Macromolecular Science & Engineering

This book is designed to help researchers achieve success in funding their National Science Foundation (NSF) research proposals. The book discusses aspects of the proposal submission and review process that are not typically communicated to the research community.  Written by authors with successful track records in grant writing and years of experience as NSF Program Directors, this book provides an insider's view of successful grantsmanship.  Written in a practical approach, this book offers tips that will not be found in official paperwork and provides answers to questions frequently asked of NSF Program Directors.  The purpose of the book is to improve your NSF grant-writing skills and improve your chances of funding.

As a scientist, you are a professional writer: your career is built on successful proposals and papers. Success isn't defined by getting papers into print, but by getting them into the reader's consciousness.Writing Scienceis built upon the idea that successful science writing tells a story. It uses that insight to discuss how to write more effectively. Integrating lessons from other genres of writing with those from the author's years of experience as author, reviewer, and editor, the book shows scientists and students how to present their research in a way that is clear and that will maximize reader comprehension.

The book takes an integrated approach, using the principles of story structure to discuss every aspect of successful science writing, from the overall structure of a paper or proposal to individual sections, paragraphs, sentences, and words. It begins by building core arguments, analyzing why some stories are engaging and memorable while others are quickly forgotten, and proceeds to the elements of story structure, showing how the structures scientists and researchers use in papers and proposals fit into classical models. The book targets the internal structure of a paper, explaining how to write clear and professional sections, paragraphs, and sentences in a way that is clear and compelling. The ideas within a paper should flow seamlessly, drawing readers along. The final section of the book deals with special challenges, such as how to discuss research limitations and how to write for the public.

Scientific writing is often dry, wordy, and difficult to understand. But, as Anne E. Greene shows in Writing Science in Plain English,writers from all scientific disciplines can learn to produce clear, concise prose by mastering just a few simple principles. nbsp; This short, focused guide presents a dozen such principles based on what readers need in order to understand complex information, including concrete subjects, strong verbs, consistent terms, and organized paragraphs. The author, a biologist and an experienced teacher of scientific writing, illustrates each principle with real-life examples of both good and bad writing and shows how to revise bad writing to make it clearer and more concise.nbsp;She ends each chapter with practice exercises so that readers can come away with new writing skills after just one sitting. nbsp; Writing Science in Plain English can help writers at all levels of their academic and professional careers#151;undergraduate students working on research reports, established scientists writing articles and grant proposals, or agency employees working to follow the Plain Writing Act. This essential resource is the perfect companion for all who seek to write science effectively.