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Manuscript Writing

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Using such expressions as “for example,” “for instance,” and “including” correctly is important. This article explains these terms and how to use them appropriately…
Scientific writing: Difference between "namely," "such as," and "including"
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The use of figures and tables as adjuncts to text is common in research papers. These adjuncts supplement the text: figures, for example, can convey information that may…
Avoid instructions such as "See Table 2" and "Refer to Figure 6"
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Many authors struggle with the usage of tenses in their research paper. This post discusses tense usage in specific sections of the manuscript to help authors write with…
Getting the tenses right: Materials and methods section
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When writing a research paper, you have to consider several matters of style. This article discusses the use of abbreviations and numbers in academic writing. …
Scientific writing: Avoid starting sentences with a number or abbreviation
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The most commonly cited sources in research papers are other papers, published in journals. However, especially in the humanities, books come a close second. 
Getting the references right: citing books as a source of information
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In writing to academics and scientists, perhaps the solution is simple enough: use Dear Dr Tanaka or Dr Smith or whatever surname or family name your correspondent has…
Scientific communication: Using "Dear Mr." or "Dear Ms." in letters
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Scientific writing often poses a challenge to non-native English authors. While writing papers, authors often face grammatical problems. Let's look closely at one of the…
Scientific writing: "A number of" and "The number of"
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It is rare for a single researcher to publish a paper all by herself or himself; most research papers have several or many authors, and the average number of authors for…
Using "et al." for in-text citations in research papers
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Many non-native English authors wish to improve their fluency in English to write better research papers and target international journals. This article discusses how…
Reading progressively difficult texts can improve researchers' English language competency
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Scientific writing often uses a few Latin phrases, either abbreviated (etc. for et cetera and et al. for et alii) or spelt out (in vitro, in vivo, in situ). Should they…