I have noticed numerous mistakes that people commonly make in text that is written using computers. Some of these observations are reported here, in no particular order. Please read this file carefully (use a large font on your web browser to be able to read it), get the rules here by-heart, and you will produce better text.
Each fullstop is followed by a space (but never preceded by one). Say
her badly. Then
and not
her badly.Then
or
her badly . Then
Same rules for a comma: never put a space before, always put a space after.
Capitalise the common noun in cross-references. I.e., say
we will return to this issue in Section 4
and not
we will return to this issue in section 4
The standard common nouns here are Section, Figure and Table. Do not use the word Chart, only MBAs do that.
Be careful about excess spaces. A good typesetter like TeX is smart about ignoring spaces in most contexts, but most GUI systems are stupid about it.
You never put a space after a ( and you never put a space before a ). Hence, say:
that had never (earlier) taken place
but all these versions are wrong:
that had never ( earlier) taken place
that had never (earlier ) taken place
that had never ( earlier ) taken place
that had never( earlier) taken place
that had never(earlier) taken place
Unless very special reasons warrant otherwise, you only use simple brackets (i.e. '(') in flowing text. You never use braces or square brackets.
TeX users beware: everything you do inside mathmode is done in math font. This leads to many errors. Example: when you say
$ log(x) $
you're telling TeX there's a variable called $l$, multiplied by a variable called $o$ multiplied by the function $g(x)$. Think how TeX would do $xy$ - he thinks you're multiplying $x$ and $y$.
In this case, the solution is $\log(x)$. Errors of a similar nature that abound are : $2^{nd}$ (TeX thinks the superscript is $n$ multiplied by $d$), $min(a,b)$ (TeX thinks $m$ is multiplied by $i$ is multiplied by $n(a,b)$, etc.
Be disciplined about sections, subsections, subsubsections. The easiest way to be disciplined is to use LaTeX. Be conscious about each heading that you use. Don't just mark it as boldface italics. Use a numbering scheme, and think about the tree structured organisation of the entire document that you are doing.
LaTeX generates a TOC for you for free. You just have to
say \tableofcontents in the main body of the document
and you'll get it. Look at it many times
and think about how you could organise your document differently.
The TOC is the architecture of the document, it requires high-level
thought that is different from the detailed text of the document.
Every section/subsection should have a sensible title - think of it as a short slogan that summarises what you are trying in the section/subsection. It should orient the reader about what you are trying to do. A section title "Section 4" is as bad as a book title "Book 4" or a poem titled "Poem 4".
Avoid font or pitch changes! Pick a very clear, simple style and make the entire document look consistent. Once again, the simplest way to get into this discipline is to use Latex. For example, I often use this style : everything is normal body text (e.g. 11 point), except for enumerated or bulleted lists, which are one point smaller. Once you choose a rule like this, be consistent in how it is applied all through the document. Random switches in font or pitch or interline spacing are disconcerting.
A section, subsection or a subsubsection should always first start off with body text. Then, after that, you can go into itemize/enumerate/description. It's gauche to jump into a list right after the title of the section, subsection of subsubsection.
If a footnote happens inside a sentence, there should be no space between the word and the superscript-number. If a footnote happens at the end of a sentence, then the superscript-number always comes after the fullstop, with no leading space. There is always a space after the superscript-number. Downstairs, in the text of the footnote itself, there is no leading space after the number.
Footnotes should be complete sentences, starting with a capital letter and ending with a fullstop. Leaving fragments of sentences as unfinished footnotes is one of the commonest mistakes that even experienced writers make.
In short, always say :
This is a sentence.\footnote{This is a footnote.}
All these are wrong --
This is a sentence.\footnote{This is a footnote}
This is a sentence\footnote{This is a footnote.}.
This is a sentence.\footnote{ This is a footnote.}
This is a sentence.\footnote{This is a footnote.}.
This is a sentence\footnote{This is a footnote}.
Many people cut corners on grammar in itemized lists. When you wanted to say:
\item This life is a test.
all the following are frequently found, and wrong --
\item This life is a test
\item this life is a test
\item This life is test.
The message : Every entry in an itemized list has to be a perfect sentence, starting with a capital letter and ending in a fullstop.
Say "Philosphical consequences of partial differential equations" instead of "Philosophical Consequences of Partial Differential Equations". Save up capitalisation for proper nouns only.
When you want to say IMF, you have exactly two choices: you
either say I.M.F. (for an unfamiliar and non-standard name) or
you say \textsc{imf} -- it is wrong to say IMF.
Say 'Rs.500 million' exactly like you would say '$10 million'. There should be no space before the numeral.
The normal TeX '-' is a hyphen and not a minus sign. Say '$-22.1$' when you want to say -22.1. It's easier to have a policy that plus or minus signs are both encased in dollars.
A good convention is to use normal font for body text, go one stop smaller for enumerated/itemized lists, and go two stops smaller for floating tables.
Hyphens are used to divide words and in compound words (e.g. all-India). Endashes (--) are used between a range of numbers and in dates. Emdashes (---) are used between phrases of a sentence.
The modern style is to avoid double quotes. Use single quotes and backquotes. As an example, say : He believed it was `really important' to get this right.
Do not say
$(1-r) * (1-p) * V$
when you mean
$(1-r)(1-p)V$
(it's silly to use '*' when writing mathematics).
"It's" is slang for "it is". Slang never belongs in technical
writing. So the simple rule to remember is: Never say "it's". If
you mean "it is", say "it is". If you mean the possessive version,
say "its". Examples: It is apparent that where what
is required is "it is", or To pursue its own interest.
Tables are a constant source of poor quality typesetting. Look at good books to see how tables are done. Use Latex simply in order to cultivate discipline in how tables are written. The table should look orderly and regular.
A lot of this is based on ideas from C. V. Radhakrishnan.
Ajay Shah, 2006