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Robert Day must be unique in having become a professor of English – at the University of Delaware – after a distinguished career in science publishing (American Society for Microbiology, Institute for Scientific Information). That progression indicates why the fourth edition of his superb How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper (Cambridge University Press, £12.95 ISBN 0 521 55898 0) is such an authoritative, readable and witty guide. It also ranges far more widely than the title suggests – from public speaking to dealing with editors. An essential tool for all scientists.