Dirty Dozen

COMMUNICATION IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Department of Biology

THE DIRTY DOZEN AND THEN SOME
GRIEVOUS WRITING ERRORS TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!

Written and oral communication are extremely powerful ways of representing yourself to others. Using proper grammar when speaking and writing for professional audiences can be a tremendous asset to your career development. Improper writing or speaking can severely limit your professional success. Would you want to hire someone to represent your company who lacks the ability to write or speak well?

ERROR	COMMENTS
#1 Incomplete sentences	Topping the list of grievous writing errors is writing incomplete sentences. Incorrect: The two extractions were combined. Then dried for five hours. Correct: The two extractions were combined. They were then dried for five hours.
#2 Subject-verb agreement	If the subject is singular (or plural) the verb must match appropriately. In the following defective sentence, the noun is plural while its verb is singular. Incorrect: Our results indicates the significance of intracellular signaling systems. Correct: Our results indicate the significance of intracellular signaling systems.
#3 Misspelled words	This requires no explanation, other than to say the professional price paid for chronic misspellings can be very embarrassing (or worse).
#4 Affect vs. effect	"Affect" is a verb, "effect" is a noun. Remembering the acronym "NEVA" (noun effect verb affect) may help. Examples: The effect of the medication was noticeable. Medication rates affect the level of hypertension.
#5 Data vs. datum	"Data" is plural, "datum" is singular. Examples: The data are .... The datum is...
#6 Use of quotes	Avoid using verbatim quotations from technical references, etc. Instead, reword phrases/ideas from the reference and then cite the reference that presented that idea. Example: To be or not to be, that is the question. Revision: The ultimate question is whether or not one should continue her/his existence in this life as we know it (Shakespeare 1592).
#7 Use of contractions (and its vs. it's)	"It's" is the contraction of "it is". In general, avoid using any contractions in scientific writing. Incorrect: Results didn't differ among treatment groups. Correct: Results did not differ among treatment groups.
#8 Writing numbers less than 1.0 (.78 vs. 0.78)	When writing a number that is less than 1.0, always place a zero to the left of the decimal. Incorrect: .454, .8, etc. Correct: 0.454, 0.8, etc.
#9 Writing numbers 5 vs. five 15 vs. fifteen Fifteen grams vs. 15 grams	Use words for numbers less than ten or if starting a sentence. In a series containing some numbers greater than nine, use numerals for all. Use numerals when with a unit of measurement. Note the appropriate use of numbers in the following examples: Chickens have two legs. Most tissue samples weighed less than 15 grams. Several tissue samples weighed less than 4 grams. Fifteen chickens crossed the road. The audience included 3 students, 8 instructors, and 13 chinchillas.
#10 Writing species names	Scientists are especially adamant about writing species names. See "Species Names" for a good overview of this topic. Incorrect: homo sapiens, Homo sapiens, Homo Sapiens, Homo Sapiens, etc. Correct: Homo sapiens or Homo sapiens
#11 Since vs. because	"Since" should be restricted to making time comparisons. Incorrect: Since they have rich soil, tallgrass prairies were rapidly converted to row crop agriculture. Correct: Since settlement by Europeans, tallgrass prairies have largely disappeared. Because of its rich soil, tallgrass prairies were rapidly converted to row crop agriculture.
#12 *When to use "et al."*	The phrase "et al." is used when citing a technical reference of three or more authors. (If necessary, review how primary literature is cited.) Examples: Smith et al. (1983) found that... (indicates that this reference had at least three authors, the first of whom was Smith). Smith and Jones (1999) found that... (indicates that this reference had two authors).

ADDITIONAL GRIEVOUS ERRORS (THERE ARE MORE THAN JUST A DOZEN!)

#13 e.g. vs. i.e.	Roughly translated, "e.g." means "for example", and "i.e." means "in other words". Organisms living in water (e.g., fish and alligators) often perish (i.e., die) when exposed to air for significant periods of time.
#14 Misplaced modifiers	Be cautious about the use of "with", "using", and other modifiers. Note problems with the following example: Not good: Using ANOVA, animals were ..... (This implies that the animals were somehow able to perform a statistical analysis!) Better: Statistical analysis showed that animal groups ...
#15 Stacked modifiers	Avoid large groups of modifiers, as shown below: Not good: Largemouth bass muscle tissue mercury concentrations were significantly higher in seepage lakes. (In this example five words were used to modify "concentrations"!) Better: Mercury concentrations in muscle tissue from largemouth bass were significantly higher in seepage lakes.
#16 Very	In general, avoid using the word "very" anywhere in your manuscript. Rather, be precise and exact. Not good: Individuals from seacoast populations consumed very high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids compared to individuals from inland populations. Better: Individuals from seacoast populations consumed 3.2 times more omega-3 fatty acids than individuals from inland populations.
#17 Irregardless	No such word exists! Better: Regardless of the treatment, animals were observed....
#18 Significant	"Significant" is a key word in science and is usually reserved for discussion of statistical results. When statistical analyses are not being discussed, use a synonym such as "substantially". Not good: Increases in cancer rates in Gage County may be especially significant. Better: Increases in cancer rates in Gage County were substantial. Differences in the treatment means were significant (p < 0.5).
#19 Colons (:)	Use colons sparingly. Avoid the use of colons within sentences. Not good: Wisconsin ecologists pioneered the use of ordination techniques, including: Bond (1957), Bray and Curtis (1957) and Beals (1965). Better: Several Wisconsin ecologists (Bond 1957, Bray and Curtis 1957, and Beals 1965) pioneered the use of ordination techniques. The following Wisconsin ecologists pioneered the use of ordination techniques in ecology: Bond (1957) Bray and Curtis (1957) Beals (1965)
#20 Perform vs.preform	"Perform" means "to do" something. "Preform" is probably not the word you intended to use. Incorrect: The birds preformed their mating displays by 10:00 AM. Correct: The birds performed their mating displays by 10:00 AM.
#21 That vs. which	If the clause containing "that" or "which" can be omitted without altering the structure of the sentence, use "which" and enclose the clause with commas. Note the correct usage of these terms in the following sentences: The birds, which were singing, had arrived earlier in the spring. Only birds that were singing were considered to be reproductively active.
#22 Among vs. between	"Among" refers to three or more objects or groups. "Between" refers to exactly two objects or groups. Not good: There were no significant differences between the five treatment groups. Better: There were no significant differences among the five treatment groups. Not good: The difference in growth rates among the pretreatment group and the posttreatment group was statistically significant. Better: The difference in growth rates between the pretreatment group and the posttreatment group was statistically significant.
#23 Nuclear vs. nuculer	This is perhaps a more common speaking mistake than a writing mistake. "Nuculer" is not a recognized word. Incorrect: He was interested in a career in nuculer medicine technology. Correct: He was interested in a career in nuclear medicine technology.
# 24 Use of spell checkers	Blind use of spell checkers does not identify correctly spelled words that are used incorrectly. Incorrect: Students chose there own seating arrangements. Correct: Students chose their own seating arrangements.

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