Royce Murray University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Chemistry Anal. Chem., 2011 , 83 (3), p 633 As Editor I have from time to time in this column offered advice to authors on the desirable elements of a good research report. Like contrary children, for some authors such advice seems to vanish like smoke in a wind. So I take here a different approach, based on the idea that some folks have a knack for doing the opposite of what is recommended to them (like contrary children). I present some guidelines for how to prepare a research report that is variously boring, confusing, misleading, or generally uninformative. Whether the author’s project is imaginative (or not) and the experiments are done with skill (or not) and the data are scientifically meaningful (or not) is irrelevant. My advice is solely based on principles of presenting the objectives, experiments, results, and conclusion in a fashion that as such no one will finish reading them or, if they do, readers will have little chance of understanding or remembering them. Like any form of skillful writing, following the rules below for awful writing requires practice and a lack of mental concentration. Rule 1. Never explain the objectives of the paper in a single sentence or paragraph and in particular never at the beginning of the paper. Rule 2. Similarly, never describe the experiment(s) in a single sentence or paragraph and never at the beginning. Instead, to enhance the reader’s pleasure of discovery, treat your experiment as a mystery, in which you divulge one essential detail on this page and a hint of one on the next and complete the last details only after a few results have been presented. It’s also really fun to divulge the reason that the experiment should successfully provide the information sought only at the very end of the paper, as any good mystery writer would do. Rule 3. Diagrams are worth a thousand words, so in the interest of writing a concise paper, omit all words that explain the diagram, including labels. Let the reader use his/her fertile imagination. Rule 4. Great writers invent abbreviations for complex topics, which also saves a lot of words. Really short abbreviations should be used for very complex topics, and more complicated ones for simple ideas. Rule 5. In referring to the previous literature, be careful to cite only the papers that make claims that would support your own, especially those that contain little evidence for the claim, so that your paper shines in comparison. Rule 6. It should be anathema to use any original phrasing or humor in your language, so as to adhere to the principle that scientific writing must be stiff and formal and without personality. Rule 7. Your readers are intelligent folks, so don’t bother to explain your reasoning in the interpretation of the results. Especially don’t bother to point out their impact on or consistency with other authors’ results and interpretation, so that your paper can be an island of original thinking. So these are a few simple rules for poor scientific writing. If you follow them faithfully and your paper is rejected or never cited, irrespective of your native brilliance, you have nonetheless been successful as a poor writer. 经人推荐，发现这是一篇很有指导性的文章，我想对任何领域撰写科研论文也一样，因此转载至此，共分享和学习。
Think You Know 'How To Write A Sentence' (click here to listen)? Most people know a good sentence when they read one, but New York Times columnist Stanley Fish says most of us don't really know how to write them ourselves. His new book, How To Write A Sentence: And How To Read One, is part ode, part how-to guide to the art of the well-constructed sentence.
