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 …
Have you ever found yourself stumbling over two confusing words in English while trying to express something? Well, English is a precise language that has multiple words with similar, if not almost identical, meanings. Therefore, for any writing in English, especially in academic writing, the devil lies in the details, i.e., …
Publication in a string of high-profile academic journals is the Holy Grail of a researcher’s career. Naturally, this is not an easy achievement. Not only must academics be experts in their field, they must also be able to communicate their research ideas succinctly in writing — this is a big …
Preparing your manuscript for journal submission is possibly one of the most nerve-wracking steps in a researcher’s publishing journey. This is also the stage where most researchers make errors that can define the fate of their manuscript. To paraphrase renowned German physicist Werner Heisenberg, an expert is someone who knows some …
While writing your research manuscript, you must have come across words with a difference in meaning so slight that it made you wonder which one to choose. In some cases, authors may not even realize there is a difference, for instance, in the words although and though. So what is …
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