General Writing References
Two classic references on writing style and English grammar offer general advice on logical and concise writing. These books are good examples of the prescriptive approach to teaching about writing: both describe style and grammar as a framework of logically-connected rules that must be followed by those who are learning to express their thoughts in writing.
Handbook of Composition
A Compendium of Rules Regarding Good English, Grammar,
Sentence Structure, Paragraphing, Manuscript Arrangement,
Punctuation, Spelling, Essay Writing and Letter Writing
by Edwin Campbell Woolley
D.C. Heath & Co., 1920
Full text on Google Books
The Elements of Style
by William Strunk, Jr.
Ithaca, NY: W.P. Humphrey, 1918; NY: Bartleby.com, 1999
Full text on bartleby.com
Full text on Google Books
The following online resources provide additional general advice on writing and English grammar.
- The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing by Michael Harvey
- English Grammar Tutorials by Barbara Förster
- definr: a fast, free dictionary based on Princeton's open WordNet 2.0
Scientific and Technical Writing
Free online guides on scientific and technical writing:
- The Craft of Scientific Writing by Michael Alley
- Technical Writing by Dionysius Technical Writing team
An annual series of articles collected from the web: The Best of Technology Writing.
George Whitesides, who is widely recognized for being an excellent scientific writer, summarized a few of his rules in Whitesides' Group: Writing a Paper (registration required).
Jonathan Wolff of the Guardian pondered "Why is academic writing so boring?" in Literary boredom. An unrelated but coincidental discussion on Slashot similarly inquired Is Good Scientific Journalism Possible?.
Slashdot discussion on Teaching Engineers to Write brought up many interesting points and resources.
Writing for the Web
Writing for electronic media (which includes webpages, blogs, emails, and many emerging formats) imposes unique challenges but not without offering important benefits, such as the speed and scope of dissemination.
- Web Style Guide by Patrick Lynch and Sarah Horton
- Writing for the Web by Jakob Nielsen, P. J. Schemenaur, and Jonathan Fox
The following articles provide valuable, albeit less formal, insight into writing for the web.
- You, To, Can Right Like a Blogger by Tony Long, Wired
- Blogging—It's Good for You by Jessica Wapner, Scientific American
- Say Everything by Emily Nussbaum, New York Magazine
- Rise of the Plagiosphere by Ed Tenner, Technology Review
- E-Mail Is Easy to Write (and to Misread) by Daniel Goleman, New York Times
- Is The Net Good For Writers? by RU Sirius, discussion on Slashot
- Twilight of the Books by Caleb Crain, The New Yorker