1. Writing style guidelines
By Andreas Grondoudis

2. Overview
Zobel, J., Writing for computer science: the art of effective communication, Springer, 2000
Chapters 2 and 3
Writing style general guidelines
Tone, examples, motivation, analogies, examples, etc.
Writing style specifics
Titles and headings, paragraphing, repetition, emphasis, qualifiers, padding, jargon, overuse of words, tense and more.

3. Writing styles general guidelines
There are many styles of writing
Plain, poetic, scientific, and more
What is the style of writing?
It is the manner of expression
It is not writing correct grammar
It is about how well the text relays to the readers
Science writing
Must be prosaic, ok it is not poetic
Just because its science it does not have to be dull
Clear and good use of English is essential
A lively style of writing suggests interesting ideas
Sloppy, disorganised writing is distracting and the readers are biased against it

4. 1. Economy Text should be strained Every sentence necessary
Don't just add text for padding the meaningful ideas. Filter and present what is needed.
Revise frequently and critically
Remember you are not writing this for yourself but for the readers
When work is reviewed read the comments and realise what can be done to better present the work.

5. 2. Tone
Be objective and accurate, remember you are writing to inform not entertain
However, don't make the tone machine-like and boring, keep it simple, direct. Here are some basic rules
Have one idea per sentence (or paragraph)
Have simple, logical organisation
Use small words, short sentences with simple structure
Avoid 'buzzwords' and excess
Be specific while leaving out unnecessary material
Only break one of the above rules if there is a good reason

6. 2. Tone continued Common fault: over-qualifying
Explaining and supporting a claim so much that it ruins the reader's experience
You can use the first person (<we> or <I>) to make the reading more pleasant
Don't outer your artistic impulses when writing a paper
Don't dress up the ideas as if to put on a 'sales' window

7. 3. Motivation Structure the paper to give purpose to the reader
The introduction gives some indication of the organisation but linking from previous to next is also a good approach
If you are going to include anything explain why it is included (and therefore 'vital' for the reader to read) and how it fits in the 'big picture'
You are more aware of the material than the reader, explain everything that is NOT common knowledge
Decide what you want to teach the reader and plan the content of your paper.

8. 4. The upper hand OK we know more about the subject
DO NOT over-do it
Appearing to be the super-researcher and general Mr know-it-all is tiresome
And can work against you
You must write as an equal to the dullest of readers and attempt to convey your ideas in the clearest way possible.

9. 5. Obfuscation
It is the art of making statements in an ambiguous way so that even so you are saying little it might appear that you are giving a lot.
Not common deliberatly
Vague writing is common
It is better to be specific

10. 6. Analogies
From the Greek word Αναλογία, they can be used to better explain a concept
They can however prove to be curious because something might seem similar to me but not to you.
They can (sometimes) take you of context, because differences are more basic (than the similarities)

11. 7. Straw men
An indefensible hypothesis posed just for being demolished
Claiming against something that everyone knows to be untrue
Says 'bad' things about the author
Contrasting a new idea with a bad alternative
Gives the bad alternative some worth and make the new idea more important than it is
Contrast must be between the new and the current
Contrasting a new idea against an ancient one

12. 8. Reference and citation
You must
Relate to existing work, show how we built on it, demonstrate differences from other results
Include a list of references in a standard format and citation inside the text
References
Demonstrate the newness of the work
Demonstrate the knowledge of the subject by the author and
Provide point of references for background reading
Rules of contact
Refer to original papers rather than secondary referrals
Order of preference: Book or journal article; conference article; technical report; manuscript; thesis; personal communication (avoid)
Don't cite what is common knowledge; substantiate claims; statements of fact and previous work commentary
Refer to your previous work but don't over do it
Whatever you write be exact and refer to facts

13. 8. Reference and citation (continued)
Rules of contact (continued)
Attribute results correctly (regardless if you have the original reference or not)
Describe results from other papers fairly and accurately
Be careful of wording (says, suggests, thinks)
Be wary of similar and/or different notations and terminologies
Don't state something as true just because you think it is true
Citations and quotations see slides for referncing

14. 9. Acknowledgements, Ethics
Acknowledgments
Thank all that contributed (in any way) to the scientific content of the publication
List either with contribution type or without
Ethics
Don’t present opinions as facts
Don't plagiarize (even yourself)
Do not publish the same result more than ones and don't submit them to more than one publish routes.

15. 10. Authorship, Grammar and Beauty
Authorship is sensitive
Substantial contribution to the paper's intellectual content
Should have contributed in conception; execution and interpretation of results.
Order is important (first = most significant most of the times)
Grammar, as long as clarity is maintained.
Some readers are annoyed by too many grammar errors
Beauty, simplicity, clarity

16. Writing Style Specifics
Title and headings
The opening paragraphs
Variation
Paragraphing
Sentence structure
Repetition and parallelism
Direct statements
Ambiguity
Emphasis
Definitions
Choice of words
Qualifiers
Padding
Misused words
Spelling conventions
Jargon
Foreign words
Overuse of words
Redundancy and Wordiness
Tense
Plurals
Abbreviations
Acronyms
Sexist language

17. 1. Titles and headings
Concise and informative, not necessarily complete sentences
Specific, simple, to the point (content)
Example
BAD: An investigation of the effectiveness of extensions to standard ranking techniques for large text collections
GOOD: Extensions to ranking techniques for large text collections
Not too short, not too long
Must be accurate (rather than 'catchy')
Section headings should reflect the logical structure of the article
Don't have too many subsections and sub-subsections
3 headings on a page is not good, it makes for very small text blocks
Numbering
Essential in bigger documents. Suggestion stick to 3 levels (no more)
Can be skipped in small documents and articles; just ensure that the font, the size and the placement distinguish the sections

