Word Usage in Scientific Writing

iceboyer

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San Francisco Edit
www.sfedit.net
A sentence should contain no unnecessary words.  In scientific manuscripts precise writing is especially important because of the emphasis on conveying quantitative information efficiently.  In reporting and recording research, try to be as accurate and precise in describing as in conducting the research.
Following is a list of words and expressions that are useless or incorrect in scientific writing, with suggested alternatives.  This is not a complete list but contains some of the most troublesome words most frequently found in scientific manuscripts.

Don't use                                       Better
based on the fact that                               because
for the purpose of                                     for / to
fact                                                            evidence
prove                                                        support
plays an important role                               is important because
decreased number of                               fewer
time period                                               time
longer time period                                         longer
brown in color                                            brown
round in shape                                          round
a number of                                              some
has been shown to be                              is
by means of                                              by
it is possible that                                      may
in order to                                              to
during the course of                                during
a majority of                                              most
a great number of times                              often
in other words                                         thus / hence / therefore
despite the fact that                                         although
first of all                                                        first
it is interesting to note that                              eliminate
it may be resonable to suppose that              eliminate

To ensure accuracy and preciseness in your writing:

• Use an English spelling checker

• Make sure you use words according to the precise meaning understood by the average person.

• Ideally, check whether every word could be deleted or replaced by a better one.

For more detailed information regarding writing a manuscript for publication, please review some of our other articles at http://www.sfedit.net/newsletters.htm.  These articles approach such subjects as Writing the First Draft, Writing Effective Results, Methods and Materials, Discussions, Selecting a Journal, Responding to Reviewers, etc.

roywwcheng

Interesting....

However,  please allow me to mention: Papers are always written for another human being. To make it more readable for a real person, some auxiliary words are often necessary.

iceboyer

Interesting....

However,  please allow me to mention: Papers are always written for another human ...
roywwcheng 发表于 2010-4-27 22:10

another human being。。。