Justin Zobel - Writing for Computer Science

Annotated Bibliography

My textbook on writing and research skills, Writing for Computer Science (second edition, Springer, 2004) draws on the work of a wide range of people. There are many books on writing, and many more on science, that contributed to my development as a researcher. These books, and others, are discussed on this web page.

Books are chosen for discussion here for several reasons. Some are key texts that everyone should read; some influenced my approach to research; some provide further reading on topics that Writing for Computer Science neglects; some are simply interesting. They are organized loosely by topic. Some of these books have, sadly, fallen out of print. Others are only locally available.

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General Writing Style

The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, Fifteenth edition, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2003.
The Chicago Manual is a code of rules and judgements on every imaginable issue of writing. Revised many times over the last century, it considers almost every important topic of style. The Chicago Manual is not a textbook and it is not light reading. Its purpose is to define a consistent style and so it offers judgements on every topic, but these judgements are not always consistent with popular usage. A comprehensive, valuable book, but not essential for most writers of scientific papers.
Style Manual for Authors, Editors, and Printers, Sixth edition, John Wiley, Queensland, Australia, 2002.
The Australian Government's style manual is an example of the nationality-specific style manuals printed throughout the world. (The Chicago Manual has many elements that are US-specific.) Style manuals of this kind are one of the few sources that combine information about layout, editing, typography, and electronic publishing into a single volume.
H.W. Fowler, Modern English Usage, Second edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1965.
Arguably the best, and the best-known, guide to English, this is in effect a collection of over a thousand brief essays, organized as a dictionary. Each is on a topic such as usage of a word or a point of style. Fowler was a vocal advocate of the principle that English does not have to be stuffy to be correct and clear; a principle for which this book provides many examples. It not only reflects good English usage, but to some extent has shaped it.
This edition, a revision by Gowers, is now over thirty years old (and does not appear to be widely available). Some of the entries are becoming dated. I would no longer regard the original meaning of "decimate" as worth defending, for example, nor is "teenager" conspicuously an Americanism. But these are quibbles - Fowler is invaluable.
A new edition of The New Fowler's Modern English Usage (New Fowler's Modern English Usage, 3rd Ed) was produced in the late 1990s, edited by Burchfield. This edition is a thorough updating of the original. Like many books that consider matters of taste, some of the revisions are controversial; having grown up with the earlier edition, I have not made use of Burchfield, but it is probably the edition of choice today.
Ernest Gowers, The Complete Plain Words, Third edition, Penguin, London, 1986.
A thorough discussion of how to write clearly, economically, and in simple language. Concerned primarily with writing for the public, this book is more valuable than some of the specialist style guides. Originally written by Gowers, it has been revised first by Bruce Fraser then by Sidney Greenbaum and Janet Whitcut. It represents a union of diverse approaches and is as a consequence much strengthened: it is a pleasure to read and authoritative in its opinions.
Mary-Claire van Leunen, A Handbook for Scholars, Knopf, 1985.
A detailed discussion of some aspects of scholarly writing, in particular style for citations, quotations, and bibliographies. An excellent book, but perhaps of limited value for most authors in computer science.
Frank Palmer, Grammar, Penguin, London 1971.
A nontechnical introduction to modern grammar. The first chapters discuss the shortcomings of traditional or prescriptive grammars for English.
This book is long out of print, but I have not encountered a more recent equivalent: there are plenty of books on grammar, but few of them seem to be tempered by consideration of the relevance of grammar to day-to-day writing. Suggestions for books in this category are welcome.
Eric Partridge, Usage and Abusage, Penguin, London 1973.
An alternative to Fowler, Partridge's volume consists of brief discussions of many words and points of style and like Fowler is organized as a dictionary. It is equally well-informed, has similar scope, and is a little more recent. I would judge Partridge's choice of topics to be somewhat more pertinent to a scientist.
I haven't had an opportunity to read Whitcut's 1997 revision, Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English, but it is well reviewed.
B. Ross-Larson, Edit Yourself: A Manual for Everyone Who Works With Words, Norton, New York, 1996.
An introduction to the minutae of editing: how to improve your sentences and expression. The book consists of large numbers of brief well-chosen examples, most of them ordered alphabetically according to problem words. A handy reference when you are stuck with an awkward sentence.
William Strunk and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition, Macmillan, 2000.
An introduction to the principles of style for English text. It is less than a hundred pages long but more useful than guides many times its length. An essential book.
William Zinsser, On Writing Well, 25th Anniversary: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, Harper, New York, 2001.
An introduction to the profession of writing nonfiction. With lots of examples, the backing of good judgement, and an engaging style, Zinsser's book doesn't have an obvious peer. The informal or slightly folksy tone does have an American feel, but it doesn't detract from the quality of what is being said.

