Writing in the Medical Sciences: The Basics

When writing, it is important to have a clear idea of what you want to say as well as who your intended audience is.  These resources discuss some of the things to keep in mind to make sure you get your point across clearly and concisely.

• The Craft of Research   Build a persuasive argument and anticipate and respond to the reservations of readers.
• A Guide to Critical Argument  Write a well-written argument; examples are provided.. 
• Marc E. Tischler's Scientific Writing Booklet  Concise guide to the style and function of scientific writing.

The Writing Center at UNC at Chapel Hill has a number of short guides available on a wide range of topics about writing

• Abstracts
• Annotated Bibliographies
• CVs and Resumes
• Grant Proposals
• Literature Reviews
• Thesis Statement
• Scientific Reports
•  Figures and Charts
• Editing and Proofreading.

The Health Sciences Writing Centre at the The University of Toronto provides a wide range of  information for researchers including writing Abstracts,creating Posters, preparing for an Oral Presentation as well as tips on writing style, verb tense, tone, etc.

• Writing in the Health Sciences: A Comprehensive Guide

Note: To access the full-text on a topic, select either the PDF or HTML link to the right of the topic name in the table of contents.

Uphold academic integrity and avoid plagiarism! 

• Plagiarism 101     Sponsored by TurnItIn
• What is Plagiarism and How to Avoid It  UNC Writing Center
• Why Cite?  Yale Center for Teaching and Learning

University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center

• Paraphrasing vs. Quoting 
• How to Paraphrase a Source
• Examples of Paraphrasing

Some language resources for writers who are not native English speakers and would like a little extra help or practice.

• ESL Common Errors Workbook   tutorials and interactive practice activities.
• Handbook of Biomedical Research Writing  Originally written for Korean scientists in the biomedical sciences, this Hanyan University Center for Teaching and English Writing Lab self-study guide by Jocelyn Graf, offers helpful information to other non-native English speakers.