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Language of a Scientific Paper
In addition to organization, the second principal ingredient of a scientific paper should be appropriate language. In this book, I keep emphasizing proper use of English, because most scientists have trouble in this area. All scientists must learn to use the English language with precision. A book (Day, 1995) wholly concerned with English for scientists is now available.
If scientifically determined knowledge is at least as important as any other knowledge, it must be communicated effectively, clearly, in words of certain meaning. The scientist, to succeed in this endeavor, must therefore be literate. David B. Truman, when he was Dean of Columbia College, said it well: "In the complexities of contemporary existence the specialist who is trained but uneducated, technically skilled but culturally incompetent, is a menace."
Although the ultimate result of scientific research is publication, it has always amazed me that so many scientists neglect the responsibilities involved. A scientist will spend months or years of hard work to secure data, and then unconcernedly let much of their value be lost because of lack of interest in the communication process. The same scientist who will overcome tremendous obstacles to carry out a measurement to the fourth decimal place will be in deep slumber while a secretary is casually changing micrograms per milliliter to milligrams per milliliter and while the typesetter slips in an occasional pounds per barrel.
English need not be difficult. In scientific writing, we say: "The best English is that which gives the sense in the fewest short words" (a dictum printed for some years in the Instructions to Authors of the Journal of Bacteriology). Literary devices, metaphors and the like, divert attention from the substance to the style. They should be used rarely in scientific writing.
