Questions tagged [academic-writing]

The tag has no usage guidance.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
-1 votes
2 answers
61 views

Term for creating Terminology

I’ve been struggling to remember a word for “creating discrete terminology.” It feels like an academic word used in linguistics in the vein of “semiotics,” (but not dealing with signs, dealing with ...
  • 101
0 votes
2 answers
59 views

Possessive Contraction over Equations and Mathematical/Physics Laws

In my mother language, Spanish, when we refer to a famous equation, say those for electromagnetism, we say "Ecuaciones de Maxwell". This translates, literally, as "Equations of Maxwell&...
0 votes
2 answers
44 views

Use of adjective "slack" in academic writing

(Note. I deleted the previous question as the discussion was focusing too much on the math.) I am writing a research paper in mathematical analysis and I have a situation in which I want to give a ...
0 votes
0 answers
36 views

Scare quotes, regular quote and italics. Style guide advice

I understand that there is no universal rule regarding the use of single or double quotation marks or use of italics, however I wasn't sure whether scare quotes need to follow same format one has ...
  • 1
2 votes
2 answers
53 views

Where do I put the name of a noun, before or after? [closed]

Which one is better: When function read returns an error, the program crashes. When read function returns an error, the program crashes. When read-function returns an error, the program crashes. I'm ...
  • 135
0 votes
0 answers
18 views

Usage of hypens when using two compund nouns [duplicate]

I was wondering about the correct usage of the hyphen in cases of the form: In the short- and long-run. As opposed to: In the short and long-run. Is the first case accepted?
0 votes
0 answers
30 views

Confused by the word ‘held-out’ in a sentence

I am trying to understand this sentence: The adaptivity gap Delta measures how much adapting the model to the held-out test set S biases the estimate of the population loss. Can someone rephrase it ...
  • 1
0 votes
2 answers
467 views

What is the best way to describe a event which was well organized so much that there was no tension while event was going on?

I am looking for the right words to describe an event which was meticulously planned and executed. I want to stress on the fact that the managers / professors overlooking the event were relaxed as ...
2 votes
1 answer
225 views

dramatically increased vs increased dramatically

In a very formal writing such as IELTS writing task 1, can I use both of these? >dramatically increased >increased dramatically Example: Product prices have increased dramatically in the last ...
-1 votes
1 answer
45 views

Does it feel odd for native speakers to use too many introductory phrases in academic writing? [closed]

Recently I observed that there are too many introductory phrases in papers writen by non-native spearkers. Here are some examples: Typically, it is xxxx Particularly, it is xxxx In this paper, we ...
  • 157
0 votes
1 answer
48 views

How to say "the health of a system" in a shorter way?

Compound words keep troubling me... I am writing an academic article about detecting the health of a system or a piece of equipment. For example, if a coffee machine works correctly, it means it has a ...
0 votes
3 answers
51 views

"close resemblance in/on ..." OR "closely resembling ..." [closed]

I have two quite similar fracture populations and I try to emphasize this in the following sentence. But which of the prepositions/solutions is correct in British English? The baseline ...
0 votes
1 answer
47 views

Em dash to introduce a quote

Is it fine to introduce a direct quote with an em dash? I want to briefly summarise a quote, while still giving it in full. Something like: However, Smith (2021) argued that foo can in fact improve ...
0 votes
1 answer
60 views

Correct writing of "clinical- and policy-relevant evidence"

I'm struggling with concise writing of the following. None of the sentences "sound" nice. Could you give some guidance? A) There is a need for both clinically and policy-relevant evidence? ...
  • 271
1 vote
1 answer
561 views

Why is the A in "Article" capitalized in legal articles when referring to itself? [closed]

I looked at ten different law articles; when refering to itself, the letter A in Article is capitalized. For example, in the abstract it would say something like: This Article proposes modifying the ...
0 votes
1 answer
47 views

Comma needed before "as does"? [closed]

Should I write this without a comma: The evidence from this study suggests that stroke may impose a comparable risk on the survival of older patients as do heart attack due to the close resemblance ...
0 votes
0 answers
79 views

