Disciplinary-Specific Writing Guides

Biological Sciences

• Joubert, Pieter H. and Silvia M. Rogers, Strategic Scientific and Medical Writing (Springer, 2015).
• Knisely, Karin, A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology, 6th edition (Macmillan, 2021).
• McMillan, Victoria E., Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, 5th edition (Bedford/St. Martins, 2021)
• Parija, Subhash Chandra and Vikram Kate (eds), Writing and Publishing a Scientific Research Paper (Springer, 2017)
• Southwestern University, “Guide for Writing in Biology”
• Turbek, Sheela P., et al., “Scientific Writing Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Undergraduate Writing in the Biological Sciences” Bulletin: Ecological Society of America, 2016. 
• The Writing Center at UConn, “Writing in Biology”

Business

• Alred, Gerald J., Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu, The Business Writer’s Companion, 8th edition (Macmillan, 2017)
• Garner, Bryan A., Harvard Business Review Guide to Better Business Writing (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012)
• “General Guidelines for Business Writing,” Purdue OWL
• Morris, John and Julie Zwart, Business Writing Style Guide (Open Educational Resources, Oregon State University)
• “Workplace Writers,” Purdue OWL (resource collection)

Drama:

• Fisher, Mark, How to Write About Theatre: A Manual for Critics, Students and Bloggers (Bloomsbury, 2015)
• Hudson, Suzanne. Writing About Theatre and Drama, 2nd edition, (Cengage Learning, 2006).
• Southwestern University, “Guide for Writing in Theatre”
• The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill, “Drama”

Economics:

• Brandeis University, “Writing Tips for an Economics Paper” 
• Bernhardt, Stephen and Nancy Sommers, A Guide to Writing in Economics (Macmillan, 2019)
• Dudenhefer, Paul (Duke University). “A Guide to Writing in Economics”
• Miller, Jane. The Chicago Guide to Writing about Multivariate Analysis, 2nd edition, (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing, 2013)
• Thomson, William, A Guide for the Young Economist: Writing and Speaking Effectively about Economics, 2nd edition (MIT Press, 2011).

Engineering:

• Alred, Gerald J., Walter E. Oliu, Charles T. Brusaw, The Handbook of Technical Writing with 2020 APA Update, 12th edition (Macmillan, 2019)
• “Engineering Lab Writing Guides”
• Purdue OWL, “Writing in Engineering” 
• WAC Clearninghouse Writing Guide, “Communicating as an Engineer”

Health Sciences:

• Gimenez, Julio. “Beyond the academic essay: Discipline-specific writing in nursing and midwifery.” Journal of English for Academic Purposes3 (2008): 151-164.
• Joubert, Pieter H. and Silvia M. Rogers, Strategic Scientific and Medical Writing (Springer, 2015).
• Luby, Steve and Dorothy Southern, The Pathway to Publishing: A Guide to Quantitative Writing in the Health Sciences (Spring, 2023).
• Parija, Subhash Chandra and Vikram Kate (eds), Writing and Publishing a Scientific Research Paper (Springer, 2017)
• Purdue OWL, “Healthcare Writing”
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences, “Writing in the Health Sciences”

History:

• Harvard College Writing Center. “A Brief Guide to Writing the History Paper”
• Page, Melvin E. and Brian J. Maxson, A Short Guide to Writing about History, 10th edition (Waveland Press, 2023).
• Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 10th edition (Macmillan, 2021)
• Southwestern University, “Guide for Writing in History”
• University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, “History Writing and Style Guide”

Information/Computer Sciences:

• Paradis, James and Muriel Zimmerman. The MIT Guide to Science and Engineering Communication (MIT Press, 2002). 
• Taffe, William J. “Writing in the Compueter Science Curriculum,” Writing Across the Curriculum, vol. 1, no. 1 (1989)
• Zobel, Justin. Writing for Computer Science, 3rd Edition (Springer, 2015).

• Herbert, Trevor, Music in Words: A Guide to Researching & Writing about Music (London, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, 2012)
• Holoman, D. Kern, Writing about Music: a Style Sheet. 2d ed. (Berkeley, Univ. of California Press, 2008)
• Woodworth, Marc and Ally-Jane Grossan, How to Write About Music: Excerpts from 33 1/3 Series, Magazines, Books, and Blogs with Advice from Industry Leading Writers (New York and London, Bloomsbury Academic, 2015)
• The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill, “Music”

Physics:

• Alred, Gerald J., Walter E. Oliu, Charles T. Brusaw, The Handbook of Technical Writing with 2020 APA Update, 12th edition (Macmillan, 2019)
• Bottorff, Mark, Southwestern University, “Guide for Writing in Physics and Dual-Degree Engineering”
• Markel, Mike. Technical Communication. 12th ed. (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012).

