Questions tagged [academia]
Questions related to academic English or English for academic purposes, i.e. the English used in higher education.
172
questions
0
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0answers
33 views
How to express the “multiple” of one thing's advantage over another？
For example, car A runs at a speed of 30 km/h, and car B at a speed of 90 km/h. How can I express the multiple of B faster than A?
B has 3 times advantage over A in speed.
B has 2 times advantage ...
0
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1answer
35 views
Whilst or while, etc - Oxford Spelling
I am writing an academic paper and would like to use the Oxford spelling throughout (I am native British). I read that Oxford spelling generally follows British English other than a few exceptions, ...
0
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1answer
24 views
worry vs worries
I saw them go through unemployment and worry about putting food on the table.
I saw them go through unemployment and worries of putting food on the table.
Which is grammatically correct?
0
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0answers
23 views
Is this sentence correct? ( adj+noun order)
"...possibly generated by the damages intensification of the hexagonal lattice caused by the repeated impact of the steel balls during the milling process."
First of all, from my point of view, damage ...
0
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1answer
46 views
Is this sentence correct? Could you please help me?
This process has been used to aggregate CNTs into metal matrices such as silicon, copper, aluminum and nickel.
It sounds ambiguous to me since I cannot tell by who, when or to what extent has this ...
1
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0answers
20 views
Is this collocation correct?
"This process was used to identify..."
I am not sure if "used" is correctly used here along with the word "process". Do you think it is correct, or should I replace it with "performed" or "carried out"...
1
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0answers
29 views
Is this sentence correct in the way that “and” is used?
"It is a relatively inexpensive process, and also preserves the involved materials in the solid-state, avoiding possible phase limitations."
It doesn't sound so good to me, but I am not a native ...
0
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1answer
37 views
Convention of writing percentage range
I am writing to inquire the convention of writing the following percentage range in academic writing:
We reduce the extra cost from 99.9% to 12%--24% (depending on different configuration schemes).
...
0
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0answers
30 views
Is “get stuck” a proper term in academic writing?
I am writing to inquire the usage of "get stuck" in academic writing. Here is my draft:
this design could get stuck in a bad local minima and therefore is not desired.
I use Google Scholar to ...
1
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1answer
35 views
The phrase “too simple”
I've seen three different peer reviewers criticize parts of scientific manuscripts as being "too simple", with little elaboration as to what changes are desired or what it means to be "too simple". ...
4
votes
3answers
260 views
What can I call a longer passage in an academic work (text equivalent to “Figure”)?
I want to number blocks of texts in my work (parts of a movie script or something the creators said) so that I can refer to them throughout the essay. Is there an equivalent to 'Figure' to label these ...
0
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1answer
44 views
What does “is seen to be” mean?
I am writing an academic article and to give conservative opinion, I am thinking to use the following statement:
XXX is seen to give worse results and therefore excluded in our report.
I am ...
-5
votes
3answers
89 views
Since English is the most spoken language on Earth, should it be regarded as Earth's Most Popular Language? [closed]
According to the World Atlas website, English is the most spoken language on Earth, with 1.39 billion speakers, followed by Mandarin Chinese 1.15 Billion speakers, and Spanish 661 Million speakers.
...
0
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2answers
64 views
Looking for single word to represent “degree of completion”
I am writing a paper. There is a term used in my work that represents "the degree of completion", i.e., 32% in the phrase "32% was completed". I tried "progress" but think it's not intuitive and "...
0
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0answers
20 views
capitalization of the word section, theorem,… if refering using both number and adjective/name
I have a question related to Capital letters in "Theorem", "Conjecture" etc, Capitalization of "Theorem 1" in mathematics papers, https://mathoverflow.net/questions/27693/...
1
vote
2answers
50 views
A better word/phrase to describe “a more…” in a scientific paper
I am writing a scientific paper on how a cancer staging system may be improved. However, I am a non-native English speaker, and I am concerned that my current title reflects that too much.
Please, ...
0
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2answers
60 views
Does “corroborate” in a scientific context imply confirmation rather “either confirmation or rejection” of findings from previous studies?
