國(guó)際交流 專(zhuān)業(yè)英語(yǔ) International Communication

Unit17

InternationalCommunication217.1HowtoWriteaScientificPaper17.2HowtoSubmitaScientificPaper17.3AttendanInternationalConference317.1HowtoWriteaScientificPaper

Ascientificpaperisawrittenandpublishedreportdescribingoriginalresearchresults.Thatshortdefinitionmustbequalified,however,bynotingthatascientificpapermustbewritteninacertainwayanditmustbepublishedinacertainway,asdefinedbythreecenturiesofdevelopingtradition,editorialpractice,scientificethics,andtheinterplayofprintingandpublishingprocedures.

1.Title

Thetitleofapaperisalabel.Itisnotasentence.Becauseitisnotasentence,withtheusualsubject,verb,objectarrangement,itisreallysimplerthanasentence(or,atleast,usuallyshorter),buttheorderofthewordsbecomesevenmoreimportant.4LengthoftheTitle

?Nottooshort

EXAMPLE17-1"StudiesonBrucella"submittedtotheJournalofBacteriology

AnalysisObviously,suchatitlewasnotveryhelpfultothepotentialreader.Wasthestudytaxonomic,genetic,biochemical,ormedical?Wewouldcertainlywanttoknowatleastthatmuch.

?Nottoolong

EXAMPLE17-2"Ontheadditiontothemethodofmicroscopicresearchbyanewwayofproducingcolour-contrastbetweenanobjectanditsbackgroundorbetweendefinitepartsoftheobjectitself"(J.Rheinberg,J.R.Microsc.Soc.1896:373).5AnalysisMuchmoreoften,titlesaretoolong.Ironically,longtitlesareoftenlessmeaningfulthanshortones.Agenerationorsoago,whensciencewaslessspecialized,titlestendedtobelongandnonspecific.Thatcertainlysoundslikeapoortitle;perhapsitwouldmakeagoodabstract.Withoutquestion,mostexcessivelylongtitlescontain"waste"words.Often,thesewastewordsappearrightatthestartofthetitle,wordssuchas"Studieson,""Investigationson,''and"Observationson."AnopeningA,An,orTheisalsoa"waste"word.Certainly,suchwordsareuselessforindexingpurposes.

6NeedforSpecificTitles

EXAMPLE17-3"ActionofAntibioticsonBacteria."

AnalysisIsitagoodtitle?Informitis;itisshortandcarriesnoexcessbaggage(wastewords).Certainly,itwouldnotbeimprovedbychangingitto"PreliminaryObservationsontheEffectofCertainAntibioticsonVariousSpeciesofBacteria."However,mosttitlesthataretooshortaretooshortbecausetheyincludegeneralratherthanspecificterms.Examplesofmoreacceptabletitlesare

"ActionofStreptomycinonMycobacteriumtuberculosis"

"ActionofStreptomycin,Neomycin,andTetracyclineonGram-PositiveBacteria"

"ActionofPolyeneAntibioticsonPlant-PathogenicBacteria"

"ActionofVariousAntifungalAntibioticsonCandidaalbicansandAspergillusfumigatus"

7ImportanceofSyntax

EXAMPLE17-4"MechanismofSuppressionofNontransmissiblePneumoniainMiceInducedbyNewcastleDiseaseVirus"submittedtotheJournalofBacteriology

AnalysisUnlessthisauthorhadsomehowmanagedtodemonstratespontaneousgeneration,itmusthavebeenthepneumoniathatwasinducedandnotthemice.(Thetitleshouldhaveread:"MechanismofSuppressionofNontransmissiblePneumoniaInducedinMicebyNewcastleDiseaseVirus.")

EXAMPLE17-5"IsolationofAntigensfromMonkeysUsingComplement-FixationTechniques."submittedtotheJournalofBacteriology

AnalysisBecarefulwhenyouuse"using."Theword"using"is,Ibelieve,themostcommondanglingparticipleinscientificwriting.Eithertherearesomemoresmartdogs,or"using"ismisusedinthissentencefromamanuscript:"Usingafiberopticbronchoscope,dogswereimmunizedwithsheepredbloodcells."

