Tools for Writers
Books
The Economist Style Guide
12th Edition
“Gives general advice on writing, points out common errors and clichés, offers guidance on consistent use of punctuation, abbreviations and capital letters and contains an exhaustive range of reference material–covering everything from accountancy ratios and stock market indices to laws of nature and science.” (Publisher’s description)
Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks:
A Guide to Academic Publishing Success
by Wendy Laura Belcher
Belcher’s step-by-step road map takes the academic writer from the design stage to submitting the article and responding to journal decisions. Along the way, she gives clear and effective advice on advancing the argument, reviewing literature, strengthening the structure, and editing text.
The Ready Reference Handbook, 4th Edition
by Jack Dodds
“Provides more in-depth guidance about American academic English than any other handbook available. It is the perfect choice for students whose primary language is not English, as well as for traditional students. Easy to use and always encouraging, this handbook provides students with the ultimate quick reference guide for any writing situation, helping them to write successfully in both academic and public contexts.” (Publisher’s description)
What Editors Want:
An Author’s Guide to Scientific Journal Publishing
by Philippa J. Benson & Susan C. Silver
Insightful and nuanced discussion of such topics as changing perspective from author to editor, authorship issues, and who does what in peer review. Excellent appendices include resources for improving science writing, databases with free access to articles or abstracts, and a presubmission checklist.
Online resources
Publishing economics papers: Advice from the experts
This an article from Christina Neagu’s website, and it’s full of writing tips, advice from journal editors, and links to resources.in particular, be sure to check out A Guide to Writing in Economics by Paul Dudenhefer. Neagu is a freelance editor in Italy, and her weekly academic writing blog is superb.
OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab
Resources and guides for just about every aspect of academic writing.