The language of science

Some common phrases in scientific papers and what they really mean (here’s the link, via Ed Yong):

“It can be shown”

Somebody said they did this, but I can’t duplicate their results. I can’t even find the reference, or else I would have cited that instead. [In economics, this phrase has a lot of different meanings, depending on who the writer or lecturer is. Usually I translate that sentence simply by adding an apostrophe and a t - US]

…

“Of great theoretical and practical importance”

Means it is interesting to me or else I want it to be interesting to somebody with money so they will fund my research.

…

“The most reliable results are those obtained by Smith.”

Smith is or was my graduate research assistant.

“It is believed that…”

I think this (and either no one agrees with me or else I didn’t consult anyone).

“It is generally believed that”

I think this and at least one other person agrees with me.

…

“Additional work will be required to elucidate the mechanism”

I don’t have a clue what is going on and I’m not going to be the one to figure it out.

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