Reviewing and editing scientific papers part 2: Correct use of scientific symbols and signs
This article is part of the series Reviewing and Editing Scientific Papers. In the first part we addressed: The Importance of Peer Review. In this post, we will discuss details about the correct use of scientific symbols and signs, as well as their impact on the publication of academic articles. We will still have to review the topics "how to develop your writing style" and "effective presentation of the images."
It’s not a pleasure to read scientific articles or posts written by researchers who make incorrect use of symbols and signs. I understand it, since this knowledge is not commonly taught in the classrooms of engineering or science careers. My advice to the students and novel researchers is that they need to dedicate some spare time to learn the correct usage of the symbols or signs.
In my point of view, I consider that the use of dashes is a common error in scientific articles. Among the main dashes are the following four:
Image created by @ritch. License: Public domain.
By sharing these advices with you is only to alert you to pay attention to the correct use of symbols and signs. If you do not use the symbols correctly, then ask yourself: What were symbols and signs invented for?
1. Introduction
Scientific symbols are a set of letters or signs that allow us to express an idea with a conventional meaning [1]. Regarding the review of articles, the misuse of symbols reflects a lack of care and knowledge of the author. As a reviewer, I wonder, if authors are not careful when using symbols, will they be careful when performing their research experiments? This question usually leads me to find many negative details in the manuscripts, which does not make me happy when I send my comments to the editor.
My students know that misusing the symbols for quickly handing me their research work will only delay them because I will not revise it until they have accomplished with that point. Once they learned how to use symbols correctly, they are happy to see how their manuscripts, theses, and reports look more aesthetic and professional. In the end, they are always grateful to have learned to use the symbols and signs at the beginning of their careers, since it is a valuable knowledge that they will use during their entire academic career.
I recommend that you be careful not to place empty spaces between the dash and the text or number. Now, I can share with you some examples of when it is evident more than one mistake in the use of symbols and signs:
❶ Original: 1x10-9 m. Revised: 1×10−9m
❷ Original: -5 oC. Revised: −5 °C
❸ Original: 610 - 987 cm-1. Revised: 610–987 cm−1
Can you appreciate the differences?
2. Use of Unicode
The Unicode codes allow us to make sure to use the correct symbol, which can be used either in the Microsoft Word processor or as an html code for a website [2]. In Word, we type the Character Code of the symbol we want to use, which can be found by following Insert> Symbol> More symbols. Once we select the symbol to insert, we look at the bottom of the window where it says the character code of Unicode (hex). We write that code on the document in Word, select it and then type ALT + X, by doing that we will have the symbol in the document. In this case, it is not important if the X is lowercase or uppercase (x, X).
Regarding html, we will use the same character code and add the following characters so that they appear in Steemit's publications. It is necessary to use the code for html in the following table and follow this format: <p>html code</p>. You can find more information and more hexadecimal Unicode codes in this link . [3]. I share a list of scientific symbols and signs that I consider important:
Table 1: Unicode and html codes of the most common symbols used in research papers.
|
Name |
Symbol |
For Word |
For HTML |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Angstrom |
Å |
212B + Alt+X |
Å |
|
Degree |
° |
B0 + Alt+X |
° |
|
Hyphen |
‐ |
2010 + Alt+X |
‐ |
|
En dash |
– |
2013 + Alt+X |
– |
|
Em dash |
— |
2014 + Alt+X |
— |
|
Minus |
− |
2212 + Alt+X |
− |
|
Approximately equal to |
≈ |
2248 + Alt+X |
≈ |
|
Almost equal to |
∼ |
223C + Alt+X |
∼ |
|
Micro |
µ |
B5 + Alt+X |
µ |
|
Copyright |
© |
A9 + Alt+X |
© |
|
Arrow to the right |
→ |
2192 + Alt+X |
→ |
|
Cross Arrows |
⇌ |
21CC + Alt+X |
⇌ |
|
Alpha |
α |
3B1 + Alt+X |
α |
|
Beta |
β |
3B2 + Alt+X |
β |
|
Gamma |
γ |
3B3 + Alt+X |
γ |
|
Tetha |
θ |
3B8 + Alt+X |
θ |
|
Eta |
η |
3B7 + Alt+X |
η |
|
Lambda |
λ |
3BB + Alt+X |
λ |
|
Ohm |
Ω |
2126 + Alt+X |
Ω |
|
Multiplication |
× |
00D7 + Alt+X |
× |
|
Middle dot |
⸱ |
2E31 + Alt+X |
⸱ |
|
Plus-Minus |
± |
B1 + Alt+X |
± |
|
Pi |
π |
03C0 + Alt+X |
C0; |
|
Registered mark |
® |
AE + Alt+X |
&#AE; |
Let's finish the table here, but now that you know which symbol is the right one, you have to make your own reference table with the symbols and signs that you use most in your area and remember to use it every time you write.
Among these symbols, be careful with the use of the degree, since sometimes you could think of using the "o" or the number "zero" as a superscript to indicate the degree, but the reader can misinterpret it. If we compare them, we would have that oC y 0C are not the same as Celsius degree °C. Another confusing symbol is the use a simple tilde ~ or double tilde ≈ to refer to an approximate value of a number, the difference is that the double tilde refers to a value more accurate than the simple tilde (less exact).
Finally, when referring to a multiplication it is necessary to use the correct symbol, see in the previous table. Most of the time the authors use an "x" instead of the multiplication sign ×. The middle dot (word separator) is important in the area of chemistry to indicate that a compound is hydrated, for example: cobalt nitrate hexahydrate, Co(NO3)2⸱6H2O.
Conclusion
Be sure to be using the correct scientific sign or symbol when you write research papers, theses, or publications on Steemit.
References:
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Best regards,
Ricardo @ritch
(Discord: Ritch#6321)
[1] https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%ADmbolo. Access on June 29, 2019.
[2] https://support.office.com/es-es/article/insertar-s%C3%ADmbolos-y-caracteres-ascii-o-unicode-basados-en-el-alfabeto-latino-d13f58d3-7bcb-44a7-a4d5-972ee12e50e0. Access on June 29, 2019.
[3] https://www.w3schools.com/charsets/ref_utf_symbols.asp. Access on June 29, 2019.
If I may give a small remark: I personally would not put research papers and posts on Steem on the same footings, to be honest. :)
Thanks @lemouth for your comment. I'll follow your recommendation in my next publications.
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I was not really recommending anything. I was more surprised that you were putting scientific publications and articles on Steem on a same footing.
Excelente trabajo mi estimado Ricardo, sigue así. El equipo mexicano esta dando su apoyo y te mandamos un abrazo. :)
Gracias por el apoyo de todo su equipo. Saludos!
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