8AbbreviationsandJargon

Titlesshouldalmostnevercontainabbreviations,chemicalformulas,proprietary(ratherthangeneric)names,jargon,unusualoroutdatedterminology,andthelike.

2.Abstract

AnAbstractshouldbeviewedasaminiversionofthepaper.TheAbstractshouldprovideabriefsummaryofeachofthemainsectionsofthepaper:Introduction,MaterialsandMethods,Results,andDiscussion.AsHoughton(1975)putit,"Anabstractcanbedefinedasasummaryoftheinformationinadocument."

"Awell-preparedabstractenablesreaderstoidentifythebasiccontentofadocumentquicklyandaccurately,todetermineitsrelevancetotheirinterests,andthustodecidewhethertheyneedtoreadthedocumentinitsentirety"(AmericanNationalStandardsInstitute,1979b).9

TheAbstractshould(1)statetheprincipalobjectivesandscopeoftheinvestigation,(2)describethemethodsemployed,(3)summarizetheresults,and(4)statetheprincipalconclusions.Theimportanceoftheconclusionsisindicatedbythefactthattheyareoftengiventhreetimes:onceintheAbstract,againintheIntroduction,andagain(inmoredetailprobably)intheDiscussion.

EconomyofWords

ByfarthemostcommonfaultistheinclusionofextraneousdetailintheAbstract.ItisoffundamentalimportancethattheAbstractbewrittenclearlyandsimply.IfyoucannotattracttheinterestofthereviewerinyourAbstract,yourcausemaybelost.Veryoften,thereviewermaybeperilouslyclosetoafinaljudgmentofyourmanuscriptafterreadingtheAbstractalone.Thiscouldbebecausethereviewerhasashortattentionspan(oftenthecase).However,ifbydefinitiontheAbstractissimplyaveryshort10versionofthewholepaper,itisonlylogicalthatthereviewerwilloftenreachapreliminaryconclusion,andthatconclusionislikelytobethecorrectone.Usually,agoodAbstractisfollowedbyagoodpaper;apoorAbstractisaharbingerofwoestocome.

WhenwritingtheAbstract,examineeverywordcarefully.Ifyoucantellyourstoryin100words,donotuse200.Economicallyandscientifically,itdoesn'tmakesensetowastewords.

UsefulExpressionsandPatternsforAbstract

?Therehasbeenafocusonenergyconservationandrecyclinginthispaper.

?Inthispapertheauthorexaminesthepossibilitiesofreducingenvironmentalpollutionandairbornepollution.

?Theauthorofthispaperpresentsthedataintermsofbasicinputsandoutputsforthisnewtypeofthecomputer.11?Wepresentsomeobservations,boththeoreticalandexperimental,concerningtheeffectsoftheplannedandmarketeconomics.

?Thispaperpresentsresultsfromaninvestigationofthechemicalcompositionofthelightaromatichydrocarbonsinseveralsamplesofpetroleumasphalt,bymeansof,acombinationofchromatographic,chemicalandspectroscopicmethods.

?Thebriefhistoryofhumandevelopmentispresentedinthefirstpartofthepaper.

?Thedetailedcharacterizationoftheaspectsoflanguageandlearninganalysisispresented..

?Theauthordescribesthenetworkandtechnicalaspectsofanewtransmultiplexequipment.

?Performancegoalsandvariousapproachestoachievethemaredescribedinthispaper.12

?Themodeldescribesboththestaticanddynamicaspectsoftheelectricfield.

?Theresultsonmaleandfemalecommunicationstylearereported.

?Thepaperreportsofthebackgroundandhistoryofthebrainstudyproject.

?Stepstakentoimprovethecompetitioninthefinancialindustryarereported.

?Figuresofmerit,programdevelopmenttoolsandtherequiredprotocolforsuchanexperimentareintroducedandevaluatedbymeansofasequenceofgeneratingfunctions.

?Thesoftwarepackageaccountsforthecontributionofthedoublespacingorjustifiedorcenteredtextforthewordprocesser.

