Tutorial on Punctuation
in Scientific Writing
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As Theodore Bernstein stated [1], punctuation marks are the traffic signs that help readers navigate sentences. In this analogy, you can think of a period as a stop sign and a comma as a yield sign. In scientific writing, such signs are important. For instance, a mistake in punctuation, such as a missing comma, can force the audience to reread the sentence to gather the intended meaning. Even worse, some mistakes can lead to ambiguity, which can lead readers to misinterpret the idea of the sentence.
Although many punctuation rules exist [2-5], this tutorial focuses on the punctuation rules most important in scientific writing. For that reason, the tutorial focuses on the period, which signals the end of a sentence, and the comma, which helps audiences separate details within a sentence. Also considered is the colon, which can introduce a complex list or an equation. Yet another piece of punctuation that is important in scientific writing, yet not taught in general writing courses, is the em-dash. In essence, an em-dash is a super-comma, which can separate parts of sentences to complex to be partitioned by commas. |
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1. Take Punctuation Diagnostic
The following four questions test your practical knowledge of punctuation. Each of the four listed items has one of the following punctuation errors: missing punctuation, unwanted punctuation, or incorrect choice of punctuation. Identify the error. The answers reside in the paragraph below the list. If you struggle with any of the punctuation in any of these items, you should consider taking the tutorial.
The following four questions test your practical knowledge of punctuation. Each of the four listed items has one of the following punctuation errors: missing punctuation, unwanted punctuation, or incorrect choice of punctuation. Identify the error. The answers reside in the paragraph below the list. If you struggle with any of the punctuation in any of these items, you should consider taking the tutorial.
- The new conductor, which will be available next week is composed of barium, copper, and oxygen.
- As the flame front propagates hot combustion products expand, resulting in a rapid pressure increase.
- The fluid serves as a transmission medium for hydrodynamic energy in the torque converter, hydrostatic energy in servos and logic circuits and sliding friction energy in clutches.
- In addition to the temperature data shown here, we also made velocity measurements; see Appendix A.
2. View Film 1: Periods and Commas
The beginning of Film 1 discusses the importance of reserving periods to end sentences rather than wasting its power in needless abbreviations such as e.g. The remainder of Film 1 focuses on three rules for commas: (1) placing commas after introductory phrases and clauses; (2) placing two commas around parenthetical word group between the subject and verb; and (3) using commas to separate items in a list. Although not discussed in the film, two important instances in which you should not use a comma are after the word although and the after the word but.
The beginning of Film 1 discusses the importance of reserving periods to end sentences rather than wasting its power in needless abbreviations such as e.g. The remainder of Film 1 focuses on three rules for commas: (1) placing commas after introductory phrases and clauses; (2) placing two commas around parenthetical word group between the subject and verb; and (3) using commas to separate items in a list. Although not discussed in the film, two important instances in which you should not use a comma are after the word although and the after the word but.
4. View Film 2: Advanced Punctuation
Film 2 discusses the following pieces of punctuation: the colon, the em-dash, the semicolon, and the slash. The colon and em-dash are important in scientific writing. Except for separating items in complex lists, the semicolon is not needed. Last, you should avoid the slash, which has become an ugly substitute for the conjunctions and and or.
Film 2 discusses the following pieces of punctuation: the colon, the em-dash, the semicolon, and the slash. The colon and em-dash are important in scientific writing. Except for separating items in complex lists, the semicolon is not needed. Last, you should avoid the slash, which has become an ugly substitute for the conjunctions and and or.
5. Perform the Following Exercises
Punctuation #2: Colons, Em-Dashes, and Semicolons
Punctuation #3: Advanced Punctuation
Punctuation #2: Colons, Em-Dashes, and Semicolons
Punctuation #3: Advanced Punctuation
References
- Theodore Bernstein, The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage (New York: Atheneum, 1965).
- Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing, 4th ed. (New York: Springer, 2018).
- Lynne Truss, Eats Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (New York: Gotham Books, 2003).
- Cheryl Glenn and Loretta Gray, The Writer's Harbrace Handbook, 5th ed. (Boston: Cengage Learning, 2012).
- William A. Sabin, The Gregg Reference Manual: A Manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting, 11th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010).