Whether you are a scientist writing journal articles or an editor working on scientific documents, I can strongly recommend the Australian manual of scientific style (AMOSS). This great resource can answer many of your questions about scientific writing style, language and editorial consistency. It also has special sections that focus on peer-reviewed scientific papers, grant applications, reports and books.
The manual has just been released by the Biotext team, who have a wealth of experience in looking after scientific documents, gained over many years.
Finally a resource for scientific style that is online and accessible from anywhere!
Content
The Australian manual of scientific style (AMOSS) gives sound advice on just about anything you will come across when publishing scientific reports, articles and books. It has three main sections —‘writing’, ‘editing’ and ‘showing’ — which each contain a wealth of articles and advice. Topics vary from simple things, such as when to use a comma or how to use the dashes, to more complex issues such as how to standardise tables, figures and charts.
The information in the manual is detailed, clear and well organised. I also like the many links to external specialised information, and the fact sheets for downloading.
Access
You can access the manual through online subscription. This is great: you don’t need to carry around a heavy manual but have access to it from anywhere. So you can write or edit on the beach, in the field or from your favourite cafe!
You can find the manual here.
Disclosure: I used to work for Biotext as an employee, and still do contract work for Biotext.
To find other recommended resources for writers and editors, check the resources page.
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