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1 Research Papers: Titles and Abstracts |
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1 | (14) |
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1 Whole paper: Concentrate above all on readability; grammar is generally less important |
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1 | (2) |
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2 Tides: Ensure your tide as specific as possible. Delete unnecessary words |
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3 | (2) |
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3 Tides: Avoid `clever' titles |
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5 | (1) |
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4 Abstracts: Be concise - especially in the first sentence |
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6 | (1) |
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5 Abstracts: Don't begin the abstract with non key words |
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7 | (1) |
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6 Abstracts: Make it clear why the purpose of your investigation is important |
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8 | (1) |
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7 Abstracts: Clearly differentiate between the state-of-the-art and what you did in your research |
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9 | (2) |
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8 Structured Abstracts - Background: Be careful of tense usage |
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11 | (1) |
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9 Abstracts: When writing a single paragraph, write it like a `structured abstract' |
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12 | (2) |
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10 Abstract and Introduction: Avoid the word `attempt' and avoid making bold statements beginning with `this is the first |
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14 | (1) |
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2 Research Papers: Introduction and Literature Review |
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15 | (6) |
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11 Introduction: Avoid information that readers will already be very familiar with |
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15 | (2) |
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12 Introduction: Describe the structure of your paper in a way that enables readers to navigate the paper easily |
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17 | (1) |
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13 Review of the literature: prioritize clarity over consistency when deciding what tense to use |
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18 | (1) |
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14 Review of the Literature and Discussion: Think about whether the first few words of a sentence add value for the reader or not. Be as concise as possible |
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19 | (1) |
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15 Review of the literature and Discussion: Delete all unnecessary verbs |
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20 | (1) |
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3 Research Papers: Methods, Results, Tables |
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21 | (10) |
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16 Methods: Use the past to describe what you did, but use the present to describe any protocols / regulations / typical steps |
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21 | (1) |
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17 Methods: Be careful to use the right tense in a which clause when a series of steps are being described |
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22 | (1) |
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18 Methods: Indicate the sequence of steps by putting firstly, secondly, finally etc at the beginning of the sentences |
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23 | (1) |
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19 Methods: Put the steps in chronological order. Put dates at the beginning |
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24 | (1) |
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20 Results: Ensure the reader understands whether you are talking about your results or what has already been established by others. Generally speaking, use the past tense to report your results |
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25 | (2) |
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21 Results: Do not write long descriptions of your results if these could easily be put in a table. And do not repeat information that is clearly shown in a table, instead interpret it |
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27 | (1) |
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22 Tables: Use the simple present to describe what the table does, and the past to discuss what the table shows |
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28 | (1) |
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23 Tables: In captions, and when referring to figures and tables, use the least words possible |
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29 | (1) |
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24 Tables: Avoid redundancy by avoiding repetitions |
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30 | (1) |
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4 Research Papers: Discussion, Conclusions, Review Papers |
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31 | (8) |
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31 | (1) |
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25 Limitations: Don't finish your paper by talking about your limitations. Consider relocating the limitations to earlier in the Conclusions, or to the Discussion |
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32 | (1) |
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26 Limitations: Don't just list your limitations, justify them |
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33 | (1) |
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27 Conclusions: Don't write your Conclusions in a hurry |
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34 | (1) |
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28 Conclusions: End with something memorable and comprehensible |
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35 | (1) |
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29 Conclusions: Highlight the importance of your work by putting key findings at the beginning of the sentence, not at the end. Be as detailed as possible |
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36 | (1) |
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30 Review papers: Think about what readers really want to learn, and present this info in an-easy-to-navigate way |
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37 | (2) |
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5 Readability and Avoiding Redundancy |
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39 | (36) |
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31 Readability: Just because your paper or chapter is published doesn't mean that anyone will actually read it |
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39 | (2) |
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32 Readability: Confused or vague writing tends to lead to a confused reader. Write clearly and logically |
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41 | (1) |
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33 Readability: The first words of a paragraph or sentence should immediately tell the reader what the subject is |
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42 | (1) |
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34 Readability: Do not be vague - use specific rather than generic terms |
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43 | (2) |
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35 Readability: Avoid vague adjectives and adjectives that add no extra information |
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45 | (1) |
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36 Readability: Ensure readers can understand whose research you arereferring to |
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46 | (1) |
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37 Readability: Avoid a colloquial style and idiomatic expressions |
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47 | (1) |
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38 Readability: Do not use synonyms to avoid repeating a key word |
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48 | (2) |
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39 Readability: Don't use a pronoun before the noun it refers to has been mentioned, or when there is more than one noun that the pronoun could refer to |
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50 | (2) |
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40 Readability: Ensure it is clear what `this' refers to in phrases such as'this study' |
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52 | (1) |
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41 Readability: Avoid the former and the latter |
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53 | (2) |
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42 Readability: Do not use the when talking in general. Use the when talking about your specific cases |
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55 | (1) |
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43 Readability: Avoid unclear references to other papers and other parts of your paper |
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56 | (1) |
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44 Readability: When referring to your own geographical area and administrative units, don't assume your readers have the same level of knowledge as you do |
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57 | (1) |
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45 Readability: With certain exceptions {etc., e.g., i.e. in vivo, in vitro), avoid Latin expressions |
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58 | (1) |
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46 Readability: When highlighting important information, consider beginning a new sentence or paragraph |
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59 | (2) |
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47 Readability: When highlighting important information, be as concise and precise as possible |
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61 | (1) |
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48 Readability: Avoid unnecessary adjectives. Don't say This is innovative /important / interesting etc. Instead explain how or why it is innovative |
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62 | (2) |
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49 Readability: If the verb does not give key information, choose the most common / shortest verb possible in order not to distract the reader |
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64 | (1) |