18. 2. Opening paragraphs They are important and need to attract attention
They must be very clear and to the point stating the context of the following text
They don't need to be technical (leave that for later)
If existing knowledge is included it must be distinguished from the paper's contribution
Abstract
Has to be very good and provide the reader with a brief account of the paper; put the work in context and clearly state the paper's contribution

19. 3. Paragraphing
A paragraph should have a single, specific topic, ideally at the beginning with the remainder of the body amplifying
Long sentences must be broken down
They mean that the author has not clearly separated everything in their mind
They make readers boring and they get lost
Neighbouring paragraphs should clearly link and make specific referrals
You could have listed paragraphs. They: 1)highlight points clearly; 2)context is obvious; 3)points considered separately without confusion and 4)points are easy to refer to.
They can be numbered, named or tagged (bullet point or hyphen)
One disadvantage is that they highlight too much
If you have something trivial, list it in a paragraph (like the 4th bullet point above)

20. 4. Sentence structure Should have a simple structure
Be clear, brief and to the point.
Avoid nesting sentences
Long sentences are easy to create
Stating a principle, qualifying it, then explaining the circumstances in which is holds and probably linking to the next subject
Double negatives are difficult to parse from a reader
It is not a good practice not to comment your code

21. 5. Repetition and parallelism
Repeating words or phrases can become monotonous for the reader
Avoid starting sentences with the same words
Concepts that relate are better to be explained in parallel
Parallels can be based on antonyms
Standard form parallels
On one hand? First? One approach is?

22. 6. Direct statements Don't use passive voice
BAD: the following theorem can now be proven
GOOD: we can now prove the following theorem
Direct voice (active) is easier to read
I think, also easier to write
Using 'we' will clearly distinguish the contribution of the paper

23. 7. Ambiguity and Emphasis
Check for it carefully.
Familiarity with the material leads to pitfalls
When you use 'it', 'this' and 'they' make sure it is clear what they refer to
Watch out for speed-time pairs (increase one you decrease the other)
Emphasis
The structure of a sentence 'focusing' on a word can change by rearranging the words.
You can give emphasis with italics (but don't over do it)
The use of capitals is a no-no (at least for emphasis)

24. 8. Definitions and choice of words
When something appears for the first time explain it (define it)
Use emphasis to make the user notice the definition
Choice of words
Trend for short, direct words leading to emphatic writing
Use specific and familiar words, it make for clearer reader (and writing)
It is OK if you reuse a word if it means you are avoiding generalities/ambiguities
Don't use words that you don't know
Never use slang words in technical writing

25. 9. Qualifiers and Padding
Might, may, perhaps, possibly, likely, likelihood, could
Use only once per sentence
Double negatives are a form of qualifier
Merten's algorithm is not dissimilar to ours
Padding
Use of phrases like 'the fact that', 'of course', 'in general' should be avoided.
Introduction of quantities: 'a number of' instead of 'several'

26. 10. Misused words

27. 10. Misused words (continued)
Which, that, the
There is one method which is acceptable
There is one method that is acceptable
May (personal choice), might , can (ability)
Less (continuous quantities), fewer (discrete quantities)
Affect (causing effect), effect(consequence)
Alternate (one or the other), alternative (one or any of a set of others), choice
Basic (elementary), fundamental, sophisticated (not new)
Conflate (regards distinct as similar), merge (join distinct to form new)
Continual (without stop), continuous (unbroken)
Conversely (opposite), similar, likewise (parallel)
Fast (quickly), quickly, presently (soon), timely (opportune), currently (at present)

28. 11. Spelling conventions, Jargon, Foreign words, and overuse of words
UK vs US spelling, ize, yse, center, centre, and more
Be consistent, lookup the countries dictionary
Jargon
Avoid but some times difficult not to use. Be consistent
Foreign words
Some think it adds pizzazz to the article; don't use weird characters (ầ)
Overuse of words
Some words are memorable and can be spotted (this, very also)
Also tics 'so', 'also', 'hence', 'thus' and 'note that'
More memorable words should only be used once

29. 12. Redundancy and wordiness
Use the minimum number of words with minimal words for your writing

30. 13. Tense, Plurals, Abbreviations
Most technical work contained part and present
Present is for truths and the text itself
Past tense is used for describing work and outcomes
Future tense used only for conclusions
Plurals
When describing classes don’t use excessive plurals, consider rephrasing
Variant plurals are slowly becoming less common: Formulas instead of formulae, indexes instead of indices
Abbreviations
Non native speakers might find them difficult
No. (number) – i.e. (that is) – e.g. (for example) – c.f. (in contrast to) – w.r.t. (with respect to), use them with correct punctuation

31. 14. Acronyms and Sexist language
explain them the first time, don't use full stops
CPU, not C.P.U. or CPU.
Don't introduce them unless they are frequent
Sexist language
Try and avoid gendering your text;
rephrase by either using 'they' or
rephrase all together

32. End summary Writing style General guidelines
Specific instructions of do's and don'ts relating to
Titles and headings, Structure, paragraphs
Sentences, Wording, misused words
Abbreviations, Acronyms
Tense, spelling conventions, definitions
Ambiguity, emphasis
Rrepetitions and paralleisms