?Theauthorherecharacterizesthemostgeneralexpressionfortheinfinitedimensionalalgebra.133.Introduction

ThepurposeoftheIntroductionshouldbetosupplysufficientbackgroundinformationtoallowthereadertounderstandandevaluatetheresultsofthepresentstudywithoutneedingtorefertopreviouspublicationsonthetopic.TheIntroductionshouldalsoprovidetherationaleforthepresentstudy.Aboveall,youshouldstatebrieflyandclearlyyourpurposeinwritingthepaper.Choosereferencescarefullytoprovidethemostimportantbackgroundinformation.MuchoftheIntroductionshouldbewritteninthepresenttense,becauseyouwillbereferringprimarilytoyourproblemandtheestablishedknowledgerelatingtoitatthestartofyourwork.

SuggestedrulesforagoodIntroductionareasfollows:

(1)TheIntroductionshouldpresentfirst,withallpossibleclarity,thenatureandscopeoftheprobleminvestigated.

(2)Itshouldreviewthepertinentliteraturetoorientthereader.14(3)Itshouldstatethemethodoftheinvestigation.Ifdeemednecessary,thereasonsforthechoiceofaparticularmethodshouldbestated.

(4)Itshouldstatetheprincipalresultsoftheinvestigation.

(5)Itshouldstatetheprincipalconclusion(s)suggestedbytheresults.

CitationsandAbbreviations

Ifyouhavepreviouslypublishedapreliminarynoteorabstractofthework,youshouldmentionthis(withthecitation)intheIntroduction.Ifcloselyrelatedpapershavebeenorareabouttobepublishedelsewhere,youshouldsaysointheIntroduction,customarilyatortowardtheend.Suchreferenceshelptokeeptheliteratureneatandtidyforthosewhomustsearchit.

15UsefulExpressionsandPatternsforIntroduction

Muchresearchhasbeencarriedoutto…

?Recently,someinterestingapproachhasbeensuggested/proposed…

?Recently,someinterestingapproachesfortransmittingdiversityhavebeensuggested.

?TheissueofanxietyinL2learninghasbeenwidelyrecognizedforitssignificantimpactontheL2learners.

?Supplychainmanagementhasbeenhailedinthepopularandacademicpressesasacostsavingandvalue-creatingprocess.

?Theeffectivemanagementofinformationsystems(IS)projectscontinuestobeacriticalorganizationalchallengeandimperative,particularlyinordertoensureintegrationbetweeninformationtechnologiesandbusinessprioritiesandactivities.

?Verylittleisknownabout…

16?Littlehasbeenpublishedon…

?Thereis,however,verylittleliteraturethatreveals…

?Researchisstillneededon…

?…researchhaslargelyignored…

?Theaimofthispaperistodiscuss/examine/investigate…

?Thegoalofthispaperistoanswer/discuss/investigate…

?Thepurposeinthispaperistodiscuss…

?Itisthegoaltotrytoreveal…

?Thispaperdescribes…

?Thisarticleinvestigates…

?Verylittlehasbeenwrittenabout…

?Verylittleisunderstoodabout…17?Thispapershowsanapproachto…

?Thegenesisofthisresearchprojectwastoinvestigate…

?Thepurposeofthisstudyistoexamine…

?Thisstudypresentsanattempttoprovide…

?Thecurrentstudyattemptstodescribe…4.Body

Contrarytopopularbelief,youshouldn'tstarttheResultssectionbydescribingmethodsthatyouinadvertentlyomittedfromtheMaterialsandMethodssection.

ThereareusuallytwoingredientsoftheResultssection.First,youshouldgivesomekindofoveralldescriptionoftheexperiments,providingthe"bigpicture,"without,however,repeatingtheexperimentaldetailspreviouslyprovidedinMaterialsandMethodssection.Second,youshouldpresentthedata.Yourresultsshouldbepresentedinthepasttense.18HowtoHandleNumbers

Ifoneoronlyafewdeterminationsaretobepresented,theyshouldbetreateddescriptivelyinthetext.Repetitivedeterminationsshouldbegivenintablesorgraphs.

