Book excerpt: During the course of Dutch physicist and Spinoza Prize–winner Ad Lagendijk’s long and influential career, he has published more than 300 articles, supervised over thirty doctoral dissertations, and given countless presentations and conference addresses. Over the years, his incisive consultations, tips, and rules for scientific study have proven themselves so beneficial to the emerging young scientists under his watch that he has been inundated with requests for a written version. Aimed primarily at undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in the natural sciences, Survival Guide for Scientists presents Lagendijk’s practical how-to advice on essential topics such as the foundations for writing scientific texts, presenting data and research information, and writing and reading collegial e-mails. Each section is organized by a collection of short rules, outlined and numbered in a logical order as self-explanatory pieces of information—allowing the reader the freedom to study any number of them in any desired order. These concrete guidelines are all supplemented by an extensive index that forms a reference text of its own, with easy navigation—securing a place for the Survival Guide for Scientists on the shelves of scientific scholars and students alike.