Problem Areas and Examples

Below is a list of key problem areas with correct and incorrect examples of each.

1. Maintain subject-verb agreement in sentences. Put singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects.
   Incorrect: The need for low-power designs have become quite important in many areas.Correct: The need for low-power designs has become quite important in many areas.
2. Make sure that your sentences have both a subject and a verb and form a complete thought.
   Incorrect: Although the problems of routing and scheduling are interdependent.Correct: Although the problems of routing and scheduling are interdependent, they can be addressed together.
3. Make your subjects specific and your verbs active for the reader. In particular, avoid beginning sentences with phrases such as "There are," This is," and "It is."
   Incorrect: There are a number of operational amplifiers that act as processing elements.Correct: A number of operational amplifiers act as processing elements.
4. In general, avoid cluttering your writing with passive voice. Try to phrase each sentence in active voice to keep your reader engaged in the text.
   NOTE: passive voice = some form of the verb be + a past participle.
   Incorrect: The performance measures of a network are improved by the use of a routing algorithm.Correct: A routing algorithm improves the performance measures of a network.However, the passive voice is preferable in the following four instances*
   • When the active agent is clear from the context of the writing
   • When the active agent is unknown
   • When the active agent is less important than the action
   • When referring to the active agent is somehow embarrassing, dangerous, or otherwise inappropriate
5. Try to avoid repetitious phrases in paragraphs. Do not begin each sentence in a paragraph with the same word or phrase.
   Incorrect: This component, called an MCU, has been described as "a synchronous island in an asynchronous sea." This means the MCU is implemented as a synchronous circuit with the standard cell library. This helps to simplify the design flow.Correct: This component, called an MCU, has been described as "a synchronous island in an asynchronous sea." The MCU is implemented as a synchronous circuit with the standard cell library, thereby simplifying design flow.
6. Paragraphs should discuss one main topic. When beginning a separate topic, start a new paragraph.
   Incorrect: The method of Lagrange multipliers varies the coefficients of connection weights in the neural network. Using this method allows the connection coefficients to fluctuate dynamically as the system state changes. A routing algorithm improves the performance measures of a network. This method also trains the network to adapt to abnormal network conditions.Correct: The method of Lagrange multipliers varies the coefficients of connection weights in the neural network. Using this method allows the connection coefficients to fluctuate dynamically as the system state changes.A routing algorithm improves the performance measures of a network. This method also trains the network to adapt to abnormal network conditions.
7. Make sure to separate two independent clauses connected by conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) with a comma.
   Incorrect: Humans process information at a slower rate than digital computers but humans are more efficient in solving complex computational problems than digital computers.Correct: Humans process information at a slower rate than digital computers, but humans are more efficient in solving complex computational problems than digital computers.
8. Separate subordinate clauses that begin sentences from the remainder of the sentence with a comma.
   Incorrect: To start the simulation of the network set input voltages of all neurons at a zero value.Correct: To start the simulation of the network, set input voltages of all neurons at a zero value.
9. Use its and it’s in the correct context in your paper. "Its" acts as a possessive adjective, and "it’s" acts as another way of saying "it is."
   Incorrect:When all of a neuron’s output voltages reach saturation values, the system reaches it’s final stable state. A neural network can be driven into a stable equilibrium state, and then its used to solve a specific optimization problem.Correct: When all of a neuron’s output voltages reach saturation values, the system reaches its final stable state. A neural network can be driven into a stable equilibrium state, and then it’s used to solve a specific optimization problem.NOTE: Avoid contractions like "it’s" in most technical writing situations.
10. Avoid using slang in professional writing.
    Incorrect: The manufacturers of consumer electric products have begun to use analog fuzzy control technology a lot.Correct: The manufacturers of consumer electric products have begun to use analog fuzzy control technology extensively.
11. Remain consistent when writing numbers.

General Guidelines for Writing Numbers

Incorrect: This system uses 2 bidirectional I/O ports, which are five-bit and eight-bit respectively (see Figures Nine and Ten below for illustrations).

Correct: This system uses two bidirectional I/O ports, which are 5-bit and 8-bit respectively (see Figures 9 and 10 below for illustrations).

NOTE: When a paragraph or other large section of writing contains a combination of numbers, write them all numerically.

ECE-Specific Conventions for Writing Numbers

The following are examples of number writing conventions specific to much of the ECE literature.

• • two's complement is preferred, although 2's complement is also used.
  • Write logic 1, not logic one.
  • Write 8-bit operand, not eight-bit operand.
  • Write 5 V, not five V (NOTE: IEEE guidelines say to identify volts (V) and then use V thereafter).
  • Write stage 2, not stage two.
  • Write theorem 3 and lemma 5, not theorem three and lemma five.
  • Write chapter 6, not chapter six.
  • Write the two functions, not the 2 functions.
  • Write 12 total patterns, not twelve patterns.
  • Write variables equal 1, not variables equal one.