I am a non-native English speaker writing a scientific paper.
I have question concerning the word corroborate. In my native language, one might say that a research project aim to corroborate ...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
Should I use a hyphen in “patient tailored” vs “patient-tailored”?
Being a non-native English speaker, I was wondering which is most correct?
(1) Patient-tailored staging of xx carcinoma, or
(2) Patient tailored staging of xx carcinoma?
It is for a scientific ...
1
vote
0answers
46 views
Tense in Academic Writing
What is the correct tense when writing an academic paper? For example, assuming [1] is a reference, are the following sentences correct?
Alice et al. [1] showed that ...
[1] shows that ...
We show ...
0
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1answer
56 views
word usage in academic writing - possesses, beyond, ability [closed]
Could you help me to check if this sentence is ok?
Beyond having similar osmosis potential to polymer sponges, it is desirable that the covering material possesses the ability of being dispersed by ...
1
vote
1answer
95 views
What are typical “emotional absolutes” and why we should avoid them in academic writing?
I am working on a revision of an academic research paper. We performed some empirical studies and wrote a paper to demystify some common misunderstanding of certain techniques.
One reviewer gave me ...
-1
votes
1answer
80 views
What are the synonum of “This is accepted” for academia writing
I'm looking for an academic synonym for "This is accepted with". For example, I want to say This is accepted with the measure X or This is accepted when the X measure increases or this is accepted ...
0
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1answer
55 views
Can I use alma mater before graduating?
I'm currently writing cover letters for my next position, and I want to refer to the institution I will graduate from. Can I use the term alma mater despite not graduating yet?
Thanks!
2
votes
6answers
132 views
Noun opposite of a theoretician?
What do you call someone who is concerned with / active in practice and application rather than theory? That is, what is the noun opposite of "theoretician"?
I've looked on thesaurus.com, WordHippo....
1
vote
1answer
36 views
Single verb to refer a reader to the source of information in academic English
I would like to refer a reader in my research text to the source of information. I wrote in my thesis: "confer Proposition X" or "confer Section A". However, the reviewers suggested I should use ...
0
votes
2answers
94 views
Use of present tense in academic writing
I'm a graduate theology student, and I'm having some trouble with verb tenses. In my first chapter I explore the life and work of the author who is the subject of my study. I am often narrating in the ...
0
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1answer
63 views
“Many” as a pronoun at the beginning of a sentence
I am unable to decide if I should use 'many' to express "many people" in an academic writing. It goes like:
Many claim that ambiguity is a result of an inefficient parsing.
Do you see any problem ...
0
votes
1answer
50 views
Formal way of saying “dig it out”
I am writing an academic manuscript to describe the action of "digging certain stuff out." For instance, given an image containing several pedestrians, my image analysis techniques can extract those ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Using hyphenation to avoid ambiguity
When I write a research paper, I often use hyphenation in order to avoid ambiguity. For example, consider the phrase
fractionally Pareto optimal allocation
A person who does not know these terms ...
0
votes
3answers
62 views
Which one of these sentences is better? A thesis title - Apostrophes Showing Possession [closed]
Sentence 1 : The comparison of Muhammed Bedruddîn Mahmûd el-Aynî’s "Şerhu Süneni Ebû Davud" and "Umdet'ül- Kârî" books
Sentence 2 : Comparison of the "Şerhu Süneni Ebû Davud" and "Umdet'ül- Kârî" ...
2
votes
2answers
362 views
Do I have to use “I” or “we” when orally presenting my scientific thesis written by a single author? [closed]
I know that in a scientific paper or thesis made by a single author, it is common to use we. (This is also recommended at our university.)
But what about when you alone are presenting a thesis work ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
A word for the property of scaling distance between two endpoints?
Scalability is defined as the capacity to be changed in size or scale.
In Computer Science, the term is often used in a context such as scalable networks, scalable algorithms, etc.
However, I want ...
0
votes
1answer
50 views
Using phrases in email to prof (academic)
1. "I hope you are doing well"
Will be it polite, if I write it in an email to Proff/start an email with it?
