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29 How To Write A Book Chapter

This document is a primer by Gábor L. Lövei on writing and publishing scientific papers, specifically aimed at non-English speakers. It discusses the complexities of writing a book chapter, emphasizing the importance of organization, quality of co-authors, and the reputation of the publisher for a successful publication. The author advises potential contributors to carefully consider their ability to write and the conditions for success before accepting invitations to contribute to multi-authored books.

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dada jesufemi
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10 views6 pages

29 How To Write A Book Chapter

This document is a primer by Gábor L. Lövei on writing and publishing scientific papers, specifically aimed at non-English speakers. It discusses the complexities of writing a book chapter, emphasizing the importance of organization, quality of co-authors, and the reputation of the publisher for a successful publication. The author advises potential contributors to carefully consider their ability to write and the conditions for success before accepting invitations to contribute to multi-authored books.

Uploaded by

dada jesufemi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Writing and

Publishing
Scientific Papers
A Primer for the
Non-English Speaker

Gábor L. Lövei
https://www.openbookpublishers.com

© 2021 Gábor L. Lövei

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
(CC BY 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the text; to
adapt the text and to make commercial use of the text providing attribution is made to the
authors (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
Attribution should include the following information:

Gábor L. Lövei, Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers: A Primer for the Non-English Speaker.
Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2021, https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0235

Copyright and permissions for the reuse of many of the images included in this
publication differ from the above. This information is provided in the captions and in the
list of illustrations.

In order to access detailed and updated information on the license, please visit https://
doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0235#copyright

Further details about CC BY licenses are available at https://creativecommons.org/


licenses/by/4.0/

All external links were active at the time of publication unless otherwise stated and have
been archived via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine at https://archive.org/web

Updated digital material and resources associated with this volume are available at
https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0235#resources

Every effort has been made to identify and contact copyright holders and any omission or
error will be corrected if notification is made to the publisher.

ISBN Paperback: 9781800640894


ISBN Hardback: 9781800640900
ISBN Digital (PDF): 9781800640917
ISBN Digital ebook (epub): 9781800640924
ISBN Digital ebook (mobi): 9781800640931
ISBN XML: 9781800640948
DOI: 10.11647/OBP.0235

Cover image: Photo by Sai Abhinivesh Burla on Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/


WEv76KgEysk

Cover design: Anna Gatti.


29. How to Write a
Book Chapter

Books have become very important tools of information and learning.


In the view of many, a scientific book is an authoritative source of
information, written mostly for those who know little about the subject.
Writing a book is a very large and complex task. Traditionally, writing
scientific books has been the realm of the “real expert”, usually near the
peak of an illustrious and productive career.
Today, however, fewer and fewer people write single-authored
scientific books. The reasons for this are manifold, but the two most
important ones are the huge increase in the amount of information, and
the increasingly limited time available to researchers to focus on such a
task — or so most people claim.
In the absence of knowledgeable, willing and able single authors,
there are more and more books that are written by a group of experts. In
some cases, every chapter is written by a different set of authors. Such a
book is then coordinated by one or more scientific editor(s). Receiving
an invitation to contribute to a book is flattering, because it means that
you are considered by your colleagues to have a certain comprehensive
knowledge as an expert in your chosen field of research, and they trust
you to impart this knowledge to others in an accessible way. However,
do not let yourself be led by your vanity into such a venture. Once your
pride subsides a little, consider a few things very carefully and critically
before accepting the invitation.
The success of a book depends on content, form, and marketing.
Let us assume that you are confident that you can write an excellent
chapter alone, or in a team, about the topic you were asked to write
about. Of course, if you do not feel this way, do not accept the invitation.

© Gábor L. Lövei, CC BY 4.0 https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0235.29


178 Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers

However, if you do feel this way, this is far from sufficient to give a
positive reply. Writing a chapter is still a considerable piece of work
and, if the entire book is unsuccessful, your contribution will not get
the attention it should. So: what are the necessary conditions for a
successful, multi-authored book?
The first is organisation. The editors will have a large and complicated
task: to make sure that many authors complete their given contribution
on time, and to a reasonable standard. This is a huge organisational
challenge. Additionally, there must be some stylistic editing done, as it
is guaranteed that authors will have very different approaches to their
topic, and different styles. An editor must be an efficient organiser, a
diplomat, and a conscientious controller of a complicated venture.
This role is very important, as it keeps the project progressing on
time, and this requires a lot of time, effort, and scientific — as well as
diplomatic — skills. Only join an author team if you know the editor,
preferably personally, and are favourably impressed by her abilities as
scientist, writer, and organiser.
If there are multiple authors, it also becomes a question of “company”.
One good chapter will not make the reputation of the book, nor assure
its success, so you must be sure about the quality of your co-authors.
Find out about the other authors who were asked to contribute, and
only join the team if you trust them to deliver high-quality manuscripts.
Finally, a set of high-quality manuscripts delivered on time are
not enough: books have to sell, and for this, they must be printed
and distributed. Only a good, experienced publisher with a record of
producing high-quality books would provide a reasonable chance of
success. Only join the team if the suggested publisher is well known in
the field, and has a reliable record of producing such books, as well as a
global distribution chain.
If all three conditions are met, then consider the available time, your
own engagements and, if you have the time, go ahead: good books are
rare, and are in high demand. The task is to write for the novice. Book
chapters are also non-primary publications, so never include previously
unpublished information.
During the actual writing, use the experience gained when writing
reviews, or refer to the points mentioned in the previous chapter. Assume
even less of the reader’s background knowledge than for a review.
29. How to Write a Book Chapter  179

Frequently, people reading books know next to nothing about the subject
and the function of the book is to provide them with this knowledge.
Write in plain language, use lots of examples, figures, pictures, and
tables. You will almost certainly use the work of others — so dealing
with copyright is almost inevitable. The publisher can help you with
this, but do not leave it to the end.

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