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The Handbook for Authors of Papers in the Journals of the American Chemical Society was first published in 1967 and was 127 pages in length. It was mostly devoted to what I would characterize as technical information: lists of symbols and units, the proper style for citation of references, and the like. It also contained detailed instructions for the hand drawing of chemical structures and figures including the proper use of the Leroy lettering set. My copy cost $2. The second edition, titled The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors, appeared 30 years later in 1997 and was nearly four times as long: 460 pages. The bulk of the book was still technical information, much more than in the first edition, but the revision included a good chapter on Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling; a chapter on Communicating in Other Formats, especially poster presentations; and a chapter on Peer Review, which was a collection of short essays on approaches to reviewing. Increasing concern with copyright led to a c...

In addition to excellent general advice on writing, this book provides specific advice on writing scientific articles. Like any good style guide, Barrass’s book discusses the elements of good prose but then goes on to provide guidance on aspects of communication that are important to scientists, including tables, graphs, and illustrations.