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seclement's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very short primer on scientific writing. I have taken Lindsay's course on scientific writing, and it was excellent. Just as he does in person, Lindsay tells it like it is and doesn't mince words. He writes in a very straightforward matter, is very clear on what he thinks scientific writing should be, and writes very succinctly. If you'd rather not read the longer book by Day and Gastel on the subject, then this book is for you, but I would suggest the two books complement each other very well. Lindsay tends to take a more practical, 'how-to' approach, trying to demystify and simplify the process of scientific writing. He subscribes to the philosophy of using simple sentence structures and avoiding obscure words, which is a great approach for many scientist, but I don't think applies as much to the social sciences and humanities (though he would argue on that point with me). I think this book's greatest strength - as well as his course - is that it forces you to be clear in your thoughts if you are to be clear in your writing. It reminds me of a great piece by Paul Sabatier and others in 2000, wherein he argues that he didn't include interpretivist and constructivist frameworks in his book, Theories of the Policy Process, because they aren't 'clear enough to be wrong'. If you aren't clear in your argument, then a critique will never go anywhere, and it can't advance the field. This is one of the best lessons I got from Lindsay's book: be clear enough to be wrong!
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