title: Beyond style guides: suggestions for better scientific English.
abstract: The benefit of publishing research in English is obvious, but so is the problem: authors with a limited knowledge of English find it difficult to compete with their proficient colleagues. In this note, we offer suggestions for improving the English of papers in the biological sciences. The suggestions aim to help authors enhance writing skills, are based on our experiences as language correctors and do not appear in major guides to scientific writing. We also argue for the need for regular publication of language tips in the pages of science journals.
authors.affiliation: Scientific and Technical Information Unit, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13 Prospekt Entuziastov, Saratov 410049, Russian Federation. tychinin@ibppm.sgu.ru
authors.forename: Dmitry N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Tychinin
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kamnev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001695:Biology / Q000592:standards*; D035081:Editorial Policies; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards*; D012106:Research