Frequent Mistakes Found in Ph.D. Proposals

1. Frequent MistakesFound in Ph.D. Proposals

2. Format Issues ~ Spacing • Double space text in proposals. • Keep text out of the page number column: • Table of Contents • List of Figures • List of Tables • List of Terms

3. Format Issues ~ Figures/Tables/Equations • Introduce a figure/table/equation in the text before inserting that figure/table/equation. • Insert a figure/table at the end of a sentence or paragraph – not in the middle of a sentence. • The words figure, table, and equation should be capitalized when they are followed by a number.

4. Use/Usage • Use refers to using or employing something. • We use a chair as a place to sit. • A yard stick is used to measure distances. • Usage refers to customary practices. • To substitute a chair for a ladder is a common, but frequently unsafe, usage for reaching items in high places. • To retrieve lost items from under a refrigerator is a common usage for a yard stick.

5. Due to • The correct use of due to is after the verb to be in all its forms (am, is, are, was, were). • Transmissivity errors are due to the uncertainties in the measurement amplitude. (Are is a linking verb in the previous sentence, so it is correct to use due to.) • As a result of the uncertainties in the measurement amplitude, transmissivity errors occur. (Occur is not a linking verb, so due to should not be used.)

6. In Order to • The use of to alone is preferred to the wordier form: in order to. • The student used a Boolean equation to solve the problem. • To win on the road, the Yellow Jackets need to improve their three-point shooting percentage.

7. Acronyms • The first time an acronym is used in a document, the full name for which the acronym stands should be given first, followed by the acronym. • Programmable array logic (PAL) • System on a chip (SoC) • The full name for which the acronym stands is not capitalized (unless the first word in the full name begins a sentence).

8. Comparisons • The reader should be told what is being compared. • Incorrect: The digital version is better. • Correct: The digital version is better than the analog version in terms of cost.

9. Hyphenated Adjectives • When two or more adjectives function as one adjective, a hyphen is needed between the two words. • This arrangement allows real-time (compound adjective) interaction. • The interaction is not a real interaction. • The interaction is not a time interaction. • The interaction is a real-time (compound adjective) interaction. • We are dealing with a low-pass (compound adjective) filter. • The filter is not a low filter. • The filter is not a pass filter. • The filter is a low-pass (compound adjective) filter.

10. Hyphenated Adjectives (2) • When the same two words are used as a noun, no hyphen is required. • The imagery appears in real time (object of the preposition). • The filter is low pass (predicate nominative). • Therefore, “Change All” is not an option for correcting hyphenated adjectives in a document.

11. Numerals • Spell out numbers under 10. • Use numerals for numbers over 10. • Spell out any number that begins a sentence.

12. That Clauses • A that clause contains essential information. • No punctuation separates a that clause from the rest of the sentence. • The quality factors of line-based passive components are degraded by the current redistribution that is caused by the proximity effect and the skin effect.

13. Which Clauses • A which contains non-essential information. • A comma before and after the which clause set the which clause apart from the rest of the sentence. • The problem, which is difficult to solve, requires concentration and effort. • A which clause that appears at the end of the sentence does not need a comma at the end of the clause. • The balun has two coupled-wire transmission lines, which have side and bottom ground shields.

14. There • Introducing a sentence with the word there weakens the sentence. • Weak sentence: There are many digital modulation schemes for various applications that have been invented in recent years. • Strong sentence: Many digital modulation schemes for various applications have been invented in recent years.

15. Colons • Do not use a colon after a preposition in a sentence or in the introduction to a list: • Correct: This computation can be expressed as (no colon) X+Y=Z. • Correct: This computation can be expressed as follows: X+Y+Z.

16. Colons (2) • Do not use a colon after a linking verb (to be – am, is, are, was, were) in a sentence or in the introduction to a list: • Correct: The winners are (no colon) Ruben and Austin. • Correct: The winners are the following students: Ruben and Austin.

17. Commas in Independent Clauses • A comma is placed before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses. • An independent clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb and that expresses a complete thought. • Coordinating conjunctions are the following: and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so. • Correct: The Wiener filter was primarily confined to scalar signals in noise with stationary statistics, and the Kalman filter was a dramatic improvement over its minimum squared-error predecessor.

18. Commas in a Series • A comma is used to separate the items in a series. • Using a comma before the and in a series is the preferred method, but you may omit this comma* if you are consistent in doing so. • Correct: Lingering eye contact, expressive facial expressions, comfortable body movements, and appropriate hand gestures enhance an oral presentation. * The comma before and in a series is known as the Harvard comma in the United States and as the Oxford comma in the United Kingdom.

19. Commas between Coordinate Modifiers • If and can be inserted between two modifiers that describe the same word, the modifiers are coordinate, and a comma is needed to separate the words. • Correct: The Kalman filter incorporates an accurate, thorough, and dependable description of the system noises.

20. Punctuating Sentences Containing Equations • An equation is punctuated to read correctly as part of the sentence. • Correct: The equation can be expressed as X+Y=Z, (note the comma after Z) where Y is >Q. • Correct: The equation can be expressed as X+Y=Z. (Note the period after Z.) • Correct: If Y is >Q, the equation can be expressed as X+Y=Z. (Note the period after Z.)

21. Technical Writing Resources • http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~gpalmer/ece8020/index.shtml • http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/es/Aug1996/030/cd/write/begin.htm • L. C. Perelman, J. Paradis, and E. Barrett. The Mayfield Handbook of Technical & Scientific Writing. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1998. • D. Beer and D. McMurrey. A Guide to Writing as an Engineer. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. • W. Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition. New York: Longman, 2000.

22. Contact Information • Gail Palmer Lecturer Graduate Professional Communications Program School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology • Web site: http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~gpalmer/index.shtml • E-mail: gpalmer@ece.gatech.edu