5 Tips to keep your research paper clear and readable
Scientific writing has been criticized for being difficult to understand.1 When a research paper is written in overcomplicated language, it could attract negative comments from reviewers or journal editors because the research is unclear. Being clear in academic writing doesn’t mean that you sacrifice accuracy or omit technical terminology. Instead, focus on structuring your sentences so that readers can quickly and easily grasp your main message. Here are some tips to make your writing clear and easy to follow, without compromising on the use of technical terms.
1. Avoid noun stacks
Noun stacks are a group of nouns used one after another. Sometimes, noun stacks can make the text more concise, for example, “non-viral gene therapy protocol” versus “a non-viral protocol for gene therapy.” However, putting too many nouns together slows down readers. Let’s look at some examples:
Original: There are few evidence-based adolescent self-efficacy enhancement programs.
Revised: There are few evidence-based programs to enhance self-efficacy among adolescents.
Original: We report a novel thermal-based preselected whey protein isolation process.
Revised: We report a novel thermal-based process for isolating preselected whey proteins.
In the above two examples, the revised versions do contain more words than the original. However, the reader can quickly understand what is being discussed.
2. Limit the number of clauses
A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb. It’s not a complete sentence but can be very similar to one. When discussing complex concepts, it’s advisable to limit the number of clauses per sentence. When a sentence is very long and contains a lot of ideas, it is harder to follow. Here are some examples:
Original: Among the various types of apraxia, ideomotor apraxia, which is characterized by impairment in executing the use of a tool or gesture—patients experience difficulty in performing appropriate actions related to verbal commands or in imitating another person’s gestures—is the most common and has been extensively described by Peng et al. (2010).
Revised: Among the various types of apraxia, the most common is ideomotor apraxia. This disorder is characterized by impairment in executing the use of a tool or gesture. Patients experience difficulty in performing appropriate actions related to verbal commands or in imitating another person’s gestures. Ideomotor apraxia has been extensively described by Peng et al. (2010).
Here, we ended up dividing the original sentence into four new sentences, because of the wealth of details included. Let’s look at another problematic sentence.
Original: Social anxiety disorder, despite being one of the most common anxiety disorders, with a prevalence of 2-5%, has not been adequately studied in rural populations, especially low-income ones.
Revised: Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders, with a prevalence of 2-5%. However, it has not been adequately studied in rural populations, especially low-income ones.
In the above example, the original sentence contained quite a lot of information, including numerical. When split up into two, the argument was easier to follow.
3. Omit empty clauses
Empty clauses are clauses that don’t add essential information to the sentence; in other words, the sentence will contain all the necessary facts even if these clauses are removed. Many empty clauses include the pronouns “it” or “there.” Let’s look at some examples:
Original: It is possible that mechanical stress causes inflammation and destruction of cartilage.
Revised: Mechanical stress may cause inflammation and destruction of cartilage.
Original: There are numerous studies showing that patient age is associated with severity of surgical site infection.
Revised: Numerous studies show that patient age is associated with severity of surgical site infection.
4. Compare the right things
When using a comparative word (e.g., larger, greater, smaller), make sure that the two things linked by this word are the ones you are actually comparing. To understand this point better, let’s look at some examples:
Original: Smokers’ white blood cell counts were higher than non-smokers.
Revised: Smokers had higher white blood cell counts than non-smokers did.
OR
White blood cell counts were higher in smokers than in non-smokers.
It’s illogical to compare counts with people (i.e., non-smokers), so we revised the sentence such that the comparison is clear. Now, let’s take another example:
Original: Incidences of post-surgical infection in older patients are higher than younger patients.
Revised: Incidences of post-surgical infection are higher in older patients than in younger patients.
Here, “incidences” appear to be compared with “patients” (incorrect). Restructuring the sentence makes it clear that incidences in older patients are being compared with incidences in younger patients.
5. Position the main verb early in the sentence
When the subject of the sentence is very long, the sentence is more difficult to read. Wherever possible, try to structure sentences so that the main verb is close to the subject and appears early in the sentence.
Original: Owing to heavy workloads, limited opportunities for professional advancement, increasing career-related burnout, and decreasing job satisfaction, a large number of teachers have switched careers.
Revised: A large number of teachers have switched careers owing to heavy workloads, limited opportunities for professional advancement, increasing career-related burnout, and decreasing job satisfaction.
The revised sentence is easier to follow, even though it is long. Let’s look at another example:
Original: A semi-arid climate; a vegetation structure that is dominated by small herbs, weeds, and grass, with scattered drought-resistant thorny trees; and rainfall and soils insufficient to support tree growth are some of the key characteristics of grassland ecosystems.
Revised: Some of the key characteristics of grassland ecosystems are a semi-arid climate; a vegetation structure that is dominated by small herbs, weeds, and grass, with scattered drought-resistant thorny trees; and rainfall and soils insufficient to support tree growth.
Again, the position of the verb in the revised sentence makes it easier for readers to understand that a list will follow.
The above suggestions can help you present your ideas more clearly and ensure that readers stay engaged with your work as they read it. Even though it may be impossible to avoid lengthy and complex technical terms, you can still craft sentences to make it easier for readers to follow your arguments and get an accurate picture of your study.
Reference
- Singh Chawla, D. Science Is Getting Harder to Read. Nature Index https://www.nature.com/nature-index/news-blog/science-research-papers-getting-harder-to-read-acronyms-jargon
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