Reviews
Goodreads.com rating
“Originally written for atmospheric scientists but useful to all”
– Andrew Russell, lecturer, Brunel University, West London.
“Every scientific professional would profit from this eloquent and well-structured reference.”
“This book is essential for the graduate student presenting results at a conference, the early career scientist struggling with his or her first publication submission, and the seasoned scientist writing a constructive review as a manuscript editor. The book’s full title will unfortunately stave off non-meteorologists, but the work is perfect for becoming a better communicator in any scientific discipline. Every scientific professional would profit from this eloquent and well-structured reference. Summing Up: Highly recommended.”
– D. L. Jacobs, Rider University Choice Reviews Online, an American Library Association/Association of College and Research Libraries publication.
“The principles of good science writing transfer very well.”
“I have found your Eloquent Science book to be a great guide and reference for scientific writing. I am a career chemist and help mentor young chemists in the coatings industry. I have found the book to be very helpful even though it was written around atmospheric science. The principles of good science writing transfer very well. Thanks for that excellent contribution.”
– Ted Best, Senior Scientist, Sherwin Williams, and Skywarn.
“If you’re serious about being a professional in this field, you need to get this book.”
“I am constantly touting [Eloquent Science] to students, including a grad seminar class I’m teaching this fall, and an undergrad senior seminar I taught last year. I say If you’re serious about being a professional in this field, you need to get this book.”
– Gary Lackmann, Professor, North Carolina State University.
“Your book is the base for a graduate PhD program.”
“Your book is the base for a graduate PhD program here, including postdocs from the fields of biology, geography and physicists, and others that work in meteorological applications and modelling. Also, our own students have it and find it very useful. And for us senior [scientists, your book is] also of much importance and help.”
– Prof. Juerg Luterbacher, Director Department of Geography, University of Giessen.
“…the best writing I have ever done.”
Today I had a paper published in the NWA JOM. Although this probably won’t be my most cited work, I believe it is the best writing I have ever done, which is due in large part to the help from your book Eloquent Science. I used your book throughout the various stages of writing, and actually re-read the entire book during the process. I checked for the ambiguous and redundant phrases, read the paper backwards, and took all of the other great advice. As a result, I noted your book in the acknowledgments; that is probably a first. After going through this process I actually got to the point were I was changing things back and forth, to which you state in your book that it is time to “submit the damn thing.”
– Matt Bunkers, National Weather Service
“…should be required reading for all grad students in atmospheric science”
“I’m sure you’ve heard this a thousand times by now, but your book is terrific! I did the “non-linear” read when it came out, am doing the “linear” read now and am about halfway through. I’m still learning some tricks for future papers and presentations from the book. This should be required reading for all grad students in atmospheric science…it can really be beneficial (and as you mention…manuscripts should show up to the journal offices in better shape!)…. There is so much to learn from your book, I’d love to see more meteorologists and students use it!”
– Peter Banacos, National Weather Service
“A must if you want to write in scientific journals!”
– Christian Appendini, Goodreads.com review
“This is an excellent book that deserves a place on the handiest shelf along with the best standard references.”
“But beyond the workaday nuts-and-bolts guidance on how to write and speak effectively is an important message. It can be seen throughout in the active words Schultz uses to describe the attributes of good communication—connect, engage, provoke, entertain. He lays out the problem in the introduction: ‘‘The hunt for new knowledge excites us . . . But, when we speak or write, we fail to convey our enthusiasm and to personalize our science within a proper context. Purging our personalities from our work sterilizes it. We scientists individually need to find our voices, our creativity, and our originality’’ (p. xxvii). What he is saying is that a dispassionate analysis does not require a passionless presentation.”
– Kevin R. Wood (2011), Polar Research, 30, 7036: DOI: 10.3402/polar.v30i0.7036. [excerpts] [full review PDF]
“The best book I know that covers all aspects of scientific communication in a single volume.”
