Page 126 - How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 8th Edition 8th Edition

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The damage can be real in that many errors can totally destroy comprehension. Something as minor as a misplaced
decimal point can sometimes make a published paper almost useless. In this world, we can be sure of only three
things: death, taxes, and typographical errors.

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Misspelled Words

Even if the error does not greatly affect comprehension, it won't do your reputation much good if it turns out to be
funny. Readers will know what you mean if your paper refers to a ''nosocomical infection," and they will get a laugh
out of it, but you won't think it is funny.

While on the subject of misspellings, I recall the Professor of English who had the chance to make a seminal
comment on this subject. A student had misspelled the word "burro" in a theme. In a marginal comment, the professor
wrote: "A `burro' is an ass; a `burrow' is a hole in the ground. One really should know the difference." Being a
Professor of English myself, I of course agree with that sage comment. However, I perhaps expressed a contrary
opinion on an earlier occasion when I said (because of my poor mathematical skills), "I don't know math from a hole
in the ground."

A major laboratory supply corporation submitted an ad with a huge boldface headline proclaiming that "Quality is
consistant because we care." I certainly hope they cared more about the quality of their products than they did about
the quality of their spelling.
Although all of us in publishing occasionally lose sleep worrying about typographical errors, I take comfort in the
realization that whatever slips by my eye is probably less grievous than some of the monumental errors committed by
my publishing predecessors.

My all-time favorite error occurred in a Bible published in England in 1631. The Seventh Commandment read: "Thou
shalt commit adultery." I understand that Christianity became very popular indeed after publication of that edition. If
that statement seems blasphemous, I need only refer you to another edition of the Bible, printed in 1653, in which
appears the line: "Know ye that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God."

If you read proof in the same way and at the same speed that you ordinarily read scientific papers, you will probably
miss 90% of the typographical errors.

I have found that the best way to read proof is, first, read it and, second, study it. The reading, as I mentioned, will
miss 90% of the errors, but it will catch errors of omission. If the printer has dropped a line, reading for
comprehension is the only likely way to catch it. Alterna

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tively, or additionally, two people should read the proof, one reading aloud while the other follows the manuscript.

To catch most errors, however, you must slowly examine each word. If you let your eye jump from one group of
words to the next, as it does in normal reading, you will not catch very many misspellings. Especially, you should
study the technical terms. Remember that keyboard operators are not scientists. A good keyboarder might be able to
type the word "cherry" 100 times without error; however, I recall seeing a proof in which the word "Escherichia" was
misspelled 21 consecutive times (in four different ways). I also recall wondering about the possible uses for a
chemical whose formula was printed as C H Q .
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