12. Always make sure to check for misspelled words in your writing. Do not rely upon spellcheckers because they may not catch all of your errors.

Incorrect: Analog signal processing acts faster than digitil signal processing.

Correct: Analog signal processing acts faster than digital signal processing.

Incorrect: In this lab, we preformed five separate experiments.

Correct: In this lab, we performed five separate experiments.

13. Correctly identify nouns and phrases using articles (a, an, and the).

Incorrect: With rapid increase in demand of portable devices, need for low-power devices has become important.

Correct: With the rapid increase in demand of portable devices, the need for low-power devices has become important.

14.Use first-person (I, me, my, we, us, our) with caution. Many readers find first-person inappropriate for professional writing, while others prefer it to wordier, less-specific phrases. In general, you should determine what is expected for your particular writing situation or your particular field. Also, ask yourself three questions about potential use of first-person:

1. 1. Is first-person necessary?
   2. Does first-person add anything significant to the writing?
   3. Can the phrase be said accurately and effectively without first-person?

Incorrect: I observed that neither of the two values correctly corresponds with the problem.

Correct: Neither of the two values correctly corresponds with the problem.

15. When using acronyms, define them before using the abbreviation.

Incorrect: BellSouth measures its QoS by the customer reaction to its new voice modulated devices.

Correct: BellSouth measures its Quality of Service (QoS) by the customer reaction to its new voice modulated devices.

16. Always use italics for variables in formulas.

Incorrect: k = C – 1

2m-length polynomials

Correct: k = C – 1

2m-length polynomials

17. Use hyphens between multiple-word adjectives that precede nouns. Omit hyphens with adverbs (these usually end in "-ly").

Incorrect: For low power designs, the dynamic power dissipation poses an application barrier.

Correct: For low-power designs, the dynamic power dissipation poses an application barrier.

18. Use that, which, and who appropriately.

That refers to objects and is restrictive - its meaning is essential to the sentence in question. Do not set off restrictive elements with commas.

Incorrect: The instruction encoding, that is used for the new microprocessor, is slightly modified.

Correct: The instruction encoding that is used for the new microprocessor is slightly modified.

Which refers to objects and is nonrestrictive - its meaning, though perhaps helpful, is not essential to the sentence in question. Set off nonrestrictive elements with commas.

Incorrect: The Hubble telescope which was intended to answer fundamental questions about the origin of the universe was repaired in 1997.

Correct: The Hubble telescope, which was intended to answer fundamental questions about the origin of the universe, was repaired in 1997.

Who refers to people and can be either restrictive (no commas) or nonrestrictive (commas) depending on its use.

Incorrect: Professor Smith who joined the faculty this year has introduced a new 8000-level graduate course. (Nonrestrictive - no need to distinguish between more than one Professor Smith)

Correct: Professor Smith, who joined the faculty this year, has introduced a new 8000-level graduate course.

Incorrect: The woman, who graded our lab reports, also led our tutoring sessions. (Restrictive - "woman" is too general and needs distinguishing)

Correct: The woman who graded our lab reports also led our tutoring sessions.

19. Maintain parallel structure by using the same grammatical form for coordinate sentence elements.

Incorrect: The sequence of events in asynchronous design are drawing a timing diagram, developing a flow table, doing state reduction, making state assignments, and to implement the design.

Correct: The sequence of events in asynchronous design are drawing a timing diagram, developing a flow table, doing state reduction, making state assignments, and implementing the design.

20. Avoid long noun strings. Break up long noun strings by putting some modifiers before the noun and some after.

Incorrect: This paper proposes a new fetching-stage-dedicated completion-detection method.

Correct: This paper proposes a new completion-detection method dedicated to the fetching stage.

21. Avoid unnecessary, repetitive prepositional phrases. In particular, use the possessive case when appropriate to avoid repetitious phrases with of.

Incorrect: The complexity of the module will hamper the ability of the operator in the diagnosis of problems in equipment configuration.

Correct: The module's complexity will hamper the operator's ability to diagnose equipment-configuration problems.

22. Avoid unnecessarily wordy phrases.

Incorrect: In the majority of cases, the data provided by direct examination of only the memory data bus using a logic analyzer are insufficient for the proper identification of microprocessor instruction execution.

Correct: Monitoring only the data bus usually cannot identify instruction execution.

*This information on passive voice is adapted from Mike Markel's Technical Communication, 6th edition (2001), pages 286-287.