“There is nothing better on the market that covers the entire process of getting published–from drafting the title to dealing with data in figures vs. tables, authorship ethics, references, all the way through the editorial and review process. The last chapters discuss, with insight and clarity, oral and poster presentations. It is an exceptional book–a must have. And I say that as the author of a “competing” book (Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded
– Prof. Joshua Schimel, UC Santa Barbara, Amazon.com
“It might be the best investment of $45 you will make.”
“Among the writing guides I have read (and there have been several), I would rate this book at the top. It would be well suited for a writing course or as a guide for a young researcher writing his first paper, though experienced writers will also find many gems for improving their writing. Initially I wondered if it would bother me that all examples are related to atmospheric science. But it did not: in fact, because I was not familiar with the jargon, it was clear to me how much improved the revised examples were.”
– Pierrette Tremblay, Managing Editor, Elements, 8 (2), April 2012, p. 156. [Blog Link]
“It has been both a comfort … and a revelation….”
“As a copy/English editor working primarily on journal papers in the atmospheric sciences, I’d like to thank you for your book Eloquent Science. It has been both a comfort (by affirming the daily decisions I make during the course of my editing) and a revelation (by teaching me new things). It sits on my desk, and is used regularly for reference.”
– Colin Smith, Chief Editor, Lucid Papers
“Your book is a powerful tool.”
While going through my revisions I have been concurrently re-reading Eloquent Science. This has been a tremendous help in concision, precision, and revision. Your book is a powerful tool. I wonder how many atmospheric scientists fully understand the wisdom it contains.
– Dr. Matthew Bunkers, National Weather Service
“Something for everybody, from those who are just starting their scientific careers to well-recognized scientists”
“The book is actually a handbook, which admirably and accurately (in detail) describes the various phases of scientific writing, yet in a readable way. There are plenty of pages, but then there is something for everybody, from those who are just starting their scientific careers to well-recognized scientists.”
– Mikko Alestalo, Professor, Finnish Meteorological Institute, writing in Puhuri, the FMI magazine.
“I hate your book…”
“I hate your book because every time I read it (It’s on my bedside table), I find something I should have done differently in a paper or presentation! 😉 It is an amazing resource for everyone in my lab.”– Prof. Craig Clements, Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, San José State University.
“Big help in grad school”
“You don’t need to study weather to get something out of this book. This has the nuts and bolts for writing and presenting in an academic setting. My background was 18 years in the business world before I went back to grad school to study “science-eee” stuff. Business writing is different than science writing and business presentations are vastly different (usually far more entertaining) than academic presentations.
If you are even thinking of moving on to grad school, you should check this book out as a reference. 100% honest, I use this book as a guideline for a lot of business stuff as well. It’s a good reference, well written.”
— M. Altamore “doc”, amazon.com reviewer
“Highly commendable book”
“This is a highly commendable book to bring to a market where literary standards so often leave much to be desired…. He does not claim infallibility…. What he does do is give the reader plenty to mull over as he highlights the traps to avoid – be they grammatical, a lack of clarity, or plain and simple dullness – and puts forward a host of ideas to improve both written and verbal presentations in science…. Weather will be a better journal if intending authors study this (and similar) books.”
– Bob Prichard, Editor, Weather (published by the Royal Meteorological Society), 66 (3): March 2011, p. 82.
“The text transcends disciplines”
“I sincerely appreciate your book and have purchased a copy for each of my incoming students as guide. Though most of my students fall in the Geography/Earth Sciences realm, rather than strictly Atmospheric Science, the text transcends disciplines.”– Prof John Abatzoglou, University of Idaho
“My go-to reference at every stage of the paper-writing process”
“I wanted to let you know how useful Eloquent Science was to us as we prepared the manuscript for submission. You’ve done a terrific service for early-career atmospheric scientists—it will be my go-to reference at every stage of the paper-writing process. It’s been reassuring (and fun) to read the anecdotes about your early experiences with the process.”
– Heather Archambault, graduate student, University at Albany.