Proper Grammar of Degree Abbreviations

I have seen plenty of abbreviation options to write Postgraduate Diploma. Just to mention the easiest finding on the web: "A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PG, PDE) ...
  • 1
0 votes
0 answers
29 views

an atom vs the atom [duplicate]

In Britannica's Atom term, some general sentences about an atom use "an atom", and others "the atom", why? Sentences with "an atom": The behaviour of an atom is strongly ...
  • 105
1 vote
0 answers
71 views

manifests or manifests itself

The sentence (from University Physics book, the image of full text is attached): The work done by nonconservative forces manifests itself as changes in the internal energy of objects. Can we delete ...
  • 105
-1 votes
1 answer
43 views

Let us suppose vs Suppose [closed]

When should we use "Let us suppose", and when "Suppose" in science academic articles? Example 1: Suppose the electric field lines in a region of space are straight lines. or ...
  • 105
0 votes
1 answer
27 views

Which one is more correct for academic writing? List of X users vs X-user list [closed]

I am writing an academic paper and having hard time with language. So which one of the following is most appropriate? List of WhatsApp users WhatsApp-users list WhatsApp user list WhatsApp users' ...
1 vote
1 answer
56 views

Mentioning a physical unit after a series of values

I have problem deciding which one of the following sentences is correct considering the usage of second(s): Computation times of the proposed algorithms are in the orders of 10^-3 and 10^-4 seconds, ...
  • 13
0 votes
2 answers
130 views

Comma after "perhaps" at the end of the sentence

Which one is correct? I. "This is the worst day in this month, perhaps the worst in my life." II. "This is the worst day in this month. Perhaps the worst in my life." Should we ...
user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
62 views

Is speed a variable? [closed]

This is a legal sentence: London traffic moves at a speed of 11 mph. Why can't we remove "a" and "of"? London traffic moves at speed 11 mph. We may say that "speed" ...
  • 105
1 vote
1 answer
82 views

Is it common to use 'terminus a quo' in academic writing?

I'm writing an academic paper and I want to replace the word 'starting point' with 'terminus a quo'. I'm not sure if this Latin word is commonly used. I'm trying to make my language more interesting ...
  • 151
0 votes
2 answers
46 views

A first or the first after mentioning general categories

In the following passage: Recent works have tackled the explainability shortcomings with different approaches. A first approach investigates to which extent an input feature is responsible for a ...
0 votes
1 answer
56 views

breakage vs breaking in "X denotes the spontaneous breakage/breaking of rotational symmetry"

In the sentence " X denotes the spontaneous breakage/breaking of rotational symmetry.", which is the best word to use in its context?
1 vote
1 answer
35 views

Preposition needed: did not survive a certain timepoint [closed]

I have a sentence as follows. This should say that the patients who died during the observation period were excluded from analyses. Should I use a preposition after "survive"? I did a ...
  • 65
0 votes
1 answer
39 views

Is it correct to use a comma before naming a list of items in a sentence? [closed]

The question is about the first comma use in the sentences below. I have not seen such comma-punctuation in a sentence that continues with naming several listed items. Is the first comma in these ...
  • 65
0 votes
0 answers
17 views

Single word request: of/at that phase/time/period/care/management [duplicate]

I am writing a study aim and needs to be really concise. For background, "post-acute care" is the next/second step care in these patients' management. In other words, their care/management ...
  • 65
0 votes
1 answer
40 views

Dissertation: correct writing of a numbered list [closed]

Are there any grammatical rules for numbered lists (my university does not have a guideline for this)? Which format would be correct for the given example of numbered objectives? Two things that I ...
  • 65
0 votes
1 answer
51 views

Compact writing of "1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 and 36-month survival was analysed"

I have an academic paper abstract to write and it has very limited word count (150 words). I have to say that we analysed 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 and 36-month survival of the included patients in this ...
  • 65
0 votes
0 answers
25 views

Should we not use abbreviations at all in academic writing? [duplicate]

I submitted a paper to a computer science conference, and the reviewer mentioned that I should correct grammar/writing issues throughout the paper. Some of the things he/she mentioned: don't -> do ...
  • 103
-1 votes
2 answers
125 views