Anydeterminations,repetitiveorotherwise,shouldbemeaningful.Supposethat,inaparticulargroupofexperiments,anumberofvariablesweretested(oneatatime,ofcourse).Thosevariablesthataffectthereactionbecomedeterminationsordataand,ifextensive,aretabulatedorgraphed.Thosevariablesthatdonotseemtoaffectthereactionneednotbetabulatedorpresented;however,itisoftenimportanttodefineeventhenegativeaspectsofyourexperiments.Itisoftengoodinsurancetostatewhatyoudidnotfindundertheconditionsofyourexperiments.Someoneelseverylikelymayfinddifferentresultsunderdifferentconditions.19AvoidRedundancy

DonotbeguiltyofredundancyintheResults.Themostcommonfaultistherepetitioninwordsofwhatisalreadyapparenttothereaderfromexaminationofthefiguresandtables.Evenworseistheactualpresentation,inthetext,ofallormanyofthedatashowninthetablesorfigures.ThisgravesiniscommittedsofrequentlythatIcommentonitatlength,withexamples,inthechaptersonhowtopreparethetablesandillustrations.

EXAMPLE17-6"ItisclearlyshowninTable1thatnocillininhibitedthegrowthofN.gonorrhoeae."

AnalysisDonotbeverboseincitingfiguresandtables.It’sbettertosay"NocillininhibitedthegrowthofN.gonorrhoeae(Table1)."

20TextualCoherenceThroughExemplificationSignals

?Anillustration/exampleofthismightbe…

?Thisisbestillustrated/exemplifiedby…

?Bodymovementshavemeaning.Forexample/Forinstance,theliftingofaneyebrowfordisbelief.

?Facialexpressionscanshowcharacteristicssuchasfearandarrogance…

?Bodymovementshavemeaning.Ifthespeakershrugshisshoulders,itmightindicateindifference.

21TextualCoherenceThroughComparisonandContrastSignals

?SkinnerisasinterestedasWatsoninchangingbehavior.

?LikeWatson,Skinnerbelievesinchangingbehavior.

?SkinnerissimilartoWatsoninthattheybelieveinchangingbehavior.

?Bothmenbelievethatbehaviorcanbechanged.

?ThereareseveralsimilaritiesbetweenSkinnerandWatson.

?SkinnerresemblesWatsoninthattheybothbelieveinchangingbehavior.

?Skinner,too,believesinchangingbehaviorthroughconditioning.

?Watsonexplainedbehaviorintermsofstimulus-response,andsodoesSkinner.

?Watsondidnotfocusonbehaviorwhichcouldnotbemeasured,andneitherdoesSkinner.

?JustasWatsonbelievedinstimulus-response,soSkinnerisinterestedprimarilyinchangingbehaviorthroughconditioning.

22?Watsonbelievedinstimulus-response.Similarly/Likewise/Correspondingly/Inthesameway/Inlikemanner,Skinnerisinterestedprimarilyinchangingbehaviorthroughconditioning.

?TheBritishsystemislessstablethantheAmericansystem.

?Asopposedto/Incontrastto/UnliketheAmericansystem,theBritishsystemhasapluralexecutive.

?TheBritishsystemcontrastswith/differsfromtheAmericaninthatithasapluralexecutive.

?Therearemanydifferences/contrastsbetweenthetwosystems.

?TheBritishsystemisdifferentfrom/dissimilartotheAmericansystem.

?TheBritishsystemhasapluralexecutive,buttheAmericansystem…

?TheBritishsystemhasapluralexecutive.TheAmericansystem,however/incontrast/ontheotherhand,hasasingularexecutive.

23TextualCoherenceThroughDivisionandClassification

?Therearethree/severaltypes/kindsofmanagerialskills.

?Managerialskillscanbeclassified/dividedintothreetypes.

?Thefirstcategoryiscomposedof/iscomprisedof/consistsofnecessarytechniques.

?Therearethreetypesofmanagerialskills.