“My talk started generating invited speaking opportunities for the first time”
“I thought you’d like to know that [Eloquent Science] has quickly become my bible for collecting my thoughts before putting together presentations. It really works! At AMS this year I put your talk recommendations to practice, really asked myself all those questions about why I’m giving this talk, and spent the time to carefully storyboard my story out before launching slideware. Amazingly, the actual interesting parts of my dissertation research surfaced, and my revamped talk started generating invited speaking opportunities for the first time…which has got me all fired up about my science again.”
– Mike Pritchard, Ph.D. candidate, University of California, San Diego
“I advise everyone to buy the book Eloquent Science (well, everyone who wants to stay in science.)”
Я говорил об этой книге на школе, еще раз озвучу здесь: всем советую купить книгу Eloquent Science (ну всем, кто хочет оставаться в науке).” [“I talked about this book at school. To reiterate here: I advise everyone to buy the book Eloquent Science (well, everyone who wants to stay in science.)”]
– Alexander Chernokulsky (Irkutsk, Russia)
“Captivating…exciting…simplified…focussed…unique.”
“The approach is captivating, the content is exciting, the language is simplified, the objective is focussed and the style is unique.”
– Nsikanabasi Silas Umo, Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds
“I am no longer stuck!”
“I am writing a paper and I was stuck on the second draft of the introduction (the first was so bad it was almost useless). But my officemate has a copy of your book on his shelf, so I grabbed it and read the section on introductions. And then I used your formula for brainstorming. That resulted in my coming up with things that actually fit together. I am no longer stuck! Thanks!!!”
-Angeline Pendergrass, graduate student, University of Washington
“This is a book that we all should read and have on our reference shelf.”
“This is a book that we all should read and have on our reference shelf. For those of you early in your careers, this book can help guide you in important ways, and help you avoid some of the embarrassing ‘learning experiences’ that many of us have lived through. Those of you with more experience will also find this book very valuable, however, since it is loaded with useful tips to make your written work and presentations more effective. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have changed several of my practices for the better as a result of it.”
– Keith Seitter, Executive Director, American Meteorological Society (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 91, p. 797)
“This is a great companion for scientists who must write and present their research.”
“…this book is a good reference for scientists, and especially for atmospheric scientists. The book touches on different aspects of intra-community communication, writing papers, reports, preparing presentations to be delivered in conferences and workshops, etc….This is a great companion for scientists who must write and present their research, but is not intended as a book for science communicators.”
– Pedro Russo, (Communicating Astronomy with the Public CAPjournal, No. 8, June 2010, p. 19)
“So engaging that I read it just for pleasure.”
“I usually flee in horror from “how to write” books, but I can’t resist reading them. Yours is so engaging, and is so clearly the distillation of much thought and experience, that I read it just for pleasure.”
– Gwendolyn Whittaker, Publications Coordinator, American Meteorological Society
“Best book on the topic.”
“A very unique and well-written book by the world famous scientist David Schultz.”
— runbeerclimbdude, amazon.com reviewer
“I am wishing that more scientists would follow the advice given in David Schultz’s excellent new book. “
“I am wishing that more scientists would follow the advice given in David Schultz’s excellent new book. The book is a comprehensive guide to writing and publishing scientific research papers, participating in peer review, preparing and delivering scientific presentations, and communicating throughout one’s career. In short, it is a practical guide to just about everything a working scientist needs to know about effective communication. Junior researchers, mainly postgraduate and postdoctoral, are the intended readership. However, I believe that many senior academics would also pick up useful tips – or at least learn whether what they have been doing all along is acceptable…. The chapters are short—around 10 pages each, on average—and self-contained. Therefore, readers may dip into and out of particular chapters of interest, if they prefer not to read the whole book sequentially.
– Paul Williams, Royal Society University Research Fellow, University of Reading, and Editor, Geophysical Research Letters (Review published in Progress in Physical Geography, 2010, Vol. 34, pp. 729–731)
“It is great to have it all under one cover.”