我希望在国内成立一家 英语 论文编辑服务公司，招聘一些研究生从事 英语 论文编辑和翻译工作。当然，公司将为这些研究生提供特殊的培训和指导，并指派有相关领域经验的主管编辑负责审核他们的工作，以保证 英语 论文的语言部分不会被审稿人挑出毛病。 为什么我觉得这样的公司在国内会有市场？ 第一，被招聘的研究生英语水平基础一定要很好，同时他们也能积极继续提高自身英语水平以迎合未来他们自身研究的需求。公司不会付给他们很高的酬劳，而且他们将从事的是枯燥的编辑和翻译工作。作为回报，公司将为他们提供免费培训。（但这些学生的收入还是会相当不错，以便留住他们至少为公司工作两年时间。) 第二，低劳动成本将使得我们的编辑及翻译服务费用和那些雇用“英语母语人士”的公司相比更具竞争力。而服务费用高是当前许多人不采用论文编辑及翻译服务的主要原因之一。 如果您感兴趣，请回答下列问题： 您需要英文编辑服务吗？如果是，对于简单编辑(一次编辑)、标准编辑(两次编辑) 和大幅编辑(三次编辑)这三种服务方式，您能接受的费用范围各是多少 (比如说，每3000个英语单词多少人民币)？ 您是否需要将您的中文论文翻译成英文？如果是，您能接受的费用范围又是多少(比如说，每3000个汉字多少人民币)？ 您是需要论文编辑多，还是翻译多？您的研究领域是什么？ 诚挚对诚挚，希望您能在此给予回复。 新年快乐！（科学网 张笑/译） Do you wish someone could help you write research papers in English? I wish to set up an editing company in China that uses graduate students as editors and translators. Sure, these students need to go through special training and be supervised. Their work will be checked by an experienced managing editor in the field so that journal reviewers cannot complain about the English presentation of the manuscript. Why do I think such a company will work? First, the chosen students should be pretty good in English already. They should also be motivated to improve their English skill for their own future in research. The training is free, in exchange for (not well) paid editing and translation chores for the company (but the income should be reasonably good to keep these students in the company for at least two years). Second, the low labor cost will allow the editing and translation fees to be competitive with similar companies run by native speakers. The high cost is one of the main reasons that keep many of us away from using editing and translation services. What I need is your input. Do you need help with English editing? If you do, what are the price ranges that you can accept, for light editing (one round of editing), standard editing (two rounds), and extensive editing (three rounds)? Do you need help to translate your paper from Chinese into English? If you do, what is the price range that you think you are willing to pay? Do you need editing more than translation, or the other way around? What is your research field? I am sincere, so please leave a comment only if you are, too. Happy New Year!
Once a first draft is complete, says Hauber, the work has only just begun. Revise and revise and revise, he advises. Hauber says that new authors tend to think that once a sentence is written, it's gold or carved in diamonds. In reality, however, editing is crucial. Even polished authors go through an average of 1012 drafts, and sometimes as many as 30. Writers should ask not only the principal investigator to view drafts, but also every co-author, as well as fellow students or postdocs, and colleagues outside the immediate field of research. Lead authors should give co-authors set deadlines of 10 days to two weeks to suggest changes. Experienced authors counsel letting the draft sit for a few days before reading it with fresh eyes to catch mistakes or problems in flow. Blumberg prefers to read drafts aloud with his students to spot errors. By Kendall Powell To read the original article, go to Publish like a pro By Kendall Powell Journal name: Nature Volume: 467 , Pages: 873875 Year published: (2010) DOI: doi:10.1038/nj7317-873a Published online 13 October 2010 Prolific authors and journal editors share how to get manuscripts noticed, approved and put in print.
You are only as good as your last paper previous success does not guarantee future acceptance. You've got to hook the editor with the abstract. Don't delete those files. Keep every version. You never know what aspect you can use for some other piece of writing. Writing is an amazingly long learning curve. Many authors say that they're still getting better as a writer after several decades. The most significant work is improved by subtraction. Keeping the clutter away allows a central message to be communicated with a broader impact. Write every day if possible. Once you've written what you wanted to convey, end it there. by K.P. To read the original article, go to Publish like a pro By Kendall Powell Journal name: Nature Volume: 467 , Pages: 873875 Year published: (2010) DOI: doi:10.1038/nj7317-873a Published online 13 October 2010 Prolific authors and journal editors share how to get manuscripts noticed, approved and put in print.