More formal way of saying "taking almost all"

I am trying to revise the following statement: A takes almost all the rewards which are usually given to clients contributing important attributes. The takes almost all seems not very formal and ...
1 vote
1 answer
43 views

How to say these words in academic writing? [closed]

grab attention the talk of the town fly in the ointment How to transfer these words in an academic way?
  • 13
1 vote
1 answer
80 views

Should I say "a LSM-tree" or "an LSM-tree"? [duplicate]

The "LSM-tree" is an acronym term for "Log-Structured Merge Tree". I wrote "a LSM-tree", but Grammarly keeps reminding me it should be "an LSM-tree". What is ...
  • 123
0 votes
1 answer
34 views

Single word request: something does not disconfirm the superiority of the most widely used practice [duplicate]

I analysed different nonoperative management practices and all of them showed worse outcomes than surgery. The sentence I am writing: None of the nonoperative management practices disconfirms the ...
  • 271
0 votes
1 answer
32 views

Single word request: practice based on non-strict criteria

Context: Clinical decision making is highly varying, as there are no strict criteria between operative and nonoperative management. How to say this with one academically suitable word? Clinical ...
  • 271
0 votes
2 answers
34 views

Missing data: not registered vs not available

I have a scientific paper table that has a few missing values. Values are missing as they were not recorded (written by a doctor) on patients' medical records. Should I address these values as "...
  • 271
7 votes
6 answers
1k views

Tentativeness vs Hedging

I am currently studying for an exam about academic writing and I have some issues grasping the difference between hedging and tentativeness. I know for a fact that there must be a difference because ...
  • 87
0 votes
0 answers
28 views

Is "disputable exceptions" apt in this sentence?

With some disputable exceptions, he did not understand that .... Could I use "disputable exceptions" in this context? This extract is from an academic text I am editing. The phrase feels ...
0 votes
0 answers
31 views

Saying a period of time of -ties (ex: the 80s to 90s) for a research paper correctly

I'm trying to write a sentence that mentions a specific period of time, though I'm not sure if I wrote it correctly or not. Here's what I have. We have succeeded in the era of the 1960s to 1980s ...
1 vote
1 answer
87 views

To assume an event that never happened did happen

While writing a paper on 20th century international relations & the Second World War, I was faced with a situation where I had to 'suppose' Hitler never came to power in Germany, and the Weimar ...
0 votes
3 answers
98 views

Formal / academic sounding phrase for "uncharted territory"

I concede that "uncharted territory" is not that casual, but it's slightly below the formal bar that I have set up for myself (not to mention it's somewhat over-used). So, I still want to ...
0 votes
1 answer
53 views

Ask for a more concise phrase than "fundamental physical and chemical properties"

Is there a more concise phrase to say "fundamental physical and chemical properties"?
  • 33
0 votes
0 answers
27 views

Looking for an expression

I'm looking for a better way to say that once a new kind of virus is discovered, various gene analysis methods, such as A B C, are already in stock (or at hand) to be used. Thanks.
  • 33
0 votes
2 answers
43 views

What's the proper form of "As a judge of your parents actions"?

A grammar checker is saying I have two options, but which one is proper since you have two parents: parents' parent's Note: this is for a Theology Masters paper that I hope to eventually publish ...
  • 121
1 vote
3 answers
485 views

Are all phrase verbs informal?

Are all phrasal verbs informal and not appropriate to use in academic texts? For instance, 'carry out'. I see this word in papers very often. Is it formal? Is it necessary to distinguish which phrasal ...
0 votes
2 answers
680 views

"-Based" vs. " Based"

I am in the process of finalizing an academic research paper and I am struggling to identify the correct hyphenation for the title: Option 1: Adaptive Chirplet Transform-Based Machine Learning for ...
1 vote
0 answers
763 views

What are the alternatives of "based on that" in academic writing?

I have the following statement: The algorithm A produces more equal fitness values than algorithm B. Based on that, one possible explanation of why the search peroformance with algorithm A is not as ...
  • 11