Researchers spend a great amount of time conducting research, carrying out lab work or field study, engaging in discussions with experts in their field and figuring out scientific writing styles. While it is important for researchers to continually gather new insights, gain diverse perspectives, and add to their knowledge, it …
Academic Writing Guides
According to the Global Language Monitor, which tracks language usage trends, English has more than a whopping 1 million distinct words in current use.1 Many of these words look, sound, or are even spelled alike but have different meanings and are used in different contexts. Some words sound and look different …
It is quite common to see PhD students and researchers be fairly comfortable with conversational English but then feel overwhelmed when it comes to using more academic vocabulary. It stands to reason that academic writing requires a degree of familiarity with academic and technical terms. And the sooner one is …
An important part of any academic discussion is citations. It highlights the existing works on a particular topic, enabling readers to track relevant research1 to develop their arguments. Though the function of citation is simple, the learning process of correctly citing other articles can be challenging. There is an increased …
What is a dangling modifier? The term “dangling” means hanging or swinging loosely. A modifier is used to describe or qualify another part of a sentence. Dangling modifiers is a common grammar mistake in writing that make for illogical sentence constructions, usually by leaving a phrase to hang precariously at …
What are sentence fragments? To put it simply, sentence fragments are incomplete thoughts. When writing research papers in English, it is common for your incomplete thoughts to be translated into sentence fragments. Although these fragments look like sentences – they start with a capital letter and end with a period …
Journals nowadays frequently request that authors suggest a couple of peer-reviewers when submitting their manuscripts. Not all journals follow this trend, but some do and make it clear. Before delving into why careful peer-reviewer selection is essential, we should first dispel the myth that the suggested reviewers are never invited …
Academic vocabulary refers to the words and phrases used in academic contexts, such as scholarly articles, reports, and lectures/seminars.1 While general academic words are usually learnt through exposure to academic texts,2 navigating the world of global scholarly literature and academic discourse necessitates a certain level of proficiency in English. This …
Homophones tend to trip writers more than fascinate them – ensure and insure, though and although, advise and advice – the list of confusing words is endless. These are words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings. But this doesn’t give one the excuse to use …
The question of whether or not to contact a journal editor can be a tough question for most authors. But then this is not a job application or soliciting a favor. For starters, I would check the specifications of your target journal regarding contacting the Editorial board and then ask …