Publications are the currency of academia. And yet, many people in the sciences, and especially mathematics, are never actually taught how to write. More specifically, they are not taught how to edit, redraft and revise their material so that the presentation is optimal for the reader. Most academic articles are appallingly written, even by native English speakers. One of the core problems is that most scientists hate writing and put only the bare minimum of effort into it. Furthermore, academic articles too often read like a first draft, with little understanding that all writing is editing. However, academic writing is a skill like any other that can be broken down into stages. This book will go through the detailed process of assembling an article, from first drafts to writing abstracts to revision to responding to reviewers, illustrated with multiple versions of worked examples as well as what not to do.
Publications are the currency of academia. And yet, many people in the sciences, and especially mathematics, are never actually taught how to write. More specifically, they are not taught how to edit, redraft and revise their material so that the presentation is optimal for the reader. Most academic articles are appallingly written, even by native English speakers. One of the core problems is that most scientists hate writing and put only the bare minimum of effort into it. Furthermore, academic articles too often read like a first draft, with little understanding that all writing is editing. However, academic writing is a skill like any other that can be broken down into stages. This book will go through the detailed process of assembling an article, from first drafts to writing abstracts to revision to responding to reviewers, illustrated with multiple versions of worked examples as well as what not to do.