?Third/Finally/Inaddition/Then,thereareconceptualskills.

?Thethirdcategory/Stillanothertype/Thefinalkindisconceptualskills.

?technical,human,andconceptualskills

?(1)technical,(2)human,and(3)conceptualskills

?(a)technical,(b)human,and(c)conceptualskills

?technicalskills,humanskills,andconceptualskills

?While/WhereastheBritishsystemhasapluralexecutive;theAmericansystemhasasingularone.24TextualCoherenceThroughChronologySignals

?(actionortime),then/atthatpoint/afterthat/afterwards/thereafter/beforethat/meanwhile/duringthistime(action).

?While/Before/After/When/Bythetime/As(action).

?inancienttime,onmarch1,in1864,attheendofthewar

?aperiod,acentury,adecade

?Paciolifelttheneedforkeepingrecordsofbusinesstransactions,andhedecidedtodescribethetechniqueofdoubleentrybookkeeping.

?Havingfelttheneedforkeepingrecordsofbusinesstransactions,Paciolidecidedtodescribethetechniqueofdoubleentrybookkeeping.

25TextualCoherenceThroughProcessSignals

?Toinsureasmooth-runningalibi,apersonshouldstartfeigningillnessatleastonedaypriortocallinginsick.

?Itisyourday,andit’sjustbegun.

?Thefirstpartofyourmissionhasbeenaccomplished.

?Finally,beforeyouleavetheofficemakesurethatallofyourworkiscaughtup.

?Youarenowfreetohaveanenjoyableevening,alongorwithafriend.

?Apersonthathasatrulysoundillnessalibistillhassomefollow-upworktodo.

?BeforeyouturnoffintothelandofNod,setyouralarmclockforjustafewminutestillstartingtimeforwork.

?Inthefinalstage,don’tletyourconsciencebotheryouwhenco-workerssaywithgreatsympathythatmaybeyoushouldnothavecomebacktoworksosoon.

26TextualCoherenceThroughCausalitySignals

?acauseof,areasonfor,aresult/consequenceof

?Organizationscause/leadto/create/resultin/produce/contributetocommunicationbarriers.

?Communicationbarriersresultfrom/stemfromtheformalstructuresoforganizations.

?toberesponsiblefor,acausalrelationship,aresultantcondition,acontributingfactor

?Organizationscreatebarriers,fortheyhaveformalstructures.

?Organizationshaveformalstructures,sotheycreatebarriers.

?…formalstructures;therefore/consequently/asaresult/becauseofthis/forthisreason/hence,theycreatebarriers.

?Because/Sinceorganizationshaveformalstructures,theycreatebarriers.

?Therearesomanylayersthatthemessagegetsdistorted.

?Thefactthattheyhaveformalstructuresexplainswhytheycreatebarriers.

27TextualCoherenceThroughSpatialSignals

?theedge,thecenter,thelowerstratum

?…thetinyfibersthatextend/stretch/move/runoutwardfrom…

?Theshortfibersbranchingoutaround/from/through/outsidethecellbody…

?south/north,top/bottom,right/left,internal/external

?…theaxonsthatrunfromthebraintothebaseofthespinalcordcansometimesbeaslongas3feet,butmostaxonsareonlyaninchortwoinlength.

28TextualCoherenceThroughDefinitionSignals

?Retrievalistheprocessbywhichwedrawupontheinformationinmemory.

?Motivatedforgettingreferstotheinabilitytorememberthingsthatwedonotwanttoremember.

?Acommitteemaybedefinedasanygroupinteractinginregardtoacommon,explicitpurposewithformalauthoritydelegatedfromandappointingexecutive.

?Computerprogrammers(peoplewhowriteinstructionsforcomputers)andsystemanalysts(peoplewhoanalyzeproblemsandrecommendsolutions)designedandimplementedtheapplicationsbystudyingtheproblems,thesametaskthatclerkspreviouslyperformed.

?Thosepsychologistswhohaveappliedbasicknowledgeinthesubdisciplinesofmotivation,learning,andpersonalitytoanunderstandingofworkbehaviorinorganizationhaveidentifiedthemselvesasindustrialpsychologists.

