40. Peculiarities of style of scientific publications in English

The simplest rule for author should be: follow what you see in print. Writing texts for scientific journals has nothing common with literary works. In scientific text one is not permitted to use epithets, metaphors, allegories and other techniques characteristic to literary works. A style of scientific text in English (and in Russian) noticeably differs from a style of literary works, and also from a style of articles or short notes in the mass media, that is in newspapers and usual (nonscientific) journals. The style of scientific publications - is a formal style (formal English), for which the following peculiarities are typical: Use formal synonyms or words close by meaning. For example, instead of phrasal verbs (that is verb plus preposition) it is preferable to use more formal verbs, which often have Latin roots.

Some of them are listed below.

help out - assist - помочь

set up - establish - установить

go up - increase - увеличить

cut down - reduce - сократить

find out - discover - открыть

get rid of - eliminate - исключать

look into - investigate - исследовать

bring up - investigate - исследовать

go up and down - fluctuate - флуктуировать

bring about - cause - вызывать

do over - repeat - повторять

The same concerns other parts of speech: nouns, adjectives and adverbs.

good - considerable - значительный

get - obtain - получать

a lot - numerous - многочисленный

good - encouraging - поощряющий

not any - no - ни один

not  much - little - мало

not  many - few - немного

hard - difficult - трудный

once - after - после

fix - repair - починить

The standard order of sentence (The cat sat on a mat) until need to change it appears.

For example, if you have already written about the mat then it is better to write: On the mat sat a cat.

Absence of direct appeal to the reader. Instead of: You can see the results in Table 1. Write: The results can be seen in Table 1.

Absence of direct questions. Instead of: What can be done to reduce the energy loss?

Write: We now need to consider what can be done to reduce the energy loss. Or : We now need to demonstrate how the energy loss can be reduced.

Circumstance is placed in the middle of the sentence, before the predicate, but not in the end or beginning of the sentence, as it is in less formal texts. Instead of: The blood is withdrawn slowly. Write: The blood is slowly withdrawn.

Do not use short forms of negative sentences. Instead of: Export figures won't improve until the economy is stronger. Write: Export figures will not improve until the economy is stronger. Instead of: We didn't obtain new results. Write: We did not obtain new results.

Do not use expressions like "and so on" or "and so forth or etc." Instead of: This semiconductor can be used in robots, CD players, etc. Write: This semiconductor can be used in robots, CD players, and other electronic devices.

Active voice is used every where if possible. Sentences in passive voice are used only by necessity. Instead of: An increased appetite was manifested by the rats and an increase in body weight was measured. Write: The rats ate more and gained weight.

Do not use structures like "random leaf copper analysis".

Instead of such structure it is written " random analysis

of copper in leaves" or "analysis of copper in random leaves" in dependence on what is meant.

Вместо "recordings of mortality rate were made"

Instead of "recordings of mortality rate were made" it is written "Mortality rate was recorded";

Or instead of "our laboratory performed the research and development of " - "our laboratory researched and developed ").

face.

It is often that information is represented from the first. Instead of: It is thought. Write: I think

To summarize a description of stylistic peculiarities, one can say that all techniques listed make the scientific texts less subjective and more academic or dry.