Word Choice

By Xiaochi Liu in Scientific Writing

Words in scientific research papers should be:

  • Precise

  • Simple

  • Necessary

Precise

“You cannot say exactly the same thing in two different ways. Slightly alter the expression, and you slightly alter the idea.” —Arnold Bennet

Use definite, specific, concrete language

Your words should be as precise as your science.

Use words that evoke mental images

OK to repeat a word. Repeating key words creates cohesion.

  1. Include, Comprise, Consist of, and Compose

    • include: an incomplete listing. The whole includes the elements.

      Aspects of vegetarian diets believed to reduce blood pressure include their high levels of fibre and minerals and their reduced fat content.

    • comprise: a complete listing. The whole comprises the elements. “Comprise” is not used in the passive.

      The pie comprises eight slices.

    • consist of: The whole consists of the elements. “Consist of” is equal to “Comprise”.

      Pre-prolactin and ovalbumin consist of 228 and 385 residues, respectively.

    • compose: The elements compose the whole. The whole is composed of the elements. “Compose” is frequently used in the passive, “is composed of”.

      Eight slices compose the pie.

      Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.

  2. Affect & Effect

    • Affect is a verb and means to act or to influence.

    • Effect is a noun and means a result.

  3. Its & It’s

    • Its: the possessive form of “it”, defined as “of it”.

    • It’s: a contraction, defined as “it is”.

  4. Can & May

    • Can denotes the power or ability to do something.

    • May refers either to possibility or to permission.

  5. Interval & Period

    • interval: the time between two specified instants, events, or states

    • period: the time during which events or states occur

  6. Like & As

    • like: preposition. Introduces a prepositional phrase

      Like Earth, Mars has an elliptical orbit.

    • as: conjunction. Introduces a clause

      In Bohr’s theory, the electron orbits the nucleus as a planet orbits a star.

  7. Principal & Principle

    • principal: noun or adjective. As an adjective, it means the main or most important.

    • principle: only noun. a law.

  8. Fewer & Less

    • fewer: items that can be counted

      fewer cells, fewer errors, fewer fish in the stream

    • less: items that can’t be counted

      less water, less air, less foliage

    • Exceptions include sums of money and time

      less than five years ago

      less than 1 million dollars

  9. Ability & Capacity

    • Ability: the mental or physical power to do something, or the skill in doing it.

    • Capacity: the full amount that something can hold, contain, or receive.

  10. Alternately & Alternatively

    • alternately: following by turns. first one, then the other.

      The mice were alternately fed and deprived of food.

    • alternatively: involving a choice between two or more courses of action or possibilities.

  11. Continual & Continuous

    • continual: intermittent, occurring at repeated intervals.

      For two weeks, the sperm whales continually dived to great depths in search of food.

    • continuous: without interruption

      The spectrum of refracted light is continuous.

  12. Which & That

    • Defining clauses: use either “that” or “which”

      Land that/which is surrounded by water is a island.

    • If information is not essential to the basic meaning of the sentence, it is called a non defining clause (use “which” & commas)

      We will select the option that/which has the highest thermal efficiency.

      We will select Option A, which has the highest thermal efficiency.

commonly confused words

Simple

If an idea is simple, don’t make it complex

If an idea is complex, write it as simple as possible.

If you use technical words, use simple words in the rest of the sentence.

  • Avoid unnecessarily complex words

  • use plain substitutes instead

The objective of this study is to develop an effective commercialization strategy for solar energy systems by analysing the factors that are impeding early commercial projects and by prioritizing the potential government and industry actions that can facilitate the viability of the projects.

This study will consider why current solar energy systems have not yet reached the commercial stage and will evaluate the steps that industry and government can take to make these systems commercial.

Keep abbreviations to a minimum

  • 2 or 3

Avoid Latin abbreviations

  • i.e. –> that is

  • e.g. –> for example

  • etc. –> and other things

Necessary

Use the fewest words possible

The more the noise, the less clear the message

Maintain clarity

  • If more words are needed to be clear, use more words!

Common expressions that have unnecessary words

  • the question as to whether –> whether

  • there is no doubt that –> no doubt

  • the reason why is that –> because

  • owing to the fact that –> since/because

  • in spite of the fact that–> though/although

  • in the event that –> if

Eliminating “Zero Phrases”

  • Phrases that offer no information to the reader

Vibration measurements made in the course of the missile’s flight test program were complicated by the presence of intense high frequency excitation of the vehicle shell structure during the re-entry phase of the flight.

Vibration measurements made during the missile’s flight were complicated by intense high frequency excitation of the vehicle shell during re entry.

Eliminating Redundancies

  • Needless repetitions of words within a sentence

  • Repeat the meaning of an earlier expression

  • Adjectives & adverbs are often redundant

Careful not to omit so many words that the connection becomes unclear

  • In practising an economy of words the scientist must not make the mistake of using too few words, so that the connection between the ideas is not clear.

  • The subject should not be drowned in a sea of words; nor starved of the words needed to give it strength

Writing needs to be clear, accurate, interesting and coherent