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Lecture 1
Principles of Effective Writing
Lecturer: Hamidreza Norouzi

Amirkabir University of Technology 3/2/2021

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What makes good writing?

Good writing communicates an idea clearly and efficiently

This requires you to have something to say and clear thinking
Good writing is elegant and stylish
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It does not happen in the first draft

It requires time, lots of revisions and a good editor

Good writing can be learned even for those

who are not native speaker of the report
language.
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What makes good writing?

In addition to what we learn in this class, you need to do

these to become a good writer:
Read, pay attention, and imitate.
Write more and more.
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Try to leave some bad writing habits you have gained before.
Try to talk about your research with somebody (even a friend
from other discipline.)
Do not bore you reader!
Accept the fact that writing is hard for everyone!
Put so much effort on revision.
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Find a good editor

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First lesson

Pay attention to each sentence and ask these

questions about it:
Is this sentence easy to understand?
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Is this sentence easy to read?

Is this sentence enjoyable and interesting to read?
Is it informative?
You write a paper for others to be read, understood and used!
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Do NOT write a paper to just get it published!

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One example

These findings imply that the rates of ascorbate radical

production and its recycling to replenish the ascorbate
pool are equivalent at the lower irradiance, but not
equivalent at higher irradiance with the rate of ascorbate
radical production exceeding its recycling back to
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ascorbate.

These findings imply that, at low irradiation, ascorbate

radicals are produced and recycled at the same rate, but
at high irradiation, they are produced faster than they can
be recycled back to ascorbate.
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Always remember

Complex ideas don’t require complex language.

Scientific writing should be easy and even enjoyable

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to read!
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Another example

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA (miR)

activity has been shown to play an important
role in tumor initiation and progression.
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Therefore, molecular species that can regulate

miR activity on their target RNAs without
affecting the expression of relevant mature
miRs may play equally relevant roles in cancer.
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Another example

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA (miR) activity

has been shown to play an important role in tumor
initiation and progression. Therefore, molecular
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species that can regulate miR activity on their target

RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant
mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in
cancer.
Using nouns instead of verbs
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Another example

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA (miR) activity

has been shown to play an important role in tumor
initiation and progression. Therefore, molecular
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species that can regulate miR activity on their target

RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant
mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in
cancer.
Using vague words
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Another example

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA (miR) activity

has been shown to play an important role in tumor
initiation and progression. Therefore, molecular
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species that can regulate miR activity on their target

RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant
mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in
cancer.
Using unnecessary jargon and
acronyms
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Another example

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA (miR) activity

has been shown to play an important role in tumor
initiation and progression. Therefore, molecular
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species that can regulate miR activity on their target

RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant
mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in
cancer.
Using passive voice
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Another example

Dysregulation of physiologic microRNA (miR) activity

has been shown to play an important role in tumor
initiation and progression. Therefore, molecular
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species that can regulate miR activity on their target

RNAs without affecting the expression of relevant
mature miRs may play equally relevant roles in
cancer.

Note the distance between the subject

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and the main verb of this sentence

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Another example

Changes in microRNA expression play a role in

cancer. Therefore, events that disrupt microRNAs
from binding to their target RNAs may also promote
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cancer.
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Another example

An equation for predicting the minimum spouting flow

rate, developed earlier on the basis of the Ergun
equation, has been verified applying a known
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equation for tablets [].

We used Ergun-originated equation to predict minimum

spouting flow of tablets, which is a good candidate for this
purpose [].
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General rules

Cut unnecessary words and phrases; learn to part

with your words (in this lecture).

Use the active voice (subject + verb + object) (in the

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next lectures)

Write with verbs: use strong verbs, avoid turning verbs

into nouns, and don’t bury the main verb (in the next
lectures)!
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Example

This paper provides a review of the basic tenets of

cancer biology study design, using as examples
studies that illustrate the methodologic challenges or
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that demonstrate successful solutions to the

difficulties inherent in biological research.

This paper reviews cancer biology study design, using

examples that illustrate specific challenges and solutions.
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More tips

 Cut individual redundant words:

 This will be done in the month of December for a period of six days.
This will be done in December for six days.
The task of analysis is not a straightforward operation and there is a
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serious danger that the presence of errors in the text….

The analysis is not straightforward and there is a danger that errors in the
text….
The analyses performed in this context highlighted among other
things the fundamental and critical importance of using the correct
methodology in a consistent and coherent manner of conduction.
The analyses highlighted the importance of using the correct methodology in a
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consistent manner.
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More tips

So far, researchers have failed to solve this equation

due to various issues, problems and difficulties.
So far, researchers have failed to solve this equation due
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to various difficulties.