He was ill, and we wrote me about it
2. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
How do you describe a study which attempts to isolate the compounding effect of factor A on factor B? [closed]
Shameless cry for academic help here.
I'm working on my thesis, which is a study that will focus on the compounding effect of group dynamics on persuasive technology. The control and treatment group ...
0
votes
2answers
77 views
“go too far” — suitable for academic writing?
I am revising the following sentence in an academic paper:
The de facto XXX seems to go too far and notably undermine the readability.
where XXX is a named of a new technique.
I feel like "go too ...
1
vote
1answer
95 views
Why do psychology researchers frequently misplace commas, in relationship to coordinating conjunctions? [closed]
If a comma belongs next to a coordinating conjunction, it should precede (see Should I use a comma before "and" or "or"?, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Past or present tense when reporting the views of another?
When reporting the views of another person, what tense should I use? Here are three fragments of a paragraph from a text I am currently writing:
"Another objection is that Friedman overestimates the ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Word describing multiple paths to the same abstract outcome
I am looking for a word I came across but forgot to note down. It describes that multiple pathways can lead to the same outcome — not in terms of physical paths but rather in terms of an abstract ...
1
vote
3answers
116 views
How to say “we thought about” in an academic way?
In the following sentence:
Since there are many row values at each step of the process, one approach we thought about is to aggregate all the row values into a single value
What is the alternative ...
2
votes
3answers
67 views
The term for caring more about problems that you see as directly affecting yourself
What is the term for the tendency to care more about problems that we perceive as directly affecting us? Or, relatedly, the tendency to show more empathy for people's problems when we perceive the ...
-1
votes
2answers
57 views
What is the best phrase to tell students that they should get a worksheet from the board? [closed]
I work as a teacher. I created several worksheets that I pinned to the board right across my door. I want students to pick up as many of them as they need so that they can study at home. What is the ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
Word request: multi-context-type
I use "multi-context-type device" to name the "device" that works in different modes for different types of context. For example, type of context is like "classroom", "office", and context is like "...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
Academic word for “squabbler” [closed]
I'm looking for a word to use in an academic proposal that conveys the idea that the individuals are fighting, potentially violently, and immaturely (optional component of the meaning) and should be ...
1
vote
0answers
859 views
interplay between vs. among vs. of — best option?
In an academic paper, I would like to say that "I explore the interplay "between/among/of" (A) the representation of love in The Great Gatsby and (1) modern conceptions of love, (2) Biblical ...
0
votes
2answers
267 views
What does this sentence mean? “…in order to cope with the mass character of the gazes of tourists as opposed to the individual character of travel.”
Well, I read an article in terms of tourism and need to translate it but I have no idea what is this sentence is about.
A substantial proportion of the population of modern societies engages in ...
0
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1answer
251 views
Using the Latin phrase 'ante Christum natum' in an English sentence
The phrase ante Christum natum translates to 'before the birth of Christ,' and Wikipedia says it is the (likely outdated) Latin equivalent to BC, in the same way post Christum natum is the equivalent ...
2
votes
2answers
129 views
English equivalent of Greek “στο πτυχίο”
I am looking for a translation to the Greek "επι πτυχίω" or "στο πτυχίο". The meaning of the phrase is that an undergraduate student has completed the necessary semesters in order to graduate but ...
0
votes
1answer
35 views
Is pan-project a word?
In order to refer to something across all the sub-projects or areas of the project.
What else could be one-word or an efficient way of saying, "You are going to work pan-project"?
3
votes
1answer
602 views
“increase of” vs. “increase in” in connection with abstract quantities
I'm aware of two other questions with a similar title (here and here), but I'm not sure they answer my specific question.
An editor of a journal has changed
The observed increase of x ...
to
...
1
vote
2answers
3k views
“What is more”, “What's more” too informal for academic writing?
A coauthor of mine used the expression "what's more" in a scientific paper. My gut feeling was that this is not a commonly used expression in formal writing, but I could not find clear evidence for ...