Some examples for IELTS Writing Topics from Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, China. 1, 城市存在的问题 While people flood into big cities to seek jobs and happy life, there is a tendency for people to move out. What problems do big cities have? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. Every year men and women crowd into cities in search of employment, decent living conditions, and the excitement and stimulation of urban life. According to a research, the population in Shanghai alone has increased 26% in the last three years. With the rise in urban population, many big cities have met various problems. One big problem is the ever-increasing pressure caused by over-crowding. As more and more people flood into cities, city services and facilities have been strained to a breaking point. Cities have been exposed not only to the problem of traffic and housing, but to the problem of education, sanitation, employment and so on. A second problem is the living environment. The rising of too many compacted high buildings strips people of sunlight, trees and grasscondemning them to live among stone and concrete, neon lights and endless traffic flows. Additionally, the growing number of cars and buses sends huge quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, making the air of cities unbreathable. But of all the problems, the most serious and pressing one is the widespread crime, which is a threat to paralyse the city. Bank robberies which were unheard of in the past now occur more frequently. Not a single day passes without the reports of somebody being mugged, being kidnapped or being murdered, etc. All these problems make big cities no longer attractive to people as years before. The tendency to move to the edge of the city or the suburban areas reflects this mentality. Unless there is some improvement, more and more people will seek to live in the suburbs. 2, 21世纪会带来什么 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. Mankind has made great progress since scientific exploration began, and this progress seems to be accelerating. In the past hundred years we have seen inventions that have not only greatly improved our lives but changed the very way we live. There is no reason to believe that this rapid progress will not continue in the 21st century. Although there is no way to exactly predict what our scientists and entrepreneurs will come up with, there are indications that advances will be made in certain areas. The following are some examples. Firstly, advances will continue to be made in the field of medicine that will allow people to live longer and healthier lives. In developed countries today most people already have a lifespan that was unusually long a hundred years ago. Steady progress has been made in the eradication of diseases and this should continue in the next 100 years. In addition, biotechnology in the field of genetics may someday allow us to develop bodies that are stronger and free of inherited defects. Perhaps we will even be able to clone ourselves. No matter what form these advances take, it is highly likely that we will greatly extend our lifespan in the new century. Secondly, new technology has already brought people around the world closer. This trend will continue in the 21st century as communication becomes more efficient and affordable. Countries and their people have formed stronger bonds both economically and politically, such as the recent development of the European Union. Perhaps some day in the future national boundaries will disappear. However, one side effect of this globalisation is that many characteristics of individual cultures will be lost. Sadly, by the end of the century, some languages and art forms may only be found in museums. Thirdly, we can expect both a growing population and demands for a higher standard of living to put increasing pressure on Earths resources. We have already seen some of the effects of this pressure in the form of pollution and global warming. It is likely that these trends will also continue and that more damage to the environment will be done. On the other hand, perhaps we will find more efficient ways to make use of the available resources or develop alternative forms of energy. In that case, we may live with nature more harmoniously. The scenarios above are just three of the many possible changes that this new century will bring. We can expect to see great advances in many fields, including medicine, communications, trade, transportation and production. Although there may be problems in the future, our ingenuity and inventiveness will help us to deal with them. 3, 水资源短缺 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: What are the causes of water shortages? Please also offer some solutions to deal with this problem. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. Since the beginning of time, water has been shaping the face of Earth. Water sustains human life, our environment and our cultures. But the global demand for water is increasing and the destruction of water-dependent ecosystems has accelerated. From my point of view, the main reason of scarcity of water resource is the rapid population growth, especially in developing countries. In order to meet the great demand for water, people exploit water resource in various ways. Water supply sources are being stretched to their limits. And groundwater pollution is increasing rapidly. Research indicates that over 1 billion people still do not have access to safe water supplies and over 1.7 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities. Another reason is the development of industry and agriculture. In some developing countries, some private factories make use of water resource inefficiently and make much pollution. Irrigated farming also contributes to water scarcity. Despite the high yield, irrigation is extremely water intensive. It takes about 1,000 tons of water to grow one ton of grain and 2,000 tons to grow one ton of rice. Finding solutions of the problem involves the increase of worldwide awareness and international cooperation. Every individual should realise water crisis and the necessity of water-saving. As to the government some effective measures should be taken, including erecting modern irrigation systems and increasing the number of sewage water recycling plants. Building more dams can also be an effective solution. Dams play an important role in detaining the surface rainwater flowing from mountains and would prevent the loss of rainwater straight into the sea.
