Here's a secret: Writers keep learning to write over their lifetime. No one is born producing perfect prose, but, with practice, writing becomes easier and more fun. To help you, the NIH Library Writing Center provides print and online writing resources.
As you draft your next manuscript, abstract, PowerPoint® presentation, or resume, know that answers to those tough grammar, punctuation, or style questions are at your fingertips. Links to online dictionaries, including Dorland's Illustrated and Stedman's Illustrated (accessible to NIH staff), thesauri, and translation tools are available on the Writing Center's Grammar and Punctuation webpage.
In addition to online resources, print copies of some highly-referenced grammar and style guides are located on bookshelves in the Library's on-site Writing Center, in the Reference collection, and in the Circulating collection.
Some print resources that NIH staff find helpful include:
- Robbins, L.M. Grammar and Style at Your Fingertips. NY: Penguin Group, 2007.
NIH LIB Reference/NIH LIB Writing Center PE1112 .R563 2007
- Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 7th ed. Reston, VA: Council of Science Editors in cooperation with the Rockefeller University Press, 2006.
NIH LIB Reference/NIH LIB Writing Center T11 .S386 2006
- Troutman, K.K. Federal Resume Guidebook: Strategies for Writing a Winning Federal Electronic Resume, KSAs, and Essays. 4th Ed. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, 2007.
NIH LIB Reference/NIH LIB Writing Center JK716 .T73 2007
You can help Library staff identify potential writing resources for the collections by using the Suggest a Resource form, located on the menubar under Library Services. For assistance with a writing question, please email the NIH Library Writing Center Team or call Reference & Information Services at 301-496-1080.
NIEHS Writing Center
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences staff, most located in Research Triangle Park, NC, have special writing and publishing resources and editing support. NIEHS postdocs, fellows, and other investigators may request editing assistance by emailing Larry Wright, Ph.D., M.S.L.S., NIEHS Library, at wrightl@niehs.nih.gov.