“Thank you for putting together such a great book. It contains a lot of materials, and then some, that I have typically shared with undergraduate student that have worked with me over the years. It is great to have it all under one cover. On day one of my summer research program for undergraduates students, I provided each of the six students a copy and have been referring to different items within the text as we have progressed on our research projects during the summer.”
– Neil Laird, Professor, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
“Prepare to absorb what may prove the most valuable advice you will receive as a scientist.”
“Here before you is the complete guide to writing a good scientific paper, from the creation of an outline right through to the formalities of submission, review, and proofing. Just as important, Schultz provides invaluable guidance to the preparation and delivery of a scientific talk or poster, including techniques for soliciting and fielding questions and fostering lively discussion….So read on, and prepare to absorb what may prove the most valuable advice you will receive as a scientist.”
– Kerry Emanuel, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (from the Foreword)
“I hope every NWS office gets a copy of Eloquent Science.”
“Eloquent Science is a very valuable reference, and definitely fills a desperate need in the atmospheric science community as a guide on conducting and writing up studies, among other uses. It’s hard to go wrong if you use Schultz’s tome intently, as a guidebook for performing and documenting any meteorological study (conference or formal).”
— Roger Edwards, NOAA/Storm Prediction Center
“A thrilling and extremely useful handbook.”
“I’ve read your excellent book Eloquent Science. It’s a thrilling and extremely useful handbook which will be of great help at my department.”
– Branko Grisogono, Professor, Dept. of Geophysics, Univ. of Zagreb, Croatia
“If you need to communicate your science…, then Eloquent Science will help you to do so effectively.”
“Scientific communication, in all its forms, can be as difficult as it is important. If you need to communicate your science, and if you are an aspiring or practicing scientist you do, then Eloquent Science will help you to do so effectively.”
— Paul Roebber, Professor, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee
“This book is amazingly complete!”
“Wow! This book is amazingly complete, even conveying insider information about how things work that will allow everyone to be more active and productive members of our profession.”
– Daphne LaDue, Director, National Weather Center Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, University of Oklahoma.
“I am both excited and motivated to become a better writer.”
“I attended your writing workshop at the AMS student conference in Phoenix, and would like to thank you for your insights and advice. This represents the first time that I am both excited and motivated to become a better writer.”
— Scott D. Rudlosky, doctoral candidate, Dept. of Meteorology, Florida State University
“Every working scientist should read it.”
“Research is useless until communicated. Faraday’s famous advice to scientists is still valid: ‘Work. Finish. Publish.’ This wise and practical book explains the often-neglected third point, writing scientific papers and giving clear talks. Every working scientist should read it.”
— Richard Somerville, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
“David Schultz has done it all—extremely well…”
“All of us can communicate with more clarity and style, whether it’s in print, at the podium, or in PowerPoint. David Schultz has done it all—extremely well—and he knows the special challenges of writing and talking about the atmosphere. We’re lucky to have David sharing his strategies with us in this delightful and invaluable book.”
— Bob Henson, writer/editor/media relations associate, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
“Just what students in Atmospheric Science need.”
“I … had a chance to read the entire book this weekend. It is excellent — just what students in Atmospheric Science need.”
— David Whiteman, Research Professor, University of Utah
“Eloquent Science saved my paper!”
“I’ve only dipped in and out of this book so far. However, whenever I’ve had a problem over the last few months I’ve picked up the book, quickly found the relevant section and found some inspiration to move forward. Not sure if I’ll read it cover to cover but I’m sure I’ll consult it regularly.”
— Andrew Russell, amazon.co.uk
“The lessons I learned from Eloquent Science are eminently transferable.”
I recently edited a paper co-authored by my wife and colleagues that won a top prize sponsored the the American College of Gynecology & Obstetrics and is now in press at The Green Journal (Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology) – the leading journal in the field. So no doubt the lessons I learned from Eloquent Science are eminently transferable.
— Kevin Wood, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington
