强调重要信息时,既可以将其置于有影响力的位置,也可以直接表述为“most important,…” 或 “the key finding of this study was…”。削弱重要性不强的信息时,可以采取降级的方式,比如将其置于次要从句中。
例1 Information about the relation between WBCcount and hospital case fatality rates is limited. A link between WBC count andincreased long-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction may exist.
修改后的例1 Although information about the relation between WBC count and hospital casefatality rates is limited, a link between WBC count and increased long-termmortality after acute myocardial infarction may exist.
例2 TheHainan aborigines are an ethnic group living at the entrance route to SoutheastAsia and have been influenced little by relocation and migrations of otherethnic groups.
修改后的例2 The Hainan aborigines, anethnic group living at the entrance route to Southeast Asia, have beeninfluenced little by relocation and migrations of other ethnic groups.
2.省略不必要的总单词和短语
严格审阅论文,解剖每个句子,找出那些无意义的词语。一般来说,当存在两种词语的选择时,选择短的那个。通常可以省略的动词:describes, noted, was done, reported,noticed, observed, occurred, seen等。
例3 Jones et al. reported that intracellular calcium is releasedwhen adipocytes are stimulated with insulin. (15个词)
修改后的例3 Intracellular calcium is released whenadipocytes are stimulated with insulin (Jones et al., 1996) (10个)
例4 Products were verified by gel electrophoresis. The resultsare presented in figure 1. (13个词)
修改后的例4 Products were verified by gel electrophoresis (fig. 1) (6个词)
短语“it…that”通常可以替换或省略。这些短语多数是无意义的填充物,可以完全删除。例如:It is interesting to note that…通常可删除;In light of the fact that…可替代为because;It is possible that…可改写为(... may…, perhaps, possibly;It has been reported that…可替代为Taylor reported that…或参考文献[?])。
肯定的表达方式比否定的表达方式更简短。尤其重要的是,避免双重否定句,以免造成误解。如:Do not overlook改为note,Not infrequently改为frequently,Not many改为few;等等。
3.省略多余的细节
能够推测出的或不重要的细节可以省略。
例5 Using a 1 ml tip, we removed 750 µl of thealiquot into a new Eppendorf tube.
修改后的例5 We removed 750µl of the aliquot
例6 Resuspendedcells were transferred to a 0.4 cmcuvette (Bio-Rad) and electroporated using a Bio-Rad Gene Pulser.
修改后的例6 Resuspended cells were electroporated using aBio-Rad Gene Pulser.