BIOL 206 Methods in Biology

Here are some useful resources that will help you express your ideas clearly and concisely.

• Greene, L. S. (2010). Writing in the life sciences : a critical thinking approach. Oxford University Press.
• Hofmann, A. H. (2019). Writing in the biological sciences : a comprehensive resource for scientific communication (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Knisely, K. (2017). A student handbook for writing in biology (5th ed.). Sinauer Associates.
• Pechenik, J. A. (2016). A short guide to writing about biology (9th ed.). Pearson.

Publishing in the life sciences guide

• This guide includes tips on how to select a journal for publication and information on open access and impact factors.

• This guide teaches you how to create personal profiles, as well as how to find metrics for authors, articles, journals, and institutions.

Author rights guide

• This guide is intended to inform McGill University researchers on topics of author rights and publication agreements.

Copyright: The essentials

• This guide provides answers to the most frequently asked questions with regard to copyright in Canada as well as the copyright compliance at McGill University and beyond.

McGill Writing Centre

• Refine your academic writing skills or learn to write for a specific professional audience with courses offered by the McGill Writing Centre

Diversity Style Guides

• Is it preferable to refer to someone as a person with autism, or as an autistic person? Should you explain the use of unconventional personal pronouns in stories? When do you use the term Indigenous and when do you use the term Aboriginal? What’s wrong with saying that someone “suffers from” a certain condition? The following diversity style guides and other resources can help you critically examine how to approach these types of questions in your writing.

Inclusive Language Guidelines

• These guidelines aim to raise awareness, guide learning, and support the use of culturally sensitive terms and phrases that center the voices and perspectives of those who are often marginalized or stereotyped. They also explain the origins for problematic terms and phrases and offer suitable alternatives or more contemporary replacements.

Elements of Indigenous Style

• This guide contains: A historical overview of the portrayal of Indigenous peoples in literature; Common errors and how to avoid them when writing about Indigenous peoples; Guidance on working in a culturally sensitive way; A discussion of problematic and preferred terminology; Suggestions for editorial guidelines. The author, Gregory Younging, is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba.