affect (v), to influence
affect (n), subjective aspect of an emotion (psychological studies)
effect (v), to bring about or initiate
effect (n), result or outcome
Alaska native, anyone who was born and raised in Alaska, regardless
of cultural background.
Alaskan Native, a person having origins in any of the original
peoples of the area that is now Alaska, and who maintains cultural
identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition
Both terms are acceptable. [source: Indians Are Us? Culture and
Genocide in Native North America by Ward Churchill, 1994] Native
Americans is preferred.
"among" always applies to more than two objects.
"between" literally applies to only two objects but
may be used with more than two when each is treated individually,
as in "a treaty between three powers" (CBE).
Avoid. In most cases, either "and" or "or" is correct. When a
choice cannot be made, use "X, Y, or both."
| neonate or newborn |
birth to 1 month of age |
| infant |
1 month to 2 years of age |
| child |
2 to 13 years of age |
| school-age |
5 to 18 years |
| teenage |
13 to 19 years |
| adolescent |
13 to 17 years of age |
| adult |
18 years old and older |
| childbearing age |
15 to 44 years old |
| elderly |
(follow author) |
Note:
Do not say "zero age."
"based on" is often erroneously used to mean "on the basis
of." Correctly used, it follows forms of the verb "to be."
The calculations were based on the following results.
The procedure of removing and examining tissue, cells, or fluids
from the living body. Observations are made on the biopsy specimen,
not on the biopsy itself. Biopsy is a noun; do not use as a verb.
(AMA)
Follow author, but "black" is not capitalized.
Use as few words as possible to make a point
| the majority of |
most or many |
| prior to |
before |
| at the present time |
now |
| at the time that |
when |
| in terms of |
in, of, for |
| the truth is |
is |
| the facts are |
are |
| in order to |
to |
burden
Avoid.
not "the CDC"
A case is a particular instance of disease, illness, injury,
or asymptomatic disease. Distinguish between a case (a situation
or set of circumstances) and a patient (a human being). Cases
do not show symptoms, experience side effects, recover, or die;
patients do. Do not dehumanize persons into cases. ("Case-patient,"
however, is an acceptable term.)
Clostridium perfringens was isolated in a case of diarrhea
or from a patient with diarrhea.
Erythromycin is recommended for treating patients with legionellosis.
Follow author.
One thing or person is usually compared with another when the
aim is to examine similarities or differences in detail. A thing
is compared to another when a single striking similarity (or dissimilarity)
is observed, or when a thing of one class is likened to one of
another class, without analysis (AMA). In most cases, use compare
with.
compare with: to examine in detail so as to discover the similarities
or differences
The sodium levels of the patients in the control group were
compared with those of the patients in the study group.
compare to: to liken to (to point out comparison without the
act of detailed analysis)
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
compose: to total, form, to go together, to make up (an object)
The district is composed of three counties.
comprise: to include, to contain, to be made up of (do not say
is comprised of)
The whole comprises the parts; the parts do not comprise the
whole.
A district comprises three counties.
continual, continuous
Continual means to recur at regular and frequent intervals. Continuous
means to go on without pause or interruption.
The patient with emphysema coughed continually.
His labored breathing was eased by a continuous flow of oxygen
through a nasal cannula.
Persons are used as controls.
Describe a person as having a condition, not being the condition.
person with diabetes, not a diabetic
person with arthritis, not an arthritic
person with asthma, not an asthmatic
person with AIDS, not AIDS patient
Diseases develop in patients. Patients do not develop diseases.
diagnose
To evaluate, identify
Conditions, syndromes, diseases, and pathogens are diagnosed.
Patients are not diagnosed.
Patients die of, not from specific diseases or disorders. (AMA)
Use different from, not different than.
Dosage implies a regimen; dose implies a quantity. (AMA)
dosage, the amount of medicine to be taken by a patient in a
given period
dose, the amount taken at one time
These terms are not synonymous. "Due to," an adjective, should
be attached only to a noun or pronoun and should not be used in
place of owing to, because of, on account of, which are compound
prepositions. (WIT) A good rule of thumb is to use "due to" with
forms of the verb "to be."
