Useful references

The following list is not exhaustive, but gives just a few references that provide a wealth of information on style, convention, grammar, correct usage, and punctuation.

Scientific style and format: the CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers, 7th edition, Council of Science Editors, Style Manual Committee, Reston, VA 20190, USA, 2006
The 'bible' for anyone seeking to publish in a scientific field. Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of scientific publishing. Includes separate sections dealing with the conventions of each of the main scientific disciplines and an excellent section on commonly confused, misused, and imprecisely applied words. The first edition was  published by the Council of Biology Editors in 1960, concentrating mainly on matters biological. The sixth edition (1994) was expanded to encompass all scientific disciplines.
Style manual, for authors, editors and printers, 6th edition (revised by Snooks & Co.), John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd, 2002
A comprehensive reference for anyone publishing in Australia who needs to get it right. A wealth of information on writing and editing covering grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, numbers and measurement, and much more. It deals with both paper-based and screen-based publication and was originally published as the Australian Government Publishing Service (AGPS) Style Manual in 1966.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 2003
An American approach to publishing, but one that has won international acclaim as an authoritative resource for publishing in any field. Among many other useful subjects it provides an exhaustive coverage of the right way to cite and list references.
Fowler's New Modern English Usage, 3rd Edition (revised by R Burchfield), Oxford University Press, 1997
An updated version of H W Fowler's classic Modern English Usage (1926). An elegant and sometimes amusing coverage of many of the elements of the English language that confuse us. Can be 'heavy going'.
The complete plain words, 3rd edition, Sir Ernest Gowers, Penguin Books Ltd, 1987
An easy-to-read book that shows you how to get your message across using the right words, without embellishment.
Mind the stop: A brief guide to punctuation, G V Carey, Cambridge University Press, 1958 (reprinted as a Pelican Reference Book in 1986).
A clearly written, no-nonsense discussion of the essentials of correct punctuation.