Common Errors of Grammar and Usage in Article Writing

The following errors seem to me to be the most frequent in journal writing (listed alphabetically): Compared with versus Compared to. Similar orders of things are compared with one another; different orders of things are compared to one another: "Let me not compare thee with previous lovers I have had; rather, let me compare thee to a summer’s day.
Different from versus Different than. The first is correct, the second, incorrect (although, alas for us purists, very common and gaining respectability). The confusion arises because than correctly follows comparative adjectives. Thus you are correct to suppose that life is more than psychology that living a good life is harder in many respects than writing a good article, and that living well requires broader skills than does writing well. Just remember that life is different from psychology that living a good life is different in many respects from writing a good article, and that living well requires skills different from those required for writing well.

Since versus Because. Since means "after that." It should not be used as a substitute for because if there is any ambiguity of interpretation. Wrong (but at least not ambiguous): "Since the study of motivation is a high and hazardous undertaking, I wish fewer people would meddle with it." Better: "Because the study of motivation is a high and hazardous undertaking, I wish fewer people would meddle with it." Ambiguous: "Since I read Montaigne, I have been tempted to abandon the study of motivation." This last case is correct if the writer is using since in the temporal sense: "Ever since reading Montaigne, I have been tempted ..." It is incorrect if the writer means because.

That versus Which. Those clauses (called restrictive) are essential to the meaning of the sentence; which clauses (called nonrestrictive) merely add additional information. The following example illustrates the correct use of both words: "Dissonance theory, which has received major attention, is one of the theories that postulates a motivational process. Thus, if a person holds two cognitions that are inconsistent..." Most which’s in journal writing are incorrect. You should go on a which hunt in your own manuscripts and turn most of them into that’s.

While versus Although, But, Whereas. While means "at the same time" and in most cases cannot substitute for these other words. Wrong: "While inferential statistics are important, descriptive statistics are the heart of your narrative." Right: "Although inferential statistics are important, descriptive statistics are the heart of your narrative." Or, "Inferential statistics are important, but descriptive statistics are the heart of your narrative On the other hand, the following usage is correct:

Publishing Your Article

Long ago and far away, a journal editor allegedly accepted a manuscript that required no revisions. I believe the author was William James. In other words, if your article is provisionally accepted for publication "pending revisions in accord with the reviewers’ comments," you should be deliriously happy. Publication is now virtually under your control.

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