Online:

• George Washington University, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “Types of Political Science Writing” (with links to more specific resources for each genre): https://politicalscience.columbian.gwu.edu/types-political-science-writing
• Mariotti, Shannon. “Guide for Writing in Political Science” (6 pages): http://www.southwestern.edu/live/files/4180-guide-for-writing-in-political-sciencepdf
• The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill, “Political Science”: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/political-science/

Print:

• Baglione, Lisa M. Writing a Research Paper in Political Science: A Practical Guide to Inquiry, Structure, and Methods. 2nd Edition. 2011 ($25)

Online:

• Gerring, John. “General Advice on Social Science Writing” (11 pages): http://blogs.bu.edu/jgerring/files/2013/06/Adviceonessaywriting.pdf
• Pasek, Josh. “Writing the Empirical Social Science Research Paper: A Guide for the Perplexed” (formatted like an APA research paper, 12 pages): https://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/empirical-social-science.pdf

Print:

• Cuba, Lee J. A short guide to writing about social science, 4th New York: Longman, 2002. Print. ($12-59).
• Feak, Christine, and John M. Swales. Telling A Research Story: Writing A Literature Review. Michigan Series In English For Academic & Professional Purposes. Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan U. Press 2009. Print. ($13)
• Publication manual of the American psychological association. Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 2001. Print. ($14).

Online:

• Harvard University Department of Anthropology. A Student’s Guide to Reading and Writing in Social Anthropology (52 pages): https://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1270719.files/anthropology_writing_guide_2010-3.pdf
• Johnson, Melissa. “Guide for Writing in Anthropology” (6 pages): http://www.southwestern.edu/live/files/4165-guide-for-writing-in-anthropology-pdf
• The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill, “Anthropology”: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/anthropology/

Print:

• Emerson, Robert and Rachel I. Fretz. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Second Edition. Chicago Guides to Writing Editing, and Publishing. 2nd Ed. U. Chicago Press, 2011. ($13)
• Lamott, Ann. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor 1995. ($13)

• American Psychological Association, APA Style.
• American Psychological Association, Concise Guide to APA Style, 7th ed. (2019)
• Dunn, Dana S. A short guide to writing about psychology. 4th Ed. (New York, Longman, 2024)
• Giuliano, Traci. “Guide for Writing in Psychology.”
• Carson, Shelley H., et al., Writing for Psychology: A Guide for Psychology Concentrators (Harvard College Department of Psychology)
• Harvard College Writing Center. “A Brief Guide to Writing the Psychology Paper” 
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab. “Writing in Psychology”

• Jones, Jennifer, Sarah Quinn, and Hana Brown. Writing for Sociology 2d ed. (2011)
• Oregon State University Department of Sociology. Writing Within Sociology: A Guide for Undergraduates.
• The American Sociological Association, The ASA Style Guide, 7th ed. (2024)
• The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill, “Sociology” 
• The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. University of Chicago Press, 2024.

Our favorite all-purpose guides:

• Bean, John C. and Dan Melzer. Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. 3rd Ed. (Hoboken,  Jossey-Bass, 2021)
• Cioffi, Frank L. The Imaginative Argument: A Practical Manifesto for Writers. 2nd Ed (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2017).
• ———. Stellar English: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Grammar & Style (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2024)
• Palmquist, Mike. The Bedford Researcher, 4th Ed. (Boston and New York, Bedford/St. Martin’s 2011)
• Trimble, John, Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing. 3rd Ed. (New York, Longman, 2010)
• Truss, Lynn, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Gotham, 2006)
• Lunsford, Andrea. EasyWriter: A Pocket Reference (Boston and New York, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013)
• Williams, Joseph and Joseph Bizup. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 12th Ed. (New York, Longman, 2016)

CONSPICUOUS ABSENCE: You may notice no entry for Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. According to a Chronicle of Higher Ed‘s appraisal commemorating its 50-year anniversary, the guide is benign at best and inconsistent, imprecise, and misleading at worst on both matters of grammar and style. A particularly damning assessment from the piece’s author, linguist Geoffrey K. Pullum, follows:

The book’s toxic mix of purism, atavism, and personal eccentricity is not underpinned by a proper grounding in English grammar. It is often so misguided that the authors appear not to notice their own egregious flouting of its own rules. They can’t help it, because they don’t know how to identify what they condemn (“50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice” April 17, 2009).