When I start reviewing a manuscript, it's almost like I'm in trouble. Bad "scientific" english bothers me. Extreme typos bother me. Papers which talk about Fig 3B before talking about Fig 1A bother me. Papers written by grad students where they submit a draft of their thesis with words like "as shown in Section 3.2" totally bothers me. Seriously what or where is section 3.2 in a manuscript?
I'm reviewing one such paper right now. I'm quite frustrated with the paper (not that it's bad, but its just that I don't understand it since it's all about atherosclerosis and stuff...). So I turn to The Hindu, my favourite Indian newspaper to take a break. I read an article about Sowmya's kutcheri in Chennai and I must say the critic has totally bugged me. Here's what he writes .. http://www.thehindu.com/arts/article3331869.ece
Now, please read it and tell me, who writes like that? I'm really curious, WHY do people write like that? They take words out of GRE books /dictionaries and paste it together irrespective of whether it makes sense or not. Why can't people write proper, crisp sentences which are grammatically correct and simple to read and understand? Why this compulsive need to show off your vocabulary when it ultimately sounds like gibberish?
When you send something to be published, don't you read what you've written? Is it too much to ask for a simple article devoid of such blatant, annoying errors? I'm not asking for a perfect article/paper, but when I am able to pick up errors as they glare out loudly and blatantly at me, why can't the authors/editors/proof readers?? blah.
I'm reviewing one such paper right now. I'm quite frustrated with the paper (not that it's bad, but its just that I don't understand it since it's all about atherosclerosis and stuff...). So I turn to The Hindu, my favourite Indian newspaper to take a break. I read an article about Sowmya's kutcheri in Chennai and I must say the critic has totally bugged me. Here's what he writes .. http://www.thehindu.com/arts/article3331869.ece
Now, please read it and tell me, who writes like that? I'm really curious, WHY do people write like that? They take words out of GRE books /dictionaries and paste it together irrespective of whether it makes sense or not. Why can't people write proper, crisp sentences which are grammatically correct and simple to read and understand? Why this compulsive need to show off your vocabulary when it ultimately sounds like gibberish?
When you send something to be published, don't you read what you've written? Is it too much to ask for a simple article devoid of such blatant, annoying errors? I'm not asking for a perfect article/paper, but when I am able to pick up errors as they glare out loudly and blatantly at me, why can't the authors/editors/proof readers?? blah.
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