A Field Guide For Science Writers: The Official Guide Of The National Association Of Science Writers

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This is the official text for the National Association of Science Writers. In the eight years since the publication of the first edition of A Field Guide for Science Writing, much about the world has changed. Some of the leading issues in today's political marketplace - embryonic stem cell research, global warming, health care reform, space exploration, genetic privacy, germ warfare - are informed by scientific ideas. Never has it been more crucial for the lay public to be scientifically literate. That's where science writers come in. And that's why it's time for an update to the Field Guide, already a staple of science writing graduate programs across the country.The academic community has recently recognized how important it is for writers to become more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and skeptical about what they write. More than 50 institutions now offer training in science writing. In addition mid-career fellowships for science writers are growing, giving journalists the chance to return to major universities for specialized training. We applaud these developments, and hope to be part of them with this new edition of the Field Guide.In A Field Guide for Science Writers, 2nd Edition, the editors have assembled contributions from a collections of experienced journalists who are every bit as stellar as the group that contributed to the first edition. In the end, what we have are essays written by the very best in the science writing profession. These wonderful writers have written not only about style, but about content, too. These leaders in the profession describe how they work their way through the information glut to find the gems worth writing about. We also have chapters that provide the tools every good science writer needs: how to use statistics, how to weigh the merits of conflicting studies in scientific literature, how to report about risk. And, ultimately, how to write.

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (August 25, 2005)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0195174992

ISBN-13: 978-0195174991

Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.9 x 6.1 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #116,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #60 in Books > Textbooks > Communication & Journalism > Journalism #65 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Technical #86 in Books > Medical Books > Research

The editor's note says that the primary goal of this book is "to help train a new generation of science writers." I think the key word there is "help." One is certainly not ready to go out and be a science writer after reading this slim volume, but then one shouldn't expect to be.What I think this book does do is to give the reader some idea of what's involved in being a science writer and to provide numerous pointers along the way. This is done in several ways. The first section of the book contains half-a-dozen chapters on the different "homes" of science writers: newspapers, magazines, journals, broadcast media, etc. The second section focuses more on technique: the use of sources, handling statistics, and so on. The third section addresses science writing from a topical perspective: how to write about subjects like biology, astronomy, and technology. And the fourth section has several chapters on being a science writer at various sorts of institutions (universities, government agencies, businesses), rather than for the media.Each chapter is written by a different person who is an expert in that area. For someone like me who knows his science writers, there are some notable names here: Julie Ann Miller, editor of Science News, has a chapter about writing for trade journals; John Noble Wilford, who covered Project Apollo for the New York Times and wrote the very first book to come out about Apollo 11, addresses writing science books; PBS personality Ira Flatow discusses doing science on television.The book concludes with an appendix covering useful sources of information, which seems handy. I particularly want to order the chart of the fundamental particles--I've never been able to keep those straight!So this is a very useful book for someone going into science writing and interesting, too, to anyone who wants to know what's involved in covering science from a journalistic perspective.

Ii ordered this ebook for a science writing class that I was taking. Boy was I surprised at how entertaining this book is for just leisure reading. There are lots of different short science stories which have actually been written and published for the current year. For someone who wants some great nonfiction entertainment or is looking at different styles of journalistic writing, this is an awesome book.

This book is written by a variety of professional writers who seem to be intent on sharing all of the (now-public) secrets to their success. Everything from finding a story to developing your style to maintaining sources and organizing information is covered. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in writing about science, and I would also mention it to anyone who would like to enrich their science writing.

This book should have had a different title. It's not a second edition but a different book altogether. It's great but it's publication in no way changes the value of the original book, chapters from which, e.g. on writing from journals by Patrick Young and on using statistics by Victor Cohn (Yes I know that Lewis Cope has a chapter in the second book but the two are complementary rather than interchangeable) I still use in my science writing classes. The unfortunate result of this title is that the first book is virtually impossible to find now. Even just calling it "The NEW field guide..." or including the word Second or the year of publication would have sufficed. 'Twould have been more accurate - and I dare say more scientific - to do so. Should the editors or NASW ever do a third round, PLEASE give a new title or include the year/version in the title.

I am a recently retired scientist and finally have the time to do some things important to me such as science writing. So I looked for a source to guide and inspire me. The Field Guide is all I could have wanted.The editors have selected some of the best in the field to write and update the chapters. They begin each chapter with a helpful introduction to it's author. The Field Guide has excellent, timely, and useful information. It contains 'how to' chapters, 'where to look' and 'how to interview' chapters. Strunk and White would be impressed with the many examples of good writing. The Elements of Style, Fourth EditionIf you're a science writer, or want to be, you need the Field Guide as a reference and inspiration.

This is a good book. It has some great examples of science and nature writing. I enjoyed reading a lot of the pieces in it, especially the one on plastics in the North Pacific Gyre.

A Must-Have for any science writer who takes his/her job seriously.

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