Advances in Aerospace Science and Technology (AAST)

Language Editing Checklist

Grammar and Syntax

• Check for correct expression: Ask yourself what you "really" wanted to say and check if the sentence meaning is exactly this.
• Check for clear expression: Read sentences aloud. Does it make sense? Can someone else understand the meaning?
• Check for concise writing: See if words can be omitted while retaining the meaning. If so, shorten the sentence!
• Check for word choice: useful instead of jargon or slang great.
• Check for complete form: will not instead of contraction won't.
• Check for objective language: It can be seen instead of You can see.
• Use the spell checker from your word processor (Word, LibreOffice, ...). Consult an online dictionary like LEO. Pay attention especially to the terminology in your scientific field.
• Check for spelling inconsistencies of the same word within the article.
• Check for correct subject-verb agreement. For example, "they is going..." should be corrected to "they are going...".
• Check for correct sequence of tenses. E.g. do not mix up past and present tense.
• Check for correct word inflection. Inflection is the addition of affixes to the word to change its relationship to the other words in a sentence. For example, the -s in dogs or the -ed in played.
• Check for proper use of definite articles (the) and indefinite articles (a, an).
• Check for proper use of prepositions (of, to, on, onto, etc...).
• Avoid inconsistencies in active form (John threw the ball) and passive form (the ball was thrown by John).
• Check for complete and correct punctuation (full stops at the end of sentences, proper use of commas, semicolons, etc...).
• Ensure proper use of metaphors and figures of speech.
• Check for consistency in the use of the decimal point (47.9 = 47 + 9/10).

Common Mistakes

• The word "data" is plural, not singular. The word "aircraft" is plural and singular. Do not write "aircrafts", it is wrong.
• In American English, commas, semicolons, periods, question and exclamation marks are located within quotation marks only when a complete thought or name is cited, such as a title or full quotation. When quotation marks are used, instead of a bold or italic typeface, to highlight a word or phrase, punctuation should appear outside of the quotation marks. A parenthetical phrase or statement at the end of a sentence is punctuated outside of the closing parenthesis (like this). (A parenthetical sentence is punctuated within the parentheses.)
• A graph within a graph is an "inset", not an "insert". The word "alternatively" is preferred to the word "alternately" (unless you really mean something that alternates).
• Do not use the word "essentially" to mean "approximately" or "effectively".
• Be aware of the different meanings of the homophones "affect" and "effect", "complement" and "compliment", "discreet" and "discrete", "principal" and "principle".
• Do not confuse "imply" and "infer".
• The prefix "non" is not a word; it should be joined to the word it modifies, usually without a hyphen.
• There is no period after the "et" but a period after the "al" in the Latin abbreviation "et al.".
• The abbreviation "i.e." means "that is", and the abbreviation "e.g." means "for example".

Abbreviations, Acronyms, Units, and Equations

Where to Get Help

• Get help from an Online Writing Lab. One example is Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL).
• Check Grammar and Punctuation with the Grammar Book.