Depth of details is 1. Limited by the length of the article. e.g., GRL (a letter journal) versus JGR (a regular journal) 2. Indicated by the lengths of paragraphs and sections Emphasis of details is shown by repetition, wording, illustration, and placement Repetition: mentioning a particular result in the abstract, result section, and conclusion. Wording: using dependent clauses and infinitive phrases. because, since, as, although, when to filter out the high-frequency signal References: The craft of scientific writing by Michael Alley (1987, 1996)
“Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more science than a heap of stones is a house.” ---J. H. Poincare A graduate student at U. Hawaii asked for help with her first research paper. I recommended my eight Blog articles on “ Scientific Writing for Beginners .” Encouraged by her compliments, I decide to write my second set of articles on scientific writing, with more emphasis on the language itself. Using transitional words and phrases makes writing read more smoothly. They provide logical organization and understandability, and improve the connections and transitions between thoughts A coherent paper allows the reader to flow from the first supporting point to the last. Transitions indicate relations , whether within a sentence, paragraph, or paper. This list illustrates relationships between ideas, followed by words and phrases that can connect them. Addition: also, again, (b) as well as (a), besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly Consequence: accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, subsequently, therefore, thus Generalizing: as a rule, as usual, for the most part, generally, generally speaking, ordinarily, usually Exemplifying: chiefly, especially, for instance, in particular, markedly, namely, particularly, including, specifically, such as Illustration: for example, for instance, for one thing, as an illustration, illustrated with, as an example, in this case Emphasis above all, chiefly, with attention to, especially, particularly, singularly Similarity: comparatively, coupled with, correspondingly, identically, likewise, similar, moreover, together with Exception: aside from, barring, besides, except, excluding, other than, save Restatement: in essence, in other words, namely, that is, that is to say, in short, in brief, to put it differently Contrast and Comparison: contrast, by the same token, conversely, instead, likewise, on one hand, on the other hand, on the contrary, rather, similarly, yet, but, however, still, nevertheless, in contrast Sequence: at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, at the same time, for now, for the time being, the next step, in time, in turn, later on, meanwhile, next, then, soon, the meantime, later, while, earlier, simultaneously, afterward, in conclusion, with this in mind, Summarizing: after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event, in brief, in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, in the final analysis, in the long run, on balance, to sum up, to summarize, finally Diversion: by the way, incidentally Direction: here, there, over there, beyond, nearly, opposite, under, above, to the left, to the right, in the distance Based on http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr6.htm and modified for scientific writing. Zuojun’s note: Between paragraphs: Do not waste the first sentence to repeat what is said in the previous paragraph. Between sentences: Finish one thing before starting another. Do not go back and forth.
You may have seen “Lost in translation” (a movie), or have read “Lost in translation” (a novel); the two are unrelated though. I did both, therefore my title for the Blog: Found in translation. Yes, I found out recently that I can be pretty good at translation (of a research paper in a field that I have some knowledge). In the past, I repeatedly said to my friends and clients that I would not do translation (Chinese to English) for them, no matter what … Then, I was forced to translate a research paper for an old client. The main reason was the deadline, because he did not believe any translation company can do a good job, which means the translated paper needs to be edited by me afterwards. I agreed with him (and I could use the income), so my brain was called to action. First, I asked for an assistant from the co-author list. Then, I marked all the jargon in red and sent the annotated file to my new assistant, asking him to translate each into English, in addition to preparing figures, tables, and reference list in English. The first thing I did was to familiarize myself with the research topic. I quickly read a couple of published papers in English, which I picked from the reference list. A couple of hours later, I had learned a bunch of jargon on the subject. I worked on the paper for 2-3 hrs each day, and I was getting better and better each day. I expect to finish translating this paper of 8000 Chinese characters in 20 hrs. As much fun as I have had working on this task, I still prefer NOT to translate for my clients. Why? It’s mainly the cost. I want to do a decent job, which means I need time to learn new things (including jargon), to understand the paper itself, and to present the work in my own words that can be understood by people in that field (which may NOT be my own field). My final request to my client: This is your work, so please read my translation very carefully and point out any mistakes I made. After all, I am only a ghostwriter.
