Basic Scientific Writing in English Lecture 9

1. Basic Scientific Writing in EnglishLecture 9 Professor Ralph Kirby Faculty of Life Sciences Extension 7323 Room B322

2. Lists • Lists can cause problems when writing a scientific paper. • In general, if it is not a short list, it would be better to put the information into a Table. Even a Table with two columns and six items is OK. • Use a list in the text where there is only one category or information and less than six items.

3. When you are introducing a list into the text, first decide if it is a single category or multiple category list • Single category • Samples were isolated from soil from Taiwan, Nepal, Antarctica and Peru • Multiple category • Samples from soil and from water were isolated from Taiwan and Nepal, respectively • Only the latter uses respectively. • It is a common fault in Chinese 1st language speakers to use respectively for any list

4. Respectively • Respectively is used to link one or more specific types to one or more specific lists. • Wrong • The beads were washed three times with modified RIPA buffer and twice with TBS buffer, respectively • Compared with spinach SPS, the regulatory phosphorylation sites for the sweet potato tuber SPS was Ser150 and Ser416, respectively • Right • The Km values for UDPGlc and Fru6P were calculated as 21.3 and 7.3 mM, respectively • The final products of complete A1 cDNA structures obtained from the A1-a and A1-b samples have different sizes of 1007 and 559 bp, respectively.

5. Types of Lists • Simple comma separated list • The DNA was washed with phenol/chloroform, Tris equiliberated chloroform and 0.05M EDTA. • May or may not have a “,” after the last but one in the list. • Best used for lists contain short individual items • Colon (:) Lists • The DNA was treated with the following: phenol/chloroform; Tris equiliberated chloroform and 0.05M EDTA. • Note there is no “,” or “;” after the last item but one in the list • This is best used for longer lists and ones in which there are short phrases

6. Types of Lists • Simple numbered lists • There were four separate treatments: 1) Heating to 90oC for 30 minutes 2) Autoclaving at 105oC for 10 minutes 3) Pasteurization at 70oC for 15 minutes 4) Flash heating to 80oC • This tends to be used instead of a table for items that do not tabulate easily as above. Can usually be replaced by a table, see what the journal usually does • Textual numbered lists • There were four separate treatments: 1) Heating to 90oC for 30 minutes; 2) Autoclaving at 105oC for 10 minutes; 3) Pasteurization at 70oC for 15 minutes; and 4) Flash heating to 80oC • Try to avoid this as it reads poorly

7. Types of lists • Compound lists • He supplied oranges from Florida; pears from Washington, Oregon and California; and apples from New Zealand • Note internal separate list with commas • Note semicolon before the “and” • Try to avoid as they are difficult to read and understand

8. Types of Lists • Bullet lists • This is a bullet list • It has dots or bullets to identify the clauses and sentences and to separate them • Do not use bullet lists in a paper

9. Types of lists • Try not to mix categories within a list • He went to National Yang-Ming University, Hong Kong, Singapore and London • Here, “went to” can have two meaning • Attended or visited • Do we mean attended four Universities, visited four Universities, attended Yang-Ming and visited three other Universities and visited Yang-Ming, then traveled to the various cities • Mixed list confuse. Split up.

10. Types of Lists • When to use a preposition or article in a list • The simple answer is always to repeat the preposition and/or article • The patients were categorized by sex, age, place of birth and race • The patients were categorized by sex, by age, by place of birth and by race • Note that latter tends to place more emphasis on the items making up the list • If you do not, if you change the preposition or article within the list, you must repeat all of them • Group One was made up of a cat, dog and mouse • Group One was made up of a cat, a dog, an alligator and a mouse • The patients were categorized by sex, by age, by place of birth and from other information on their form • Not “The patients were categorized by sex, age, place of birth and from other information on their form”

11. All of the above leads to questions on use if commas, semicolons and colons • Should you always use a comma or a colon before an “and” in a list • Yes, you can and perhaps it is the best by default because it is never “wrong” • However, in a list the word “and” is being replaced by a comma • The patients were categorized by sex, by age, by place of birth and by race • Rather than • The patients were categorized by sex and by age and by place of birth and by race • Problems can occur • He had a large head, short legs, a thick chest containing a strong heart and big feet • Rather • He had a large head, short legs, a thick chest containing a strong heart and big feet

12. Commas in General • The function of a comma is to indicate a pause in your reading • Separates • On the whole, medicine is a complex subject • This book, I think, teaches the subject well • Marks out a dependent clause • Calculus, like a number of subjects, is not usually taught to lawyers • Must not separate a subject from verb unless balanced • I, the author, give permission to publish this on the web • Must improve readability rather than make it worse • From Whiskies of Scotland by R,J,S McDowoll • Scotsmen the world over use it, neat to warm them when cold, diluted to refresh them when warm, to revive them when exhausted, as a medicine in sickness, as an aid to digestion, as a sedative for sleeplessness, and, universally, to celebrate the meeting with, or parting with, friends, confident that, used in moderation, it will suit the occasion as nothing else will do, and with nothing but good effect.

13. Semicolons in general • To separate independent clauses in a compound sentence • The clauses must have a link • Lead me not to temptation; I can find the way myself • Hanging is too good for the man; he should be drawn and quartered too. • Can have a conjunctive adverb • Figure 1 clearly shows inhibition; however, the reproducibility is poor

14. Colons in general • Lists • See earlier • Introduction of a word or phrase • Chastity: the most unnatural of the sexual perversions (Aldous Huxley) • Introduce a title of some sort • Aldous Huxley: Brave New World • H. G. Wells: Mister Polly