Selected references for science authors

I have 20 feet of shelf space filled with reference books that I’ve collected over the years. However, most of the books are gathering dust because I rely on a few workhorses, kept within arm’s reach, for my daily scientific editing work. As a science author, you’re likely to find these references just as useful as I do.

The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Coghill, Anne M., and Lorrin R. Garson, eds. The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information. 3d ed. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 2006.

Council of Science Editors. Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 7th ed. Reston, Va.: Rockefeller University Press, 2006.

Day, Robert A. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. 5th ed. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 1998.

———. Scientific English: A Guide for Scientists and Other Professionals. 2d ed. Westport, Conn.: Oryx Press, 1995.

Garner, Bryan A. Garner’s Modern American Usage. 3d ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Johnson, Edward D. The Handbook of Good English. Revised and updated. New York: Facts on File, 1991.

Lindsay, David. A Guide to Scientific Writing. 2d ed. Melbourne: Longman, 1995.

Schoenfeld, Robert. The Chemist’s English. 2d rev. ed. Weinheim: VCH, 1986.

Stevens, Matthew. Subtleties of Scientific Style. Thornleigh, Australia. ScienceScape Editing, 2007.

Swanson, Ellen. Mathematics into Type. Updated ed. American Mathematical Society, 1999.

Word into Type. 3d ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1974.