Page 219 - English for Writing Research Papers

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S8 is not all-inclusive. The reader will expect to learn about some factors. This
makes the paper sound much more modest.

Sometimes the use of the does not follow the same rules as in general English. For

example, the first word in S9–S11 is a countable noun in the singular and as such
would normally require the .
S9. Effect of clinical guidelines on medical practice
S10. Influence of education and occupation on the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease

S11. Association of exogenous estrogen and endometrial carcinoma
S12. Measurement of protein using bicinchoninic acid

Such non-use of the seems to be very common in medicine, biology and chemistry.
S9 and S10 could also be written as The effect of… and The influence of with no

change in meaning.

Given that the rules of the use of the are rather mysterious, the best thing to do is to
use Google Scholar to compare your draft title with similar titles. For more explana-
tions of the usage of articles, see Sect. 6.16 .

12.5 How do I know whether to use a or an ?

The difference between a and an in a title follows normal usage.

Use a before all consonants, before eu , and before u when u has the sound as in
university and unit .

Use an before a, i and o . It should also be used before e except before eu , and
before u when u has the sound as in unusual and understanding . Use an before h
only in the following cases: hour, honest, honor, heir . Some authors use an before
historical too.

These rules mean that the following are wrong :

S1. *An hybrid approach to X.
S2. *An unique approach to Y.

S1 should be a hybrid (the h in hybrid is aspirated). S2 should be a unique , because
the u in unique is pronounced like you .