29UsefulExpressionsandPatternsforGraphs

?adatagraph/chart/diagram/illustration/table;piechart;barchart/histogram;linechart/curvediagram;table;flowchart/sequencediagram;processing/procedurediagram

?rapid/rapidly

?dramatic/dramatically

?significant/significantly

?sharp/sharply

?steep/steeply

?steady/steadily

?gradual/gradually

?slow/slowly

?slight/slightly

30?stable/stably

?significantchanges?noticeabletrend

?duringthesameperiod

?grow/grew

?distribute

?unequally

?inthecaseofadv.

?intermsof/inrespectof/regarding

?incontrast

?governmentpolicy

31?marketforces

?measure

?forecast

?show/describe/illustrate/canbeseenfrom

?clear/apparent

?reveal/represent5.Conclusion

UsefulExpressionsandPatternsforConclusion

?Thedata;thisstudy;theresults;thiscomparison;theobservation;thenewfindings;thiswork,etc.32?provide;indicate;reveal;present;throwlighton;expose;illustrate;examine;suggest;identify,etc.

?Theresultsdescribedherearecompatiblewithwhatonecouldhaveexpectedonthebasisofthegeneralunderstandingofvesicleinformation.

?Thefindingsareroughlyconsistentwith…

?Thedatapresentedhereofferlittleornosupportfortheideathat…

?Thesefindingsseemtocontradicttheviewthat..

?Theresultsisconsistentwiththeviewthat…

?Thefindingsarecoherentwith…

?Thisresultcorrespondstotheviewthat…?Thedataprovidedbythisprojecthasrevealedthat…

33?Thisworkpresentsevidenceofamorecomplexrolefor…

?Theresultspresentedhereprovideanewstructuralbasistofurtherexperimentsrequiredforadetailedunderstandingofthecomplexmechanismof…

?Thisworkprovidesnewsightinto…

?Thenewfindingsprovideaclearerpictureofthisrapidlyandchaoticallyevolvingsystem.

?Thisarticlehasgonebeyonddefinitionanddescriptionofreligiontoexaminethequestionoftheuniquenessofreligiononempiricalgrounds.

?Thisarticlehasofferedadifferentpossibility,thatthereissomethinguniqueaboutreligioninandofitself.

?Itshouldbenotedthatthisstudyhasexaminedonly…

?Thisanalysishasconcentratedon…

?Thefindingsofthisstudyarerestrictedto…

346.Acknowledgments

Twopossibleingredientsrequireconsideration.First,youshouldacknowledgeanysignificanttechnicalhelpthatyoureceivedfromanyindividual,whetherinyourlaboratoryorelsewhere.Youshouldalsoacknowledgethesourceofspecialequipment,cultures,orothermaterials.Youmight,forexample,saysomethinglike"ThanksareduetoJ.JonesforassistancewiththeexperimentsandtoR.Smithforvaluablediscussion."(Ofcourse,mostofuswhohavebeenaroundforawhilerecognizethatthisissimplyathinlyveiledwayofadmittingthatJonesdidtheworkandSmithexplainedwhatitmeant.)Second,itisusuallytheAcknowledgmentswhereinyoushouldacknowledgeanyoutsidefinancialassistance,suchasgrants,contracts,orfellowships.(Inthesedays,youmightsnidelymentiontheabsenceofsuchgrants,contracts,orfellowships.)

35UsefulExpressionsandPatternsforAcknowledgement

?Theauthorsgratefullyacknowledgethissupport.

?…acknowledgethecontributionsmadeby…

?…acknowledgetheassistanceof…in…

?…acknowledgethecontributionsof…in…

?…acknowledgethecommentandissuesraisedby…on…for…

?…acknowledge…who…

?Thecontributionsof/madeby…aregratefullyacknowledged.

?…thank…for…

?…begrateful/indebtedto…for…

?…specialthanksgoto…for…

?…record…thanksto…who…

?…thank…who…3617.2HowtoSubmitaScientificPaper

1.ChoosingaJournal

Scienceisn’tcompleteuntilithasbeenpublished,andthefirststepinthatprocessisidentifyingyouraudienceandchoosingajournaltosubmitthepaperto.

