This volume investigates the specific linguistic structures and rhetorical strategies that define scientific discourse and facilitate the construction of scientific knowledge. The editors, James R. Martin and Robert Veel, curate a collection of papers that apply functional linguistics, new rhetoric, and critical theory to analyze how science is communicated across various professional, educational, and popular media. By examining the intersection of language and technical understanding, the authors argue that scientific literacy requires a multi-modal approach that accounts for both text and visual data.

Experts recognize this collection as a significant interdisciplinary resource for those studying the intersection of language and scientific practice. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational text for students and researchers in linguistics and science communication.