Mathematics is the guest star of many research papers in disciplines other than STEM. To write and edit research papers with math, you need to be familiar with equations and mathematical symbols. This article covers the basics of editing papers with math, including how to write equations in research papers and how to write and punctuate sentences with math symbols.
Using mathematical symbols in research papers
Journals’ instructions for authors commonly include the following advice on how to use math symbols in manuscripts:
- Use mathematical signs and symbols—not the generic characters on your keyboard. For example, use the Greek alpha, not letter a, and use the summation sign, not capital E.
- To distinguish the letters of the alphabet from mathematical symbols, format the symbols differently from the rest of the text. Use italics or a different font for symbols. And insert a thin space before and after mathematical operators.
- Use mathematical symbols consistently throughout the paper, and follow the conventions in your field of study. Do not use the same symbol to represent two different things in your paper.
- Avoid beginning sentences with mathematical symbols. It is considered bad style to start a sentence with an equation or with a math symbol.
Here are a few useful online resources on mathematical symbols:
How to write equations in research papers
You can either write equations in research papers on the same line as the surrounding text or on a separate line.
If the equation is short and simple, you can make it part of the sentence and display it on the same line. If, however, the equation is long or complicated, display it on a separate line.
Whether you write equations on the same line as or a different line than the surrounding text, ensure the mathematical expression is easy to read. Displaying each equation on a separate line is useful if you want to emphasize the equations.
Regardless of the way an equation is displayed, the mathematical expression is part of the sentence. You can think of an equation as a noun. So, you should punctuate the sentence normally. Integrate equations into the text using the right punctuation.
It’s easy to choose the right punctuation for a sentence with an equation if you think of the equation as a noun. You should put a comma after the equation and the explanation of variables—after the equation and the word where. Or, if the equation ends a sentence, put an ending punctuation mark. In general, that means putting a period at the end of equations. Putting a semicolon after an equation works if the next sentence is closely related to the sentence with an equation.
If you present several mathematical expressions in the same sentence, separate them as you would separate nouns. That is, use and, as well as commas or semicolons if you need to.
Many authors always put a colon before equations, but this is not always the right way to punctuate a sentence with math formulas. The rule of thumb is simple: use a colon before the equation if what comes before it is a complete sentence. If the text before the equation is a phrase (an incomplete sentence), put a comma before the equation, or no punctuation mark, depending on syntax.
If you find it difficult to correctly punctuate sentences with equations, read the text aloud to yourself. The ear is often better than the eye at spotting grammatical errors.
Here are a couple of resources on punctuation in equations:
The easy way to type equations in research papers
If your paper has only a couple of equations, you can use the math function of your word processor to insert equations into the text.
But if your manuscript has many equations, or a few complex ones, you need an automated tool. Consider using the open-source software LaTeX to type equations in research papers. It allows you to create professional equations, saving you a lot of time.
Also, if you hire a freelance editor for your research paper, asking them to edit your paper in LaTeX will help reduce copyediting costs.
Formatting research papers with math
As far as I know, the rules above are followed by most peer-reviewed journals. The information here is also consistent with the Chicago Manual of Style. Yet, formatting requirements for papers with math vary across publishers. So, before you submit your paper to a peer-reviewed journal, read its guidelines for authors and follow them.
Editing research papers with equations and math symbols: Takeaways
Grammatically speaking, equations can be considered nouns. As such, you should punctuate a sentence with an equation the same way as you would punctuate a regular sentence. You can display an equation either on the same line as the text or on a separate line. But, as different publishers have different formatting requirements, check the journal’s manuscript preparation guidelines. Finally, if you ask other people to copyedit your research paper, make sure they specialize in editing scientific manuscripts. Editing research papers with math at a professional level requires specialized skills that go beyond the basics described in this post.
Do you need a freelance editor for a scientific paper? Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com.
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Last revised on 18 July 2022