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50 Readability: Prefer verbs to nouns in sentences that already contain a high proportion of nouns |
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65 | (2) |
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51 Redundancy: The more you write/say, the more mistakes you will make |
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67 | (1) |
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52 Redundancy: Reduce generic words to a minimum |
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68 | (2) |
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53 Redundancy: Remove unnecessary synonyms or repeated constructions |
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70 | (2) |
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54 Redundancy: Delete generic phrases. Just be specific. If words in parentheses are important, remove the parentheses |
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72 | (1) |
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55 Redundancy: Consider using an adjective rather than a noun |
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73 | (1) |
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56 Redundancy: Consider (shorter) alternatives for allow/permit/enable |
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74 | (1) |
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6 Word Order, Sentence Length and Paragraphing |
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75 | (18) |
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57 Word order: subject + main verb + object + indirect object (all as close together as possible) |
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75 | (2) |
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58 Word order: Ensure the reader will understand immediately where the sentence is going |
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77 | (2) |
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59 Word order: Put the key concept as near as possible to the beginning of a sentence. Never at the end |
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79 | (1) |
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60 Word order: Shift subject to the beginning of the sentence by deleting redundancy or rearranging the link words |
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80 | (2) |
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61 Word order: Negations contain key information. Put them as near as possible to the beginning of the sentence |
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82 | (1) |
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62 Word order: Keep the reason for doing x as close as possible to the explanation of how you did x |
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83 | (1) |
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63 Word order: Don't indiscriminately stack nouns together |
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84 | (1) |
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64 Sentence length: Divide up a long sentence when it contains two or more distinct ideas |
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85 | (2) |
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65 Sentence length: Learn the right way to break up a long sentence |
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87 | (1) |
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66 Sentence length: Short sentences are good, but not every sentence has to be short |
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88 | (1) |
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67 Paragraphs: Consider avoiding a series of single-sentence paragraphs or a series of short paragraphs |
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89 | (2) |
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68 Paragraphs: Don't use long paragraphs |
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91 | (2) |
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7 Punctuation, Spelling, Using Google |
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93 | (12) |
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69 Punctuation: Use commas to help your reader understand. But ensure they do not interrupt the flow of reading |
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93 | (2) |
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70 Punctuation: Revise any sentences that contain multiple punctuation marks |
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95 | (1) |
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71 Punctuation: Put a comma before and to avoid possible ambiguity. Use semicolons to divide items into groups |
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96 | (1) |
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72 Punctuation and readability: Be careful of how you use acronyms |
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97 | (1) |
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73 Spelling: Be consistent with the spelling of the same word. Always do a final spell check |
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98 | (1) |
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74 Google: Do not use Google Translate to check your English |
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99 | (3) |
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75 Google: Learn how to use Google Scholar effectively to check your English |
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102 | (3) |
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8 Project Proposals, Journal Submissions, and Emails In General |
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105 | (26) |
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76 Project proposals: Put yourself in the reviewer's shoes |
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105 | (2) |
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77 Project proposals: Make your proposal stand out by being reviewer-friendly and by differentiating it from competing proposals |
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107 | (2) |
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78 Journal submissions: Check your spelling, punctuation, use of capitalization before sending your paper to a language editing service |
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109 | (2) |
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79 Journal submissions: Adopt a neutral style when checking status of your paper. No accusations |
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111 | (1) |
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80 Journal submissions: If you are the reviewer, do not make generic comments about the poor quality of the English. Ensure you give a few concrete examples, or consider not making any comments at all |
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112 | (2) |
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81 Journal submissions: Don't delay publication by asking the editors/reviewers questions. Only challenge when strictly necessary |
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114 | (2) |
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82 Rebuttal letters and emails in general: Always be positive, never angry |
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116 | (1) |
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83 Journal submissions: Be concise when writing your reply (rebuttal letter) to the reviewers' report |
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117 | (2) |
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84 Journal submissions: Ensure your English is correct when writing your reply to the reviewers' report |
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119 | (1) |
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85 Journal submissions: If your paper has been edited by a professional agency but is rejected for `poor English', don't immediately blame the agency |
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120 | (2) |
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86 Fake services: Beware of dubious services offered by editing agencies, journals and conference organizers |
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122 | (2) |
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87 Emails: Don't underestimate the importance of writing good emails |
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124 | (1) |
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88 Emails: Make your subject line as specific as possible, and in the body only include relevant info |
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125 | (1) |
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89 Emails: Use the same quality standards in English as you would in your own language |
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126 | (1) |
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90 Emails: Be specific about deadlines |
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127 | (1) |
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91 Emails: Be positive and diplomatic when criticizing the work of others |
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128 | (3) |
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131 | (20) |
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92 Presentations: Remember all the bad presentations you have seen and accept that your presentation may be no better |
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131 | (2) |
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93 Presentations: Don't fill your sides with text. When you've finished your presentation look at it using the option `slide sequence' - does it look clear and simple? |
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133 | (1) |
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94 Presentations: Ensure your title slide will immediately attract the attention of your audience (part 1) |
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134 | (2) |
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95 Presentations: Ensure your title slide will immediately attract the attention of your audience (part 2) |
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136 | (2) |
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96 Presentations: Consider having fun titles/double titles |
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138 | (2) |
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97 Presentations: Background slide: Don't cut & paste paragraphs from other texts |
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140 | (2) |
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98 Presentations: Presenting and talking about statistics |
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142 | (2) |
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99 Presentations: Don't overload audience with info. Make your statistics come alive by i) making comparisons and ii) activating your audience's brain |
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144 | (4) |
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100 Presentations: Final slide - Writing Thanks for your attention is not enough |
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148 | (3) |
| About the Authors |
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151 | (2) |
| Acknowledgements |
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153 | (2) |
| Index |
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155 | |