There are many style manuals that are specific to technical writing. In addition to those discussed above, see for example the lists under Amazon in response to queries such as "style manual for authors", or browse from the pages for the books listed above.

Style for Technical Writing

David F. Beer (ed.), Writing & Speaking in Technology Professions: A Practical Guide , IEEE Press, New Jersey, 1992.
A miscellany of articles on different aspects of technical writing and oral presentations. Not all of it is valuable but the various viewpoints are interesting.
Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly, The Elements of Technical Writing, Macmillan, 1993.
A succinct and accessible guide to technical writing. There is only a little specific guidance for writing of technical articles, but the advice on usage is highly relevant. An alternative to Cooper.
Bruce M. Cooper, Writing Technical Reports, Penguin, London, 1964.
A basic, accessible book on writing technical material, it covers style, organization, choice of material to include, choice and selection of figures, and other topics. It is not particularly intended for science writing, but is relevant nonetheless. I like Cooper's down-to-earth approach - this book is particularly appropriate for people who are uncomfortable with writing.
Robert A. Day, How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, Third edition, Oryx Press, 1988.
A broad look at the process of writing and publishing. It is comprehensive and informative but strongly focused on the biological sciences, which, judging from Day, have rather different conventions to computing. A possible alternative to O'Connor.
I have not had an opportunity to read the current edition, How To Write & Publish a Scientific Paper: 5th Edition.
Anne Eisenberg, How To Write & Publish a Scientific Paper: 5th Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1992.
Written as a guide for editors of technical writing, this unusual book is also an advanced guide to good style. The first half consists of a series of substantial examples, illustrating different kinds of errors and how they might be corrected. There are also exercises and a valuable dictionary. This book is not for everyone, but is of particular value for people who correct the work of others.
Frances B. Emerson, Technical Writing, Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
A comprehensive, detailed introduction to technical writing, or, more accurately, to the duties of a technical writer - for example, job hunting and correspondence are covered in addition to report writing. Emerson has included a brief style guide but the best parts of this book are the chapters on definition, description, and argument; I have seen no other book that covers these topics in any detail. Out of print, sadly.
D. Evans and P. Gruba, How to Write a Better Thesis, Second edition, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2002.
Is there a better book on thesis writing? I wonder. This book is very good indeed.
Leonard Gillman, Writing Mathematics Well, Mathematics Association of America, 1987.
Although only fifty pages long, this booklet is as informative as some much longer volumes. Gillman is almost entirely concerned with presentation of mathematics - for other topics of style, look elsewhere.
Nicholas J. Higham, Handbook of Writing for the Mathematical Sciences, Second edition, SIAM, 1998.
Perhaps the best available text on writing for mathematics, Higham covers topics such as style, usage, and overheads. It also includes introductions to some current tools such as emacs, LaTeX, and ftp. The material on tools is too brief and superficial for computer scientists, and some topics are covered rather lightly, but the material on mathematical style is excellent. I have aimed, in this book, to write a comprehensive introduction to style for computer science; Higham largely achieves this aim for mathematics.
Michael J. Katz, Elements of the Scientific Paper, Yale University Press, 1985.
An introduction to the process of writing a paper, from collection of data to publication. This book is accessible but rather superficial. Perhaps of most value as an initial guide to science writing.
John Kirkman, Good Style for Scientific and Engineering Writing, Pitman, 1980.
Not a book that most scientists need to read, but a valuable contribution to debate over writing style. Primarily concerned with what in this book I have called tone, Kirkman is interesting for the arguments in favour of using personal, immediate, concrete tone in scientific writing. Kirkman has included a detailed report on his survey of attitudes to writing styles. Out of print.
Donald E. Knuth, Tracy Larrabee, and Paul M. Roberts, "Mathematical Writing", Mathematical Association of America, 1989.
Course notes from a 1987 subject on Mathematical Writing offered at Stanford. This report largely consists of summaries of the lectures, but there are also exercises, discussion of the solutions, and lists of points on writing style. There is much valuable information here, weakened somewhat by the volume of less interesting material and the lack of an index. This report was an important influence on my approach to style for mathematical writing. Available from the Mathematics Association of America bookstore.
Carole M. Mablekos, Presentations That Work (IEEE Engineers Guide to Business, Vol 1), IEEE Engineers Guide to Business Series, New Jersey, 1991.
A guide to oral presentation of technical material. This book is rather slight, but it does have useful tips, exercises, and checklists.
Maeve O'Connor, Writing Successfully in Science, Chapman & Hall, 1991.
Perhaps the most comprehensive text on science writing. Topics include organization, style, references, presentations, and issues such as authorship. Its main weakness is probably the breadth of disciplines to which it is appropriate - there are many specific issues that O'Connor does not consider. But overall an excellent introduction to the process of writing and publishing a scientific paper.
E. Thiroux, The Critical Edge: Thinking and Researching in a Virtual Society, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1999.
Finding and assessing research on the internet; critical thinking; argument; assembling a paper. The intended audience is essayists rather than technical writers, but of relevance to all academics and researchers.
Edward R. Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Graphics Press, Cheshire, Connecticut, 1983. Also Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative, Graphics Press, Cheshire, Connecticut, 1997.
A comprehensive discussion of the presentation of figures, in particular graphs. For data or ideas that do not seem to lend themselves to pictorial representation, these books could well have a helpful suggestion. There is also extensive consideration of aesthetics. I enjoyed the historical material; as examples, Tufte has used figures dating back to Leonardo da Vinci.
The Universal Encyclopedia of Mathematics, Pan, 1976.
Not a style guide, but a compilation of information on mathematical basics. As well as being a handbook of formulas and methods it is indirectly a guide to usage and nomenclature, and provides innumerable examples of well-presented mathematics. Is there an in-print equivalent? If so, I would like to hear about it.

