App for writing scientific papers

[CmdrLaForge]

Hello,

I am seeking advise for an app for writing scientific papers. Besides "Microsoft Word" which I know will do the job but is pretty bloated is there any other Mac app that can:

• Automatically generate the Table of Content
• Automatically generate Tables of e.g. graphs, tables, footnotes ...
• Easily generates footnotes

Please do not say "Pages" because I tried that and it doesn't work, at least not as expected (like Word).

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Hello,

I am seeking advise for an app for writing scientific papers. Besides "Microsoft Word" which I know will do the job but is pretty bloated is there any other Mac app that can:

• Automatically generate the Table of Content
• Automatically generate Tables of e.g. graphs, tables, footnotes ...
• Easily generates footnotes

Please do not say "Pages" because I tried that and it doesn't work, at least not as expected (like Word).

Mellel and Scrivener.

 

[teidon]

Latex. It's free, but not necessarily the easiest thing to use.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Pages ( I VASTLY prefer it over Word), Scrivener, or Latex if you really want to be hardcore.

Stay away from Manuscripts - Its a bug ridden mess (If you've used Papers, which is made by some of the same guys, you'll know what to expect).

 

[talmy]

Hello,

I am seeking advise for an app for writing scientific papers.

Nisus Writer Pro

I'm also a fan of Scrivener for writing, but it's output needs to go through a word processor for formatting.

Nisus Writer, Scrivener, and (mentioned before) Mellel all have trials, so download them all and check them out.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Thanks so much for all the replies. They all look good. From what I see so far I might like Mellel best but I will try the others as well.

 

[rhett7660]

Nisus Writer Pro

I'm also a fan of Scrivener for writing, but it's output needs to go through a word processor for formatting.

Nisus Writer, Scrivener, and (mentioned before) Mellel all have trials, so download them all and check them out.

This is actually one of the things that is holding me off and not getting it.

There are some interesting suggestions in here that I have not heard of. I too thank the folks here for the suggestions!

 

[AlliePallie]

This is actually one of the things that is holding me off and not getting it.

There are some interesting suggestions in here that I have not heard of. I too thank the folks here for the suggestions!

[doublepost=1494347539][/doublepost]Ulysses also deserves a look.
Also, using Scrivener/Ulysses plus Mellel or Nisus does make excellent sense. It will give you far more flexibility when modifying the paper after the reviewers get through with it. Believe me -- I have been there!

 

[Abiatha Swelter]

Latex. It's free, but not necessarily the easiest thing to use.

If you're writing a paper for publication in a journal, that journal may have a Latex template prepared.

In Ye Olde Days, I would have recommended FrameMaker, but it's no longer available as a Mac app. Not that I'm still sore about that or anything.

 

[freeman1899]

I would strongly recommend looking into LaTex. It has a steep learning curve but the results you can get are extremely satisfying. If you load the MacTex distribution there is already an editor included but if you don't mind spending a bit of money you could look into Texpad. (I do just adore this app for various reasons: fits native macOS Design; auto-typeset, auto configuration and inbuilt pdf-viewer makes it easier to pick up LaTex; nice project management for multiple files; great support [fixed a bug I reported and released a new version for it within a week])
Also if you are writing a Scientific Paper you will need some software to organise your Literature. BibDesk comes with the MacTex distribution and is a nice software for this with a robust file-management system, smart groups and tags to keep everything organised.

 

[campyguy]

I use Scrivener with Nisus, and I also use Word (currently 2016 for Windows). Nisus and Word are two of the most powerful word processors I've used (and I've used a bunch of them!).

I used to use MacTex but haven't the need for some of its power for a couple of years, however, some of my friends use it religiously. +1 on MacTex and +1 on Texpad (with its Mac and iOS versions, a complete beast for writing/composing). If you opt for MacTex, make sure you check out MacTeXtras to make MacTex a powerful environment for writing.

Scrivener is a fantastic tool, it's solid, but it's updated at a glacial pace. Version 3 was being talked up over 2 years ago, but v.2 gets the job done for my needs.

 

[talmy]

This is actually one of the things that is holding me off and not getting it.

If you can separate writing from formatting in your workflow, Scrivener is fantastic because of its organizational features and focus on the writing process. Scrivener isn't good if you need to do extensive revision after final formatting because you either need to do revision in the output word processor or go back to Scrivener for revision and start anew in the formatting. Scrivener will output drafts for review, if that's acceptable.

 

[rhett7660]

If you can separate writing from formatting in your workflow, Scrivener is fantastic because of its organizational features and focus on the writing process. Scrivener isn't good if you need to do extensive revision after final formatting because you either need to do revision in the output word processor or go back to Scrivener for revision and start anew in the formatting. Scrivener will output drafts for review, if that's acceptable.

This is the big part for me since that is how my current work flow is. Don't ask, but for some reason I do all of my formatting in the beginning and then write.

This might be something I should change. There are lots of threads on Scrivener and how people use it. Might be something to look into.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Thanks so much for your great advice! I'm still undecided but time is running. I need a solution in September. I will look closely into all suggestions as I want to stick with my decision for many years.