Presenting numerical data

数値データの様々な表現方法

◎ There are many ways to present numerical data in an academic paper:

- A pipe that was 2 cm long was used to aid in burial.
- A pipe, 2 cm in length, was used to aid in burial.
- A 2-cm pipe was used to aid in burial

In the third example, the numeral and unit modify the noun pipe, and are hyphenated.

Other examples:
- wave of 4 feet -> 4-foot wave
- tube with a diameter of 6 mm -> 6-mm-diameter tube

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Cardinal and ordinal numbers

数字について

◎ In academic papers, cardinal (zero, one, two…) and ordinal (first, second, and third) numbers are used in combination with nouns and adjectives to modify other nouns. In such cases, a hyphen is usually used after the number. Consider the following
combinations.

Example 1: The implications for zero-base budgeting were analyzed.
Example 2: As a result, the following second-order equation was obtained.

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Using hyphens for word count reduction

単語の省略について

◎ Consider the following sentence: We selected 3-year-old, 4-year-old, and 5-year-old children in our sample.

In this sentence, “year-old” is repeating. To shorten this sentence, we can suspend the hyphens after 3 and 4. That is, we can write the sentence as “We selected 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children in our sample.”

Other examples:
-> 25- to 50-mg samples
-> first- and second-order reactions

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Using abbreviations without redundancy

略語の使い方について

◎ Abbreviations such as AIDS and ATM are often followed by the words “syndrome” and “machine,” respectively. This is awkward because then the phrases will be read as “acquired immune deficiency syndrome syndrome” and “automated teller machine machine.”

This can be avoided by verifying that the last letter of the abbreviation does not stand for the word that follows it.

Wordy: An LED diode was used as a light source in the detector.
Concise: An LED was used as a light source in the detector.

Effective usage of pronouns

代名詞の使用について

◎ Pronouns such as “it” and “this” can be used very effectively to avoid repetition. They should be used to replace nouns, when the noun is repeated in successive phrases or sentences.

Wordy: Under certain concentrations of methotrexate, the DHFR gene and also the DHFR gene’s product are amplified.
Concise: Under certain concentrations of methotrexate, the DHFR gene and its product are amplified.

-> In this example, the possessive pronoun “its” is used instead of the phrase “the DHFR gene’s.”

Single verbs vs. wordy noun phrases

動詞の利用について(2)

◎ In any manuscript, single verbs should be used to replace wordy noun phrases wherever possible.

Wordy: Our results are found to be in agreement with those of Xing et al.
Concise: Our results agree with those of Xing et al.

Other examples:
- gave a report -> reported
- made an analysis -> analyzed
- offered a suggestion -> suggested

Effective verb usage

動詞の利用について(1)

◎ Use verbs effectively when introducing the contents of your paper, study, tables, and figures.

Wordy: In this study, an analysis of the high-energy compound phosphoenol pyruvate is shown.
Concise: This study analyzes the high-energy compound phosphoenol pyruvate.

Other options
- This paper presents/describes/examines/discusses
- This study analyzes/investigates/explores/supports

Usage of "both"

“both”について

◎ The word “both” is used to refer to “two” people or things. Therefore, it should not be used along with the word “two.”

Incorrect: Thus, both two molecules of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate are obtained from one molecule of glucose.
Correct: Thus, both molecules of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate are obtained from one molecule of glucose.

Conjuctions "And" and "But"

“and”と”but”について

◎ The conjunction “and” is used to indicate additional information, while “but” is used to show contrast. Some publications consider it informal to use “and” and “but” at the beginning of a sentence.

Formal alternatives for “and”: in addition, further, furthermore, and moreover
Formal alternatives for “but”: however, on the other hand, nevertheless, and conversely

http://crimsonjapan.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

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Single vs Phrasal verbs

動詞の受け取られ方について

◎ Single verbs are considered more formal than phrasal verbs (usually verb + preposition) used to express the same action.

Informal: As the shuttle moves to the atmosphere, its surface catches fire.
Formal: As the shuttle approaches the atmosphere, its surface ignites.

Usage of "Contractions"

短縮形について

◎Contractions are formed by replacing some words with an apostrophe
(’). For example, “couldn’t” is a contraction for “could not” and “didn’t” is a contraction for “did not.”

Although widely used in speeches and also accepted in fields such as philosophy, contractions should generally be avoided when writing a scientific paper. Instead, the spelled out forms should be used.

http://crimsonjapan.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

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Usage of "Number"

“Number”

Number: Use number to refer to quantities that can be counted.

Incorrect: The amount of microprocessors manufactured in 2003 was more than that manufactured in 2002.
Correct: The number of microprocessors manufactured in 2003 was more than that manufactured in 2002.

Here, microprocessor is a countable noun, i.e., it can be counted, and should used with the word “number.”

Usage of "Amount"

“Amount”の使い方について

◎ Amount: Use amount to refer to quantities (usually large)that cannot be counted.

Incorrect: Supercomputers are capable of processing a large number of data.
Correct: Supercomputers are capable of processing a large amount of data.

Here, data is an uncountable noun, i.e., it cannot be counted, and should used with the word “amount.”

http://crimsonjapan.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

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Use of pronoun "we"

代名詞”we”について

◎ The pronoun “we” can be used to include both you and the reader in the discussion.

Example: From Figure 1, we can see that the spectral lines are weak.

Note that this usage of the pronoun “we” is not accepted by all journals.

Passive voice for readers in academic writing

学術論文において避けるべき単語

◎ In academic writing, do not use “you” to address the reader unless you are writing a textbook or instructional material.

Say: You can see the spectral lines in Figure 1.
Write: The spectral lines can be seen in Figure 1.

The “Say” example is called an “active” construction, while
the “Write” example is a “passive” one.

Spacing with percentage (%) symbol

単位記号の使い方について

◎ A space should never be inserted between a numeral and
its unit of measurement, when the unit is a symbol such as %
(percent), ’ (minute), etc. These symbols are set close without spacing.

Wrong: 50 %
Right: 50%

Spacing with units

省略形の単位の使い方について

◎ A space should always be inserted between a numeral and
its unit of measurement, when the unit is an abbreviation.

Wrong: The length of the box was 50cm.
Right: The length of the box was 50 cm.

Here, cm is an abbreviation for centimeters.

http://crimsonjapan.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

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