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Clear and Concise Scientific English
Duncan Wright2015
Writing a research article, thesis, dissertation…
…where to start?
DATA(Generated from hypothesis-driven, innovative, and appropriately-controlled experiments, and analyzed using appropriate techniques).
Analyze and plot your data as they are generated. Start writing as soon as you can.
(Don’t wait until you want to publish!)
Tip:- Set aside 15 minutes/2 days to write. Don’t think too much, just write!- Set aside 15 minutes/ 2 days (different days!) to edit. Don’t be afraid to delete your hard work!
RESULTS
1) Make figures.
2) Describe the figures.
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ABC
Time (s) A B C
1 1 8 12 2 7 23 3 6 44 4 5 85 5 4 166 6 3 327 7 2 648 8 1 128
Only present data ONCE – figure, table, or in the text
At 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 seconds, A exhibited values of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively.
Results text: draw the reader’s attention to key findings or describe general trends:
- A and C increased over time, in a linear and exponential manner, respectively; on the other hand, B exhibited an inverse relationship with time.
Don’t make a simple list of the values:
- At 1 second, A was 1, B was 8, and C was 1; at 2 seconds, A was 2, B was 7, and C was 2; at 3 seconds, A was 3, B was 6, and C was 4…
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ABC
Use the past tense when describing results.
e.g., B decreased over time.
Use the present tense when referring to figures and tables.
e.g., Figure 1 shows the changes in A, B, and C over time.
Use titles and headings to advance the story.
e.g., Comparison of A, B, and C.
→ A, B, and C exhibit differential changes over time.
METHODS
Brief as possible: cite earlier studies.
Western blot was performed as described by X et al. (1998).
Use past tense.
Samples were centrifuged at 10,000g for 5 minutes.
If you have a long list (DNA/peptide sequences, experiments with multiple parameters, etc.), consider including it
as a table.
Try to avoid using numbers or lower case letters (mRNA etc.) at the beginning of a sentence. If you must, write the number (and any unit) in full.10 μl of the supernatant were added.
Ten microliters of the supernatant were added.
INTRODUCTION
GENERALSPECIFIC
RECENT FINDINGSQUESTIONS
HYPOTHESESDATA
INTRO
DISCUSSION
INTERPRETATION
FUTURE
ABSTRACT
Paragraphs:
One main point/idea for each paragraph.
- Topic sentence-Supporting sentences (support; expand; refute)
Fill in the gaps.
Expression of X was decreased in mutant cells.
Therefore, we examined apoptosis in the mutant.
Expression of X was decreased in mutant cells.
As X regulates apoptosis, we examined whether this process was disrupted in the mutant.
DISCUSSION
Match the word with the strength of your data.
Present tense is ‘stronger’ than past tense.
‘Demonstrate’ and ‘indicate’ are strong.
‘Appears’ and ‘suggests’ are weaker.
‘May’ makes the sentence weaker still.
Do not just describe the results (OBSERVATIONS and INTERPRETATIONS).
Do the findings support your hypotheses?
Are there alternative explanations?
Consistent with earlier studies?
What are the implications of your findings?
Propose a model integrating your findings and those of earlier studies.
Propose ideas for future studies – get cited!!!
TITLE
Concise.
Key words first.e.g., Effects of added calcium on salinity tolerance of tomatoes. → Calcium improves salinity tolerance of tomatoes.
Avoid non-standard abbreviations.
Avoid terms like ‘a study into’, ‘exploring’, ‘results’ and ‘investigation’.e.g., An investigation into the relationship between X and Y → X regulates Y.
Avoid subjective evaluations. e.g., an innovative method → a rapid method.
Avoid ambiguity.
- may occur when nouns are used as adjectives e.g., enzymatic activity suppression. This has two possible meanings:
a)Suppression of enzymatic activityb)Suppression by enzymatic activity
GENERAL ADVICE
Communicate actions using verbs.
We subjected the samples to quantification. → We quantified the samples.
Verb (Noun) Incorrect verb
determine (determination) determinate recombine (recombination) recombinate
imagine (imagination) imaginate
interpret (interpretation) interpretate
Keep articles as short as possible.
Ensure your article is accessible to researchers outside of your sub-field:
- Introduce each new concept.
- Explain abbreviations.
- Do not assume knowledge.
Avoid redundancy.
Be careful when using pronouns (she, he, it, they, etc.).
Drug X affected process Y. It controls cell division.
Ambiguous: is ‘it’ drug X or process Y?
Do not use i.e. or e.g. together with etc.i.e. id est that is (in other words)e.g. exempli gratia for exampleetc. et cetera and the rest
The Serial Comma ,
(Oxford/Harvard Comma)Translation requires two ribosomal subunits, mRNA
and tRNA.
Translation requires two ribosomal subunits, mRNA, and tRNA.
mRNA?
tRNA?
1
2tRNA
mRNA
The Serial Comma
The serial comma is used to resolve ambiguous sentences
e.g., ‘we invited the vice-directors, Professor Y and Professor Z’.
Vice-directors
Prof. Y Prof. Z
‘we invited the vice-directors, Professor Y, and Professor Z’.
Vice-directors
Prof. Y Prof. Z
The Serial Comma HOWEVER!In some situations, the serial comma may create confusion and should be removed.
e.g., I invited my mother, Professor Y, and the speakers.Prof. Yis your mother
Speakers
I invited my mother, Professor Y and the speakers.
Speakers
Mother
Prof. Y
*Bibliography*An Outline of Scientific Writing: for researchers with English as a foreign language. Jen Tsi Yang. ISBN-13 978-981-02-2466-0. Copyright © 1995 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
*Writing Scientific Research Articles: Strategy and Steps. Margaret Cargill and Patrick O’Connor. ISBN-13 978-1405186193. Copyright © 2009 Wiley-Blackwell.
*Common Errors in English Usage. Paul Brians. ISBN-13: 978-1887902892. Copyright 2002. Franklin, Beedle & Associates Inc.
*Getting Published in the Life Sciences. Richard J. Gladon, William R. Graves and J. Michael Kelly. ISBN: 978-1-1180-1716-6. John Wiley and Sons Inc.
*The Science of Scientific Writing. George Gopen, Judith Swan. American Scientist. Nov-Dec 1990.
*The Elements of Style. William Strunk, Jr. ISBN-13: 978-0205309023.
Thank you for your attention!
ICOB Editing Service
Duncan Wright
Room 429
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 2789-9539
