Decoding Scientific Writing
Some time ago, The Mill (YSA's research laboratories) published an article about the different types of scientific proof.1 Of course, not all of us remember every word of that article, which is why it is on our website (www.ysa.org.au/themill).
Here, we present the latest work in understanding scientific articles. Not content with elucidating new theories and teaching correct scientific method, our Millers want to make sure you know the meaning behind those commonly use phrases like "it has long been known" and "it is believed".
Decoding Scientific Writing
| What they say | What they mean |
|---|---|
| It has long been known | I haven't bothered to look up references |
| It is believed | I think |
| It is generally believed | A couple of other guys think so too |
| It is not unreasonable to assume | If you believe this you'll believe anything |
| Of great theoretical importance | I can get some mileage out of it |
| Typical results have shown | The best results are showing |
| These samples were chosen for further study | The others didn't make sense so we ignored them |
| The 4 hour sample was not studied | I dropped it on the floor |
| The 4 hour determination may not be significant | I dropped it on the floor but scooped most of it up |
| The significance of these results is unclear | Look at the pretty artefact |
| It has not been possible to provide definitive answers | The experiment was negative but at least I can publish the data somewhere |
| Correct within an order of magnitude | Wrong |
| It might be argued | I have such a good answer for this objection that I shall now raise it |
| Much additional work will be required | This paper is not very good but neither are all the others in this miserable field |
| These investigations proved highly rewarding | My grant is going to be renewed |
| I thank X for assistance with the experiment and Y for useful discussions on the interpretation of the data | X did the experiments and Y explained it to me |
(1) Mill, T.; How to Prove It, YSA News, 1999 (www.ysa.org.au/themill).
The Researchers at The Mill are interested in hearing about your unpublished research or new and interesting theories. If you have something in which you think our team would be interested, send it to us by email or snail mail to your YSA Chapter. Prizes will be awarded to good contributions as judged by the senior researchers.
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The Mill
themill@ysa.org.au.
Copyright © 2000 YSA Sydney Inc. for The Young Scientists of Australia
Last Modified: Monday, 08-Sep-2003 10:24:09 EST