Her success is due to talent and hard work. ("Due to"
follows a form of "to be" and modifies success.)
Place a comma after these abbreviations. Do not use "etc." in
an e.g. or i.e. segment.
e.g. = for example, such as
i.e. = that is, in other words
Examples may be introduced by "e.g." but should not be followed
by "e.g."
Correct:
In evaluating an I.Q. score, several factors, e.g., socioeconomic
level, must be considered.
Incorrect:
Socioeconomic level, e.g., is a factor to be considered.
Disease is eradicated from the entire world, eliminated from
a country or region.
A disease is endemic in an area; the area is not endemic.
endemic malaria, disease-endemic areas
epidemic, a disease that occurs suddenly and in numbers in
excess of what would be expected (because it was introduced
from outside)
endemic, belonging or native to a particular people or country,
indigenous
Do not use in scientific writing; it is considered vague.
Etiology is the study or description of causes (agents) of a
disease. Do not use "etiology" as a synonym for "cause." Etiology
encompasses all the possible causes of a disease.
Patients do not expire or have fatal outcomes; they die.
Use "feel" to express physical sensations; use "believe" to express
personal conviction, accepting something as true.
The patient felt cold.
The author believed that the theory was sound.
Fever is a rise of body temperature above normal. If a patient
has a temperature of 37.8ºC, he has a fever of 0.8ºC.
Also correct:
The patient was febrile (37.8ºC). (AMA)
Note:
Please use the Times New Roman degree symbol; do not use a superscript
lowercase "o."
"Few" refers to units or people that can be counted.
"Less" refers to quantities of mass, bulk, or volume.
Refer to individual country. As a whole, refer to "Newly Independent
States."
gram
Gram should be capitalized and never hyphenated when used as
Gram stain. Gram negative and gram positive should be lower case
and only be hyphenated when used as a unit modifier.
Gram staining
gram negative
gram-positive bacteria
Follow author on these terms. Sometimes the phrase "men who have
sex with men" is used because some of these men do not label themselves
as gay, homosexual, or bisexual.
Dispense with most -al endings. For example, use epidemiologic,
geographic, serologic, logistic, immunologic, toxicologic, anatomic.
Author's preference, however, should be considered, e.g., biological
warfare.
immunize, to confer immunity
vaccinate, to administer vaccine
Conditions usually occur in, not among, persons.
The 25 cases of measles were in school-aged children
infection in patients, not infection among patients
incidence (a rate), number of new cases per unit of population
per unit of time
prevalence, number of existing cases per unit of population at
a given time (point prevalence) or in a given time (period prevalence).
"Person" is a noun; "individual" is an adjective (e.g.,
an individual student).
Influenza season should be written as follows:
2000–01
or
1999–2000
Inject a fluid; inoculate an animal or person. Liquid cannot
be inoculated into an animal or a petri dish; it is injected into
or spread on.
We used a 0.5-mL aliquot to inoculate each mouse.
We injected a 0.5-mL aliquot into each mouse.
Be aware of the difference between injection drug users (IDU)
and intravenous drug users (IVDU). The former includes other forms
of drug use such as intramuscular injection.
insure, to guarantee life or property against risk (e.g., to
underwrite; to give, take, or procure insurance [CBE])
ensure, to make certain or guarantee (CBE)
assure, to make safe, to give confidence to (Webster)
in
vitro
Do not hyphenate foreign phrases that are printed open in other
circumstances (e.g., in vitro translation, in situ protein synthesis,
in vitro-stimulated growth, in situ-synthesized proteins). ASM,
p. 45
Both terms are adjectives. For nouns, use man, woman, boy, girl,
or infant if possible.
The relative mass of a substance. It is a pure number and has
no units.
Incorrect:
The molecular weight of a protein is 30,000 Da.