http://lawrenceofacademia.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/how-to-write-less-badly/ Ten tips to improve your academic writing: Treat writing as exercise: youll get better and faster with practice. Set goals based on output, not input. Find a voice: do not strive merely to be published, but to be read. Give yourself time. Ignore the fakers: everyones unwritten work is brilliant. Portray your work as the answer to a puzzle. Write, then squeeze the other things in. Accept that not all of your thoughts are profound. Realize that your most profound thoughts are often wrong. Edit your work, over and over.
A large volume of information Is an alternative to details the experimental setup employ the notion of nonetheless share similarities with some of .. that seems to be inferior to .. we consider in this paper Is a special case of (see for instance …) Lead to rather surprising results related to… . .. for approaching a solution to optimization problem: Tackle Rather recently, there is a growing body of work providing for Enjoy … guarantees The set of … is denoted by Learning to rank is an important problem in web page ranking, information retrieval and other applications. Are an important component of IR systems. Recent work … show that Experimental results on the two algorithms verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis. Approach simplifies the process of Can handle many thousands of features Provide proof of correctness Following the standard machine learning setup, our goal is to lean a function …between an input space X (all possible queries)and output space Y(rankings over a corpus). We restrict ourselves to the supervised learning scenario, where input/output pairs(x,y) are available for training and are assumed to come from some fixed distribution P(x,y). The average precision score is defined as MAP(p, ˆp) = 1/rel sum_{ j:pj=1} Prec@j, where rel = |{i : pi = 1}| is the number of relevant documents, and Prec@j is the percentage of relevant documents in the top j documents in predicted ranking ˆy. MAP is the mean of the average precision scores of a group of queries. ROCArea assigns equal penalty to each misordering of a relevant/non-relevant pair. In contrast, MAP assigns greater penalties to misorderings higher up in the predicted ranking. We build upon the approach used by for optimizing … is a feature mapping function from a query/document pair to a point in N dimensional space As is usual in SVM training, C is a parameter that controls this tradeoff and can be tuned to achieve good performance in different training tasks. 描述实验过程: For each dataset in Table 5, we performed 50 trials. For each trial, we train on 10 randomly selected queries, and select another 5 queries at random for a validation set. Models were trained using a wide range of C values. The model which performed best on the validation set was selected and tested on the remaining 35 queries. The challenges in … led to … …Has received a significant interest in… The empirical results also agree well with the theoretical results obtained in the paper on a par with A significant body of work has studied behavior ...have gained renewed interest due to their ..properties. ... do not scale to large data sets. This is because typically, their .(such as storage).requirements grow quadratically with the sample size, Y is a matrix of 0's and 1's, with each row having a single 1. To support more flexible notions of structural correctness A potential drawback of FBS methods is that often the step-sizes must be carefully tuned. In contrast, our method.... usually succeeds without user intervention. plug.. into... in the framework of in the absence of inherit ... properties of .. contribution is exploring computationally efficient methods to iteratively excuting ... updates excutes a ... step empirically examine the performance on ...t asks Encouraging results validate the efficacy of our techniques. the field of ... is concerned with... during the training phase, also known as the learning phase, on the basis of the training data computationally infeasible If the desired output consists of one or more continuous variables, then the task is calledregression. Cases such as the digit recognition example, in which the aim is to assign each input vector to one of a finite number of discrete categories, are called classification problems. The easist way to fulfill the requirement is to Performing such calculations is intractable due to .. can also be Most of the approaches do not come with guarantees on /are not guaranteed to The difficulties stem from The main drawback of the approach is that In contrast, The approach conveniently fits our needs. To address the above problems caused by ..., we develop a novel and very efficient learning algorithm for ... To the best of our knowledge, ... To this end, 为此目的 Driven by the success of ...on ..., we perform a detailed evaluation onweb-scale datasets. We exploit the connections between... and ... to motivate the algorithm.
