Tag: Formal tone

• Apostrophes can be used to create contractions (shortened forms of words or phrases).
• Apostrophes also indicate possession.
• Overall, the apostrophe is not common in scientific writing.

Many writers believe that the words 'whether' and 'if' are interchangeable. However, each of these words has specific – and often separate – functions. Generally, 'whether' is used more frequently in academic writing.

Many researchers experience pressure to publish their work in English, even if it is a challenge. Here, we discuss why and provide resources to help.

• There are many reasons to strive for effective word choice, or 'diction,' including improving your style, tone, and content.

When the word 'that' is used to introduce a clause, it has a different purpose and grammatical structure from its other uses.

What are the first and third person in academic writing? Should you use one over the other in your journal articles?

• Latin terms such as e.g. or in vitro are extensively used in scientific writing
• Keep in mind that e.g. and i.e. are not combined with etc.

• The term relatively, most commonly defined as meaning “in comparison,” can be confusing to use
• 'Relatively' already implies comparison, so it does not need to be used with a comparative (-er) adjective form
• 'Relatively' can also be defined as 'slightly,' but this usage is not preferred in scientific writing

• When writing to a professor, researcher, or administrator, a more polite style of email writing may increase your credibility as a fellow professional
• Keep it short, and avoid informal slang and contractions
• Professionalism in emails is critical whether you're writing to your professor or whether you are a professor who's writing to a journal editor