Thepressuretoberelevantcanleadtostudiesthatprovideinformationusefultolocalmanagersorindustriesbutmaynotofferknowledgethatwouldberelevanttoaglobalaudience.Thepressuretosucceed,however,canleadresearcherstosubmitthosepaperstohigh-profilejournalsevenwhentheymaynotbeagoodfit.Manypaperswererigorouslydonebutonlyofferinformation.Inthesepapers,authorsoftenhighlightthatwhatisnovelisthatitpresentsthefirstdataonaprocessinanewregion—tracegasemissions,nitrification,andsoon.Butthepaperwasrejected.?…owemuchto…who…

?Muchindebtednessisowedto…372.CheckingYourManuscript

?MakesureyouhavetotallyfollowedtheInstructionstoAuthorfromthechosenjournalwhichusuallysuppliesinstructionsontheirwebsites.

?Unlessthejournal(orthestylemanualitsaystouse)instructsotherwisefollowtheseguidelines:

Doublespace.

Usemarginsofatleast1inch(atleastabout25mm).

Starteachsectionofthemanuscriptonanewpage.Figurelegendsaregroupedonaseparatepage.Normally,thetables,figures,andthefigurelegendsshouldbeassembledatthebackofthemanuscript.(Though,somejournalsaskedauthorstoinserttheminthetext.)

?GiveyourmanuscripttoanEnglish-speakingfriendorcolleaguetogooverbeforeyousubmit.Thiscanbeuseful,butitisrecommendednottorelyonafrienddownthe38hallasyouronlylanguagecheck—atleast,notunlesstheyarebothagoodfriendandagoodeditor.Theeditorshavesentbacktoomanypapersthatwereeditedbyfriendswhohadn’tdoneanadequatejob,andhavehadsome“politedisagreements”withauthorswhoweresurethatbecausetheirAmericanfriendlookeroverthepaperitmustbeokay.Editingisdifficultandtime-consuming.Mostfriendsdon’thavethetime,andmanydon’thavetheskills,todoacompleteandcarefulword-by-wordedit.

?Thereareprofessionalservicesthatdothis;someareexcellent,andtheyaren’tveryexpensive.Somepublisherslisteditingservicesontheirwebsites.Afterspendingtheequivalentthousandsofdollarstodotheresearch,spendingafewhundredmoretoensurethefinalpaperisofthehighestpossiblecaliberisasmallandworthwhileinvestment.Whenyouneedthejobdonewell,useaskilledprofessional.

?Inadditiontoproofreadingthemanuscriptyourself,trytohavesomeonedosowhohasnotseenthemanuscriptbeforeandsomaynoticeproblemsthatyoumiss.393.CoverLetter

Itisworthnotingthatyoushouldalwayssendacoverletterwiththemanuscript.Manuscriptswithoutcoverlettersposeimmediateproblems:Towhichjournalisthemanuscriptbeingsubmitted?Isitanewmanuscript,arevisionrequestedbyaneditor(and,ifso,whicheditor?),oramanuscriptperhapsmisdirectedbyarevieweroraneditor?Ifthereareseveralauthors,whichoneshouldbeconsideredthesubmittingauthor,atwhichaddress?40SampleCoverLetter

DearDr.________:

EnclosedaretwocompletecopiesofamanuscriptbyMaryQ.SmithandJohnL.Jonestitled"FattyAcidMetabolisminCedecianeteri,"whichisbeingsubmittedforpossiblepublicationinthePhysiologyandMetabolismsectionoftheJournalofBacteriology.

Thismanuscriptisnew,isnotbeingconsideredelsewhere,andreportsnewfindingsthatextendresultswereportedearlierinTheJournalofBiologicalChemistry(145:112–117,1992).Anabstractofthismanuscriptwaspresentedearlier(Abstr.Annu.Meet.Am.Soc.Microbiol.,p.406,1993).