Use Objective Words

Of course, you cannot write with numbers alone. When quantifiable words are not available, you should use as precise and objective a vocabulary as possible.

Whether any particular sentence is precise and objective, depends on the reader's ability to define all its components. For example, "The needle vibrated continuously"is appropriate in a scientific paper if the reader is told which needle,what type of vibration, and over what time period it vibrated continuously. In science , the rule is , define all your words.

Beyond this rule, a few writing habits wil help to ensure good scientific text. One of these habits is to weed out or replace vague and subjective terms;for instance, remove:

Expressions with no clear limits,such as

a lot, fairly, long term, quite, really, short term, slightly

Words of personal judgment, such as

assuredly beautiful, certainly, disappointing, disturbing, exquisite, fortuitous, obviously, of course, remarkable, surely.

Words that are only fillers, such as

alright, basically, in a sense, indeed, in effect, in fact, in terms of, one of the things, with regard to, it goeswithout saying.

Casual colorful catchwords and phrases, such as

 agree to diagree,cutting edge, easier said than done, tip of the iceberg, seat of the pants.

 

1.2 Scientific Use of Tenses

     Good scientific prose uses a precise vocabulary. Scientific prose also uses verb tenses in a standardized way. When discussing research, the present tense indicates general knowledge and general principles, while the past tense indicates results of experiments.

1.2.1. Present Tense Is for Gneralities

    Use the present tense for general knowledge statements, widely accpted statements, and statements for which you could cite textbook regerences

1.2.2 Past Tense Is for Specific Observations

    Your results-- the particular observations that you made during a research study-- are bits of history, so use the past tense when you report your experimental results.