Based on P.T. OConners Woe is I (Seemy blog: Introducing a FUN and USEFUL book on English writing: Woe is I ) Note: If you see I am copying a sentence word-by-word from the book, dont take me to court! Chapter 10: Saying is believing How to write what you mean A good writer is one you can read without breaking a sweat. Remember this: The reader is always right. Chances are, if something you are reading does not make sense, it is not your faultits the writers. And if something you write does not get your point across, its probably not the readers faultits yours. To be clear in your writing, you have to be clear in your thinking. 1) Say what you have to say. Thats right. Get to the point. Here is one example of throat-clearing phrase you should ditch: Perhaps it would be valuable as we arrive at this point in time to recall 2) Stop when you have said it. You need to use a period. Thats right. When it is time to start another sentence, start another sentence. But, how do you know when it is time? Well, try breathing along with your sentences. As you silently read along, do not breath unless you see a period. If you start to turn blue (out of breath) before getting to the end, that sentence is too long. 3) Dont belabor the obvious. This is to eliminate redundancies. Such as few in number , blue in color , plan in advance , final conclusion, refer back You get the picture. 4) Dont tie yourself in knots to avoid repeating a word. Editors sometimes call this attempt at elegant variation the Slender Yellow Fruit Syndrome. As in this case: George was offered an apple and a banana, and he close the slender yellow fruit. 5) Be direct. In geometry, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The same applies to scientific writing. Example? We conclude that George W. is an idiot. Not: Our conclusion is that George W. is an idiot. 6) Dont make yourself the center of the universe. E-mailers are often guilty of this. I have certainly noticed this problem with my e-mail, for a long time. Dont make every other word with I or me or my . 7) Put descriptions close to what they describe. The reader shouldnt need a map to follow a sentence. Example: The pasture contained several cows seen by reporters that were dead, diseased, or dying. Do you see whats wrong? Who were dead, diseased, or dying? The cows, not the reporters. Try: Reporters saw a pasture containing several cows that were dead, diseased, or dying. 8) Put the doer closer to whats being done. If you need a compass to navigate a sentence, take another whack at the writing. Example: The twins , after stubbornly going to the same high school despite the advice of their parents and teachers, chose different colleges. Try: The twins chose different colleges, after stubbornly going to the same high school despite the advice of their parents and teachers. 9) Watch out for pronounitis. John told Sam he took his hat because its too sunny outside. Whose hat? 10) Make sure there is a time and, place for everything. Where was the field experiment conducted? Which year and month? There are the questions readers shouldnt have to ask. 11) Imagine what you are writing. One image (one thing) at a time, please. (This reminds a joke. Dont read further if you are very over-weight. A heavy woman steps on a talking scale, and the scale says: One at a time, please. This is what I picture myself, when I feel the urge for another sugary American cookie.) 12) Put your idea in order. Dont make the reader rearrange your messy sentences to figure out what is going on. The parts should follow logically. 13) Get the big picture. Forget the details for a minute. Now, step back and take a look at what you have written. Have you said what you wanted to say? Assuming you have made your point, ask yourself whether you could make it more smoothly. Somebody once said that in good writing, the sentences hold hands. See if you can give yours a helping hand. If may be that by adding or subtracting a word here or there, you could be even clearer. Or you could switch two sentences around, or begin one of them differently. By the way, I do so when drafting my e-mail. Do you? 14) Read with a felonious mind. If you see a letter or memo or report or a research paper that you admire, read it again. Why do you like it? What makes it so effective? When you find a technique that works, steal it. (As I am stealing from this book, right now.) Someday, others may be stealing from you. See you soon!
