Writing-Communication - Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Medical Writing: A Guide for Clinicians, Educators & Researchers

By Scott J. Pearson | April 14, 2024April 14, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Much of academic literature and advancement revolve around biomedical publications. Researchers focus on peer-reviewed publications, but other forms of writing abound: grant proposals, books for healthcare workers, books for the reading public, and journals for healthcare workers. The issues posed by medical writing are relatively common across the entire enterprise. Here, Robert Taylor attempts to distill insights from his writing career into one succinct book. The resulting education can inspire readers, anticipate potential issues, and…

Research-Education Science Writing-Communication

How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper

By Scott J. Pearson | March 23, 2024March 23, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

For any scientist, communication is a central part of the game. Yet most scientists did not major in English, nor did they receive great educational training about the field. Usually, they were focusing on their science. To compound matters, most graduate programs not at top research centers provide sparse resources to educate researchers. To supplement such a linguistic shortcoming, this book, laudably in its ninth edition, seeks to introduce the field to the scientific community.…

Research-Education Writing-Communication

Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success

By Scott J. Pearson | February 18, 2024February 18, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

This book’s intended audience encompasses graduate students who are first learning to write and publish papers. It starts with the scenario in which a graduate student wrote a work for a class and needs to revise it for publication in an academic journal. It walks through a twelve-week process to spruce it up for publication. Its approach leans heavily towards the humanities and social sciences, but it attempts to address those of us in the…

Research-Education Writing-Communication

Publishing in Academic Journals

By Scott J. Pearson | December 10, 2023December 10, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Initially, this book left me with mixed feelings, but further research overturned those as misplaced. It clearly offers advice and insights into writing and publishing successful academic papers. The author clearly speaks from a lifetime of experience and from learning by trial and error. Although the content is brief, it is power-packed with actionable items. There’s not much fluff in this presentation. I grew concerned that she refers to Publish or Perish software numerous times…

Biography-Memoir Writing-Communication

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

By Scott J. Pearson | November 25, 2023November 25, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Memoir has become a popular field in recent decades. The novitiate often thinks that anyone can write about their own life. The experienced one knows that this task is actually incredibly hard, both in penning the work and in emotionally admitting truth to yourself. Bestselling memoir author and writing professor Mary Karr writes about values and practices she finds helpful. Importantly, she cites other authors alongside her own experience to ground her work not just…

Presentation Writing-Communication

Virtual Presentation Mastery: Tips from the Coach to Some of the World’s Best Speakers – And Me

By Scott J. Pearson | November 15, 2023November 15, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

The global COVID pandemic changed global business culture. People began to work from home, and suddenly, most meetings and presentations happened virtually instead of in person. The technology began to outpace theory as few of us knew how to present virtually well. Obviously, a good starting approach builds off of existing practice, so many began the journey of adapting our presentations to tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. A few years later, the pandemic has…

Writing-Communication

To Show & To Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction

By Scott J. Pearson | October 20, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Writing about yourself seems like an incredibly easy task at first. Doing so in a way that captures the attention of an audience, however, is in truth quite difficult. Augustine of Hippo wrote his psychologically probing Confessions at the end of the fourth century CE and opened up the world of conveying a message with one’s life story. Ambitious authors have been doing so ever since, and the rate of personal nonfiction writing is only…

Psychology Writing-Communication

Is That Clear? Effective Communication in a Neurodiverse World

By Scott J. Pearson | October 17, 2023October 17, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Neurodiversity is a new term to encompass the many ways different brain makeups impact our ways of being in the world. The word is most heavily used concerning the autism community to refer to different ways of relating. Many with autism express frustration and frank exhaustion with ineffective communication practices. Many of us who don’t have autism can learn a few relatively simple techniques, described in this book, that will enhance our communicative abilities with…

Writing-Communication

Old Friend From Far Away: How to Write Memoir

By Scott J. Pearson | September 4, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Natalie Goldberg has become a famous name among modern teachers of writing. In this short audiobook, she focuses on her process of writing memoirs. She talks about the delicate process of writing from memories and bringing out essential details that eventually form a narrative structure. The audiobook, narrated by the author, is incredibly short but power-packed at around 150 minutes. Goldberg’s main mode is to start writing first and then piece it together later. Along…

Presentation Science Writing-Communication

The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed & Critical Errors to Avoid

By Scott J. Pearson | September 3, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Many scientists and engineers first learn to present by watching others present and mimicking these teachers. This technique helps to convey the basics, but how do collective bad habits get rooted out? Indeed, many weaknesses get passed on from mentor to mentee and from lab to lab. Instead of just floating aimlessly with the masses, those who aspire to greatness can benefit from reading critical commentary from scientific communicators like Michael Alley. This book, first…