Correct:
The molecular weight of the protein is 30,000. (CBE)
Correct:
The molecular mass . . . is 30,000 Da. (ASM)
morbidity, the condition of being diseased, the rate of illness
or disease. "Illness" or "disease" is preferred over "morbidity";
avoid "morbidity rate."
mortality, the number of deaths from a particular condition.
"Death" is preferred over "mortality."
mortality rate, the number of deaths in a particular population
divided by the size of that population at the same time.
Examinations and most laboratory tests are neither negative nor
normal in and of themselves; interpretations of the tests, however,
may be negative or normal.
Observations, results, or findings from examinations and tests
are normal or abnormal.
Cultures, tests for microorganisms, tests for specific reactions,
and reactions to tests may be negative or positive.
Electroencephalograms, electrocardiograms, isotope scans, and
roentgenograms are "pictures" and are, therefore, normal or abnormal,
not negative or positive. (AMA)
Urinalysis results were normal, not urinalysis was normal.
Use "children," not "offspring" for humans.
This suffix means "a branch of knowledge, science, or study of."
Terms ending in -ology (e.g., etiology, pathology, serology) should
not be used to describe particular items. (AMA)
Incorrect:
The pathology was located in the upper part of the gastrointestinal
tract.
Correct:
The pathologic lesion was located in the upper part of the gastrointestinal
tract.
Incorrect:
The histology was small-cell carcinoma of the lung.
Correct:
The histologic diagnosis was small-cell carcinoma of the lung.
Incorrect:
The patient's serology showed . . .
Correct:
The patient's serologic test results showed . . .
Incorrect:
We used the following methodology.
Correct:
We used the following methods.
Parameter has a specific statistical meaning and should not be
used simply to mean measurement, value, or number. Ordinarily,
except when a descriptive quantity for a statistical population
is meant, parameter should be changed to measurement, value, quantity,
variable, number, or a comparable term. (AMA)
Change to "levels of parasitemia."
An ill person who is receiving or has received medical care.
Do not use the term "normal patients."
person, persons,
people
Person is preferred over "individual."
The plural of person is "persons," not "people." The latter term
refers to a group of persons who share particular characteristics
(e.g., the American people).
Jargon.
Incorrect:
The patient presented with . . .
Correct:
The patient sought treatment for . . .
Correct:
The patient had . . .
"Preventative" is becoming obsolete. "Preventive" is
preferred.
A substance is tested for a reaction with another substance;
it is not reacted with another substance.
large in size - large
period of time - period
very unique - unique
Symptoms are resolved; patients do not resolve their symptoms.
What is my risk of getting AIDS?
Men who have sex with other men are at highest risk for AIDS.
The most serious risk from AIDS is death.
A euphemism for killing laboratory animals after an experiment.
Preferred terms are "humanely kill" or "euthanize."
Serum and the names of other body fluids should not be singular
if they mean samples collected from different patients. Change
serum of patients to serum samples or serum specimens
Be sure to use the word samples or specimens if a specific number
is given: 14 serum samples, not 14 sera.
If the plural form of serum is needed and the term is being used
in a general sense and does not describe units that can be counted,
sera can be used: for example, sera from four blood banks, pooled
sera, antisera.
not sexual partner
However, "sexual behavior" is a correct term.
Significant has a specific statistical meaning. If that is not
the meaning intended, substitute a synonym, e.g., important, marked,
noteworthy, substantial.
Substitute participant, patient, or person.
March to August (not inclusive)
March through August (inclusive)
1960s, not 1960's
once a day, not daily
twice a day, not twice daily
1986 to 1987 (1-year period)
1986 through 1987 (2-year period)
Avoid "between" (e.g., between 1986 and 1987)
2000–01 or 1999–2000
A noun, not a verb.
Incorrect:
were titered
Correct:
titers of . . . were determined
Jargon.
Incorrect:
tracking people
Correct:
analyzing trends among persons . .
Is preferred over Americans.
varying, that which is changing (adjective) or causing to change
(verb)
various, of different kinds or aspects
to avoid categorization by group, do not use "high-risk youth."
Similarly, replace "high-risk groups" with "groups at high risk."
