I am looking for a reference book that details everything I must keep in mind while writing scientific and technical documents. It should include both practical advice, do's and dont's as well as standard style information.
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We have a couple of technical writers who are regulars in our chat room, if you are interested in socializing about that kind of work. (You'll need 20 rep to chat.) – Kit Z. Fox Jan 15 '14 at 14:34
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1This seems quite broad to me. There isn't just one book that will tell you everything you need to know about scientific and academic writing, just like there isn't one that will tell you everything you need to know about writing fiction. I recommend asking more-specific questions (what do you want to know from that book you seek?), which we'll be better able to help you with. – Monica Cellio Jan 15 '14 at 16:34
Well I am not sure if there is a reference book that will tell you everything but there are quite a few guides around that should cover most of it. Here are a list of few books (not really following any referencing standard here):
- Handbook for Technical Writing by James H. Shelton
- The Elements of International English Style: A Guide to Writing Correspondence, Reports, Technical Documents, and Internet Pages for a Global Audience by Edmond H. Weiss
- Textbook of Scientific and Technical Communication Writing for Engineers and Professionals by S. D. Sharma
- The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing by Leslie Perelman, Edward Barrett
- Writing for the Technical Professions by Kristin R. Woolever
- Writing in English: A Practical Handbook for Scientific and Technical Writers by Zuzana Svobodova (you can find an online copy by a simple Google search).
Apart from these, there are several guides written by faculties at various Universities. They might be suited for some but not all purposes.
Also consider looking for the UN guides. They contain some very good content.
Hope some of this helps.
This is an old question, but in case someone stumbles upon it, I would also recommend
-A Field Guide for Science Writers: The Official Guide of the National Association of Science Writers by Deborah Blum, Mary Knudson, Robin Marantz Henig (editors).