Academic and Research Paper Writing in a Layperson’s Language
A layperson lacks expert technical knowledge. Sometimes, we all read as laypersons because we can't be experts in everything. Understanding this is important for clarity.
How to Get Your Point Across using Repetition and Variation
As an objective scientist, you write to convey an unbiased and unambiguous message. State it, instead of implying it; repeat it to drive it home; and vary it to hold the reader’s attention.
In the following example, you can highlight…
Word Choice in Academic Writing: Commonly Confused English Words
As an academic researcher, a part of the writing process that frequently causes confusion and leads to common mistakes is word choice. While writing in English, maintaining the correct word choice is fairly difficult for both ESL…
How to Effectively Use Pronouns in Academic Writing
Pronouns are usually called the understudies of English grammar as they play the role of stand-ins for nouns (that are then referred to as the antecedents of the pronouns). Pronouns can be singular (I, me, he, she, you, it) or plural…
How to Effectively Use Active and Passive Voice in Academic Writing
A sentence is in passive voice when the subject of a sentence is the object being acted on. Active voice, on the contrary, is where the subject performs the action. Through the 20th century, passive voice was the prevalent linguistic…
Adjective Word Order
Each time you are asked to give the characteristics of something, it’s likely that you use an adjective (i.e., a word describing a noun). In English, traditional phrase structure rules place no limit on the number of adjectives in a…
Recognizing the Difference between Number and Amount
The words “number” and “amount” are used to explain how many or how much of something is there. A research report might include information on the number of contributors in the study, the number of surveys that were completed, the amount of…
How to Use Tenses in Academic Writing Effectively
Verb tenses inform readers when a specific event or action occurs. In formal writing, though, tense usage goes beyond the basic representation of chronology. Tense choice also shows the degree of generality intended and reveals an author’s…
“If-then”: Using Conditional Sentences in Academic Writing
Conditional sentences are statements of an “if-then” or “unless” situation. These sentences express situations and their probable results. Conditional sentences are frequently used to discuss the outcomes of research studies or are part of…
How to Write an Effective Chemistry Research Paper (Part 2)
(If you haven't read the first part of this series, you can read it here).
Here, we will explain the scientific conventions and writing styles adhered to in chemistry papers. You can make your academic writing in chemistry effective by…