Composing a research paper from scratch to hatch is challenging. The process requires refined writing skills, advanced grammatical knowledge, and adherence to strict college rules. Often, authors need to combine all these aspects to produce a single written piece worth a higher position or journal page.
Moreover, your academic success and future career heavily rely on what you continually deliver throughout the years. And when it comes to scientific papers, it can take weeks, if not months, to arrive at the final stage. Plus, you need to invest a lot of effort to find relevant resources for quantifiable results with a high impact factor.
The burden becomes heavier with the constant pressure imposed on researchers. They must regularly publish research papers to maintain their status in high academic circles. Unfortunately, a few common grammatical errors can blemish their reputation and delay the entire publication procedure. So, how can they juggle all this and produce impeccable manuscripts without grammatical mistakes? Below, we share advice for authors eager to draft scientific works in perfect English.
Table of Contents
Article Usage
Precise use of the definite (the) and indefinite (a/an) articles is critical for clarity and seamless reading. However, picking the right words is not always straightforward, particularly for non-native speakers of English. Matters complicate further when one needs to decide whether a noun is countable or uncountable and then use the appropriate article or omit it.
Hence, authors who doubt their ability to use this grammatical element should better seek help from a professional English grammar checker. A website like Paperell.net will write quality essays and papers for you. By entrusting your work to such platforms, you can feel at ease whenever it needs to get published.
Likewise, understanding the differences between indefinite and definite is vital for your future essays. In short, an English noun needs to be defined when the speaker refers to a person, thing, or concept previously mentioned, apparent, or the only one of its kind. “The” precedes nationalities, superlatives, musical instruments, families, and newspapers. Geographical features such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, seas, oceans, rivers, and canals also take “the.”
Example: The first president of the USA played the piano and managed to cross the Atlantic.
Conversely, the indefinite article “a” or “an” goes before nouns that refer to somebody or something not unique and mentioned for the first time. “An” should always precede nouns beginning with a vowel.
Example: I saw a car knocking down a pedestrian with a rucksack on his back.
Use of “Which/Who” and “That”
Differentiating between defining and non-defining relative clauses is another mistake many authors make. When should one use “which” and “who,” and when is “that” more appropriate to explain things in more detail?
According to the grammatical rule, introducing essential information that can’t get omitted requires using “that” after the main clause. In this sense, the dependent clause defines the previously mentioned thing, concept, or person. Most often, “that” can get eliminated.
Example: Sam ate the apple (that) he stole from the neighbor’s garden.
This sentence defines which apple Sam ate because, as a noun, apple is generic and doesn’t tell us much about the circumstances of the event.
In contrast, Relative words “who/which” introduce additional information not necessary to define the noun. “Who” refers to people, whereas “which” precedes things. In this context, a comma must go before “who/which,” giving us extra details about the event.
Example: Sam climbed Mount Everest, which is 8,848 meters high, twice this season.
In this case, the underlined clause gives us more information and can get easily omitted. Still, the sentence won’t lose its sense without the non-defining segment.
Spelling
Ensuring you have spelled all words correctly is another important aspect of your paper. But before anything, check the target journal guidelines to avoid making mistakes from the beginning. While some periodicals prefer American English, others require authors to use the British English language. And the differences aren’t always evident; often, nuances are in question. It’s up to you to stick to the requested dialect and be consistent in the usage.
Generally speaking, both variants differ in terms of spelling, vocabulary, prepositions, and grammar. In most cases, document creation software like Microsoft Word can help you avoid making such errors. To do so, check whether you’ve turned on the spelling and grammar corrector in the program. This way, your manuscripts will conform to the guidelines set by the target journal.
Typos and misspelled words reveal that you are a sloppy writer and not up for the challenge. These errors might endanger your career and risk your promotion odds. Thus, writing each segment with the utmost care will eventually pay off.
Proofreading
No essay will be complete without the final stage: editing sentences. If you don’t proofread your manuscript thoroughly, many chunks and paragraphs will remain either awkward or contain typos and grammatical mistakes.
One approach is to print your manuscript before submission and correct each sentence with a pencil. Similarly, try reading the writing backward to spot constructions that don’t sound native.
You may also enable the spell-check tool in your word processor, but don’t rely too much on it. The software might not recognize some words if your essay abounds with scientific language. That’s why high-quality English editing services can be of incredible help in such cases.
Punctuate Accurately
Using periods, commas, quotations, parentheses, colons, and semicolons accurately is critical for an impeccable essay. However, it can take years to master English punctuation. If you’re reluctant about your ability to punctuate sentences according to the rules, think twice. Hiring a trusted English editing service might be a wise step.
Undoubtedly, researchers should focus on the scientific side of manuscripts and the experiments needed. So why not leave the editing work to an experienced proofreader? Instead of wasting precious weeks becoming an expert in English, prioritize your lab work and find a trustworthy editing platform in your field of expertise.
Last, we’ll share the most common mistake authors make regarding the Oxford comma. Always use it before “and” or “or”, after the penultimate item in a list of three or more things.
Example: Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous Italian painter, sculptor, and architect.
Another thing you should bear in mind is to use quotation marks after periods and commas.
Example: What she said was beyond anyone’s “wild imagination.”
Conclusion
Writing an error-free thesis is a painstaking job not everybody can do. Moreover, you must revise your manuscript’s language meticulously if you want to submit work that complies with academic standards. However, you can always hire an expert to save you valuable time and effort you can dedicate to your research in the library or lab.