Based on P.T. O’Conner’s Woe is I Chapter 1: Therapy for Pronoun Anxiety Object Lessons The me generation There days, we don’t say “It’s I ” any more. Why? Because language is a living thing, always evolving, and “It’s I ” is just about extinct. So, next time you identify the bad guy in a police lineup, feel free to point and say, “That’s HIM, Officer!” Just between me and I You will never make such a mistake like this, “You will be hearing from I .” However, one might say: “You will be hearing from my sister and me .” So, if you find yourself putting you and I after a preposition, try this: In your mind, eliminate the other guy, leaving the tricky pronoun ( I or me ) all by itself. Between you and me , it works. ps. Part 1 can be found at http://blog.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=spaceuid=306792do=blogid=351211
Based on P.T. O’Conner’s Woe is I (Seemy Blog: Introducing a FUN and USEFUL book on English writing: Woe is I http://blog.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=spaceuid=306792do=blogid=350432 ) Chapter 1: Therapy for Pronoun Anxiety The Which Trials: That or Which? Examples: Nobody likes a dog that bites. Nobody likes a dog which bites. Answers: The second example is wrong. So, follow these two rules: 1) If you can drop the clause and not lose the point of the sentence, use which . If you can’t, use that . 2) A which clause goes inside commas. A that clause doesn’t. Who’s That? Examples: The woman that married John Smith lives next door. The woman who married John Smith lives next door. Answers: Both are correct. A person can be either a that or a who . A thing, on the other hand, is always a that . Question: Is an animal a that or a who? The answer is in the book (This way, I am not going to ruin the profit of the author )
You should read this book, if you care about writing English well. How did I discover this book? Thanks to my son, to the courses he will take in the upcoming (high) school (senior) year. I needed a book to kill my time, and this book caught my eye. The good thing about this book is you can read it backward! I just finished the last chapter in the 2nd edition, which is about how to write/use email properly. Very useful. Woe is I Reviews of Woe Is I It's like Strunk and White combined with S. J. Perelmannone of whom would have had the slightest objection. New York Times Book Review Woe Is I is enormous fun as well as enormously instructive. Publishers Weekly I mean, this is, like, a cool book. Garrison Keillor Possibly the most popular book on grammar ever published. Writers.com A nifty guidebook to modern grammar that affectionately elbows the reader on every page. San Francisco Chronicle The best thing to happen to grammar since Strunk and White. Molly Ivins It is the best primer on English usage to come along since Strunk and White. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wow! Who would have thought you could have such a delicious time with a grammar book? Susan Isaacs Clear, easy to read and filled with examples that provide a fresh understanding of musty old rules. Charlotte Observer Hallelujah! This book works. Des Moines Register
For abstract, define only those abbreviations that you will use in the abstract, not those you will use in the main text. For example: Abstract: The sea-surface temperature (SST) in the eastern Pacific Ocean becomes abnormally warm every 3-5 years, known as the El Nino. The authors use SST data derived by satellite to show another El Nino is on the way. Note that the purpose for defining abbreviations is for speedy writing and reading. If the abbreviation is used only 2-3 times, do not introduce it (unless it saves you a lot of space, say in a long abstract). Avoid using confusing abbreviations, such as AS (just-in-time definition for Arabian Sea), NC (North China), etc. Just-in-time definition is what I prefer; however, most journals in my fields (oceanography and meteorology) still do not accept just-in-time definition. (Its time for evolution.) For the papers main text (not including the abstract), whatever abbreviations you define in the abstract do NOT count. You need to treat the paper as a separated body from the abstract. Do not define the same abbreviation again and again in the paper, especially not in the conclusion part (no matter how convenient this is for people like me who may read the conclusion first or only read the conclusion). If I am wrong on these rules, please let me know. p.s. Yahoo! has a nice article on When and how to introduce abbreviations under Acronyms and other abbreviations
Lecture 1: scientific writing basics Lecture 2: how to write like a pro Speaker: Zuojun Yu, a Honolulu-based freelance English editor 时间：6月28日上午9:30-11:30 地点： 中国科学院南海海洋研究所 , 标本楼6楼学术报告厅 Same lectures will be given in Beijing on June 25 (Friday) at the LASG/IAP: http://www.sciencenet.cn/m/user_content.aspx?id=330808
标签: writing
