Interdisciplinary Research Manual - Units.muohio.edu

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When used as a single adjective modifying the noun that follows, hyphenate
words like “problem-based” and “well-recognized” since “based” and “well” are not
stand-alone modifiers. When they come after the noun being modified, they need not be
hyphenated. Thus “His problem-based approach to education is well recognized.”
Common Wording Errors. Refer to your project as a “project,” not a “thesis”
or “paper.”
Refer to your project and its chapters in the present tense; e.g., “The next chapter
lays out…” not “The next chapter will lay out…” [since the project is already written by
the time the reader encounters it]
Refer to yourself as “I” not “we” unless you have a co-author.
A writer or speaker can “imply”; a reader or listener can “infer.”
The “tenets” of Christianity, not the “tenants” of Christianity [since the reference
is to beliefs not renters]
“Data” is a plural noun, so “These data indicate”; the singular is “datum.”
“Media” is a plural noun, so “Media affect”; the singular is “medium.”
“Government” is a noun and “governmental” is the corresponding adjective, so
refer to “governmental agencies” not “government agencies.”
“Number” of supporters (since you can count them), but “amount” of support
(which you can’t count).
As a noun, “effect” is a result and “affect” is emotion; as a verb, “effect” is to
cause or bring about and “affect” is merely to influence.
Use “very” once in a project at most, since its overuse has so diluted its
effectiveness as a generalized intensifier that it actually weakens instead of intensifies. If
you wish to stress a point, find a specific intensifier that fits that situation: “The President
was even more inarticulate than usual” instead of “The President was very inarticulate.”
If others are following you right now, you “lead”; if they are no longer following
you, you “led.”
The “principal” means is the primary one; “principle” is a noun and it refers to a
moral standard.
“Apart from” but “a part of”
“Cannot” not “can not”
Be consistent in capitalizing titles in your bibliography. Sub-titles, however, can
be all capitalized, all lower case, or only the first word capitalized; e.g., Central
American Political Culture: Studies in emerging democracies.
In written English where one cannot point, “this” is a pronoun that must modify
an identifiable noun; it cannot modify a phrase, a sentence, or a paragraph. When “This”
starts a sentence, it must be followed immediately by the noun it modifies (e.g., This
project); otherwise it refers to the last noun in the preceding sentence.
“Complimentary” refers to saying something nice about someone;
“complementary” refers to something that goes well with something else.
Use “between” when you are comparing two things and “among” when you are
comparing three or more.
An author “cites” a source, whereas “sites” are locations.
Labeling something as “interesting” is not terribly informative, so provide some
indication of what makes it interesting.