author is
an expert in the field of teaching scientific writing in the discipline
of the Social Sciences and offers a compact volume with plenty of useful
advice to students and guidance to tutors of scientific writing. The
most attractive feature of the book is its balanced mix of explanations,
theory and task-based approach with a strong emphasis on skills building
through activities, which are all based on authentic materials
showcasing some similarities but also many differences between
disciplines under the Social Sciences umbrella.' -- Linguist List
24.396, January 2013