The Process of Science

Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing), Second edition, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2003.
An introduction to the process of research, from the initial development of a research question to construction of a sound argument. The later part of the book contains a brief style guide and questions that writers can use to analyze and improve their text. Much of this book is of material not covered elsewhere. A valuable read.
A.F. Chalmers, What Is This Thing Called Science?, Third edition, University of Queensland Press, Brisbane, 1999.
An overview of philosophy of science that contrasts diverse approaches and presents a fresh, pragmatic point of view. An excellent introduction to falsification, confirmation, and other topics.
What Is This Thing Called Science? is available at Amazon, but may be an older (and less interesting) edition.
Frank Close, Too Hot to Handle: The Race for Cold Fusion, Penguin, London, 1992.
An excellent case study of the process of science, of how incorrect claims can be initially accepted but eventually succumb as they fail to be verified; and an interesting account of a well-known controversy.
P.R. Cohen, Empirical Methods for Artificial Intelligence, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1995.
The only book on statistical methods written for computer science. This is an essential book.
Martin Gardner, The Night Is Large: Collected Essays, 1938-1995, Penguin, London, 1996.
Gardner has been writing essays on science and maths for 65 years. This volume collects many of his best writings (up to 1998), including many reflections on the assumptions and purposes of science, as well as a small collection of Gardner's commentaries on pseudoscience. (His Fads and Fallacies, although 50 years old, remains remarkably timely.) An excellent introduction to skeptical thinking.
Daniel Kevles, The Baltimore Case: A Trial of Politics, Science, and Character, Norton, New York, 1998.
A remarkably complete examination of a case of alleged research fraud. Few scientists are publicly accused of fraud; when such accusations are made and pursued, the consequences can be extraordinary. A fascinating book that is the best demonstration yet of the complexities of ensuring that research is honestly done.
Peter B. Medawar, Advice to a Young Scientist (The Sloan Science Series), Pan, London, 1981.
A compendium of advice that scientists should give to their graduate students and research assistants. Concise and direct, it considers why science might be appealing as a career as well as topics such as good conduct and the scientific process.
Anthony O'Hear, Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, Oxford University Press, Oxfod, 1990.
A clear, broad introduction to the concepts underpinning research and the process of science. There are many texts that cover this material, but O'Hear is more succinct and accessible than most. Some familiarity with the basis of science and with concepts such as falsification is essential for an active researcher. An alternative to Chalmers.
R. Park, Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001.
An introduction to pseudoscience, a topic that every scientist needs to understand. While some of Park's specific views and questions can be debated, the overall thrust is unarguable: science needs skepticism to survive.
William Poundstone, Labyrinths of Reason: Paradox, Puzzles, and the Frailty of Knowledge, Penguin, London, 1988.
A beautifully-written popular account of different approaches to reasoning, evidence, paradox, and confirmation. How do we know what we know? Mind-stretching as well as a fun read.
Carl Sagan, Demon-Haunted World, Ballantine Books, New York, 1997.
Why we need science, how science stands apart from other kinds of reasoning, an introduction to fallacies of belief and logic, and a good read. This book neatly summarizes what science has to say about doctrine and the paranormal.
Michael Shermer, Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time, Henry Holt, New York, 2002.
Shermer uses examples of pseudoscience, deception, and dogma to illustrate approaches to skeptical thinking - or does he use an introduction to skeptical thinking to frame criticisms of a range of pseudosciences? Illustrates the kinds of critical thinking that should be asked of all scientific claims.
E. Bright Wilson, Jr., An Introduction to Scientific Research, Dover, 1952.
An older text, but still a classic. Of particular value to computer scientists is the material on scientific method, design of experiments, and statistical analysis of results.
Lewis Wolpert, The Unnatural Nature of Science, Faber and Faber, 1992.
A series of linked essays on aspects of research, including serendipity, creativity, the process of science, pseudo-science, and why technical innovation is not science. Together these essays help illustrate the nature of science - a substantial achievement.