This point is critical and fundamental for our research

purposes.
This point is essential for our research.
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More tips

The experimental demonstration is the first of its kind

and is a proof of principle for the concept of laser-
driven particle acceleration in a structure-loaded
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vacuum.
The experiment provides the first proof of concept for
laser-driven particle acceleration in a structure-loaded
vacuum.
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More tips

Experimental investigations were carried out in two

series: the first one was aimed at determining the
hydrodynamic characteristics of the spouted bed, and
the second one at describing the dynamics of the heat
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and mass transfer under conditions of spraying of

liquid solution into a spouted bed.
We performed two sets of experiments: hydrodynamic
measurements and heat and mass transfer measurements
in which the liquid solution was being sprayed into the
spouted bed.
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From article1
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More tips

Try not to use these word. They are redundant and

usually add no value to the sentence.
activity, case, character, characteristics, choice,
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circumstances, condition, consideration, criteria,

eventuality, facilities, factor, instance, intervention, nature,
observation, operation, phase, phenomenon, problem,
procedure, process, purpose, realization, remark, situation,
step, task, tendency, undertaking
Either remove or replace them with stronger words.
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More tips

Nevertheless, due to the complexity of the

physicochemical phenomena in polymerization
reactions and the nonlinearities arising from their
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mathematical models, reactor network synthesis in

polymerization processes remains a complicated and
time-consuming task.
Nevertheless, reactor network synthesis is complicated
due to the complexity of polymerization reactions and the
nonlinearity of mathematical models.
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From: article2
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More tips

Use “note that” to draw reader’s attention. Do NOT

use these:
It must be emphasized / stressed / noted / remarked /
underlined …
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It is interesting to observe that …

It is worthwhile bearing in mind / noting / mentioning that …
It is important to recall that …
As the reader with no doubt be aware …
We have to point out that …
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More tips

Use since/because instead of the following phrases:

considering that , given that , due to the fact that , on the
basis of the fact that , notwithstanding the fact that, in view
of the fact that , in consequence of the fact that
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 The pressure has no effect on the conversion due to

the fact that the reaction rate is not dependent on
pressure.
Pressure does not affect the conversion since the reaction
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rate is independent of it / does not depend on it.

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Shorten long phrases

A majority of most
A number of some/many
Are of the same opinion agree
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Less frequently occurring rare

All three of the the three
Give rise to cause
Due to the fact that because
Have an effect on affect
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Example

The expected prevalence of mental retardation, based

on the assumption that intelligence is normally
distributed, is about 2.5%.
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The expected prevalence of mental retardation, if

intelligence is normally distributed, is 2.5%.
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A few other tricks

Eliminate negatives

Eliminate unnecessary uses of “there are/there is”

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Omit needless prepositions

Shorten expressions and sentence connectors

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Eliminate negatives

 She was not often right

She was usually wrong.

She did not want to perform the experiment

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incorrectly.
She wanted to preform the experiment correctly.

They did not believe the drug was harmful.

They believed the drug was safe.
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Eliminate negatives

Not honest dishonest

Not harmful safe
Not important unimportant
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Does not have lacks

Did not remember forgot
Did not pay attention to ignored
Did not succeed failed
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Eliminate there are/there is

There are many ways in which we can arrange the

pulleys.
We can arrange the pulleys in many ways.
There was a long line of bacteria on the plate.
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Bacteria lined on the plate

There are systematic ways of altering the weighting
factors to generate different Pareto solutions.
Systematic altering of weighting factors can generate
different Pareto solutions.
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Eliminate there are/there is

The data confirm that there is an association between

vegetables and cancer.
The data confirm an association between vegetables and
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cancer.
Hence, there is a strong incentive to include detailed
MWDs into models for polymer quality control and
process design.
Hence, including detailed MWDs in the models is beneficial
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for polymer quality control and process design.

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X is large in comparison with Y

X is larger than Y.
This should be avoided since it is generally the case
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that it will fail.

This should be avoided since it generally/usually fails.
From a financial standpoint, it makes more sense to…
Financially, it makes more sense to…
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In the normal course of events normally

On many occasions often
A number of good times many times/ frequently
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From time to time occasionally

In a manual mode manually
From a conceptual point of view conceptually
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From the previous list of properties, it emerges that

cooperation with devices is a complex task
 Cooperation with devices is thus complex.
Under this respect , the design of a suitable gateway is
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necessary in order to guarantee the interoperability

between the gateway and other communication protocols.
The design of a suitable gateway is thus necessary to
guarantee the interoperability between the gateway and other
communication protocols.
Thus, guaranteed interoperability between gateway and other
communication protocols requires the design of a suitable
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gateway.
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Omit needless prepositions

For example, “that” and “on” are often unnecessary

The meeting happened on Monday.
The meeting happened Monday.
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They agreed that it was true.

They agreed it was true.
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Final examples

Anti-inflammatory drugs may be protective for the

occurrence of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Anti-inflammatory drugs may protect against Alzheimer’s
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Disease.
Clinical seizures have been estimated to occur in
0.5% to 2.3% of the neonatal population.
Clinical seizures occur in 0.5% to 2.3% of newborns
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Final examples

As we can see from Figure 2, if the return kinetic

energy is less than 3.2 Up, there will be two electron
trajectories associated with this kinetic energy.
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Figure 2 shows that a return kinetic energy less than 3.2

Up yields two electron trajectories.
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