Writing Skills

The ability to succinctly communicate topics related to scientific research in writing is paramount to success regardless of one's career. Writing in graduate school is essentially inescapable, as manuscripts, grants, and theses are required to summarize and report one's scientific findings as well as to evaluate a student's success. Abstracts, case studies, and reviews are also common. In addition, it is important to be able to communicate science to audiences outside of your relevant field or perhaps outside of science altogether. Students should continually work on developing their writing skills in order to improve the quality, clarity, and effectiveness of their writing. Here are some resources to help you do just that:

Campus resources:

Online resources:

Books:

  • Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills
    by John M. Swales and Christine B. Feak
    ISBN-10: 9780472034758
    ISBN-13: 978-0472034758