Negative example: “After I had completed the calculation, I had to present it to my team members to ensure that I had considered everything.”

The pronoun “I” should be avoided in engineering texts. Often, passive formulations are more suitable:

“After the calculation was completed, it was discussed within the team to ensure that all essential aspects were taken into account.”

Negative example: “However, the damping term is probably smaller than the frictional forces and can therefore be neglected in the model.”

Provide proof instead of assuming:

“According to [XY], the damping term is smaller than the frictional forces and can therefore be neglected in the model.”

Negative example: “A second reasonable approach is to assume a line contact between the guide pin and the contour.”

The adjective “reasonable” is vague and judgmental. Overall, the sentence is unnecessarily long and complicated. Convey the important information in the main clause:

“A second approach assumes a line contact between the guide pin and the contour.”

Negative example: “In our last measurement, a disturbance occurred that distorted the signal so strongly that we could no longer evaluate it.”

‘Distort’ or ‘disturb’ are vague expressions. Specify the actual cause:

“During the last measurement, aliasing occurred due to a sampling frequency that was too low.”

Negative example: “The distances calculated from the transit times of the ultrasound recordings in A-mode match the measured distances quite closely; however, there are still deviations, but these are in the micrometer range.”

The phrase ‘quite closely’ is imprecise and unscientific. Quantitative statements are often preferable to qualitative ones. The second clause about deviations in the micrometer range is trivial for scientific writing and unnecessary here. A better version would be:

“The distances calculated from the transit times of the ultrasound recordings in A-mode deviate by no more than 4 % from those measured with the caliper.”

Negative example: “To determine whether a system of equations A·x = b
(where A is an (nxn) matrix) has exactly one solution x for each b, one must determine the determinant. If this is not equal to zero, then there is exactly one x for each b such that A·x = b holds.”

In mathematical or physical contexts, formulas are often more precise than full sentences:

“The (nxn) system of equations A·x = b is uniquely solvable if and only if det(A) ≠ 0.”

Negative example: “The number of required state variables results from the number of degrees of freedom and possibly other quantities which cannot be directly calculated for each computation step. In the subsequent, the individual components are analyzed with regard to their degrees of freedom, where a degree of freedom is generally defined as an independent generalized coordinate.”

The definition belongs at the beginning. Delete filler words such as “required”, “possibly other”, “directly”, or “generally”. Use simpler expressions like “that” instead of “which” and “In the following” instead of “In the subsequent”. Write short sentences instead of attaching the important definition in a subordinate clause. Better like this:

“A degree of freedom is an independent generalized coordinate. The number of degrees of freedom determines the number of state variables. In addition, there are quantities that cannot be calculated for each computation step. In the following, the degrees of freedom of the individual components are analyzed.”

Negative example: “The components are connected to the semiconductor relays and the Arduino board via wiring connections.”

This sentence is redundant. It is obvious that the components are connected by “wiring connections”, that is, by cables.

Negative example: “The study was partly conducted using the PTS Visum: ‘The PTS Visum is the world’s leading software for traffic analysis, traffic forecasts, and GIS-based data management. It consistently represents all traffic participants and their interactions and is considered the standard for any traffic planning issue. Sales engineers use PTS Visum for modeling traffic networks and demand, as well as for analyzing expected traffic flows, for public transport planning, and for developing sophisticated traffic strategies and solutions.’”

Summarize the essentials in your own objective words instead of reproducing long (direct or indirect) quotes from the manufacturer’s promotional text:

“The study was partly conducted using PTS Visum. PTS Visum is standard software for traffic analysis, traffic forecasts, and GIS-based data management. It represents traffic participants and interactions and can therefore be used, among other things, for modeling traffic networks.”

Negative example: “A high energy concentration exists in the focal spot.”

Use the correct technical terminology:

“There is a high radiation intensity in the focal spot.”

Negative example: “The methods of material analysis included providing proof of compliance with the requirements for the new developments.”

Formal does not mean unnecessarily complicated. Do not use nominalizations more than necessary – they often make the text harder to understand: e.g. ‘had to be proven’ instead of ‘included providing proof of compliance’:

“With the methods of material analysis, it had to be proven that the new developments met the requirements.”

“The stupid measurement setup failed. Some idiot unplugged the device while it was running. After that, the calibration was lost, and it took me two hours to get everything back up and running.”

Remove all emotional/personal content during revision. The text already sounds more scientific:

“The measurement setup failed. During a power outage, the device lost its calibration.”

This text is revised again to highlight connections and conclusions:

“The measurement setup lost its calibration due to a power outage, which prevented a safe shutdown of the system. The cause was identified as the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) only maintaining power for 20 min.. Due to system upgrades, the shutdown process (see Table XY) took an average of 22 min. – therefore, the UPS or shutdown procedure must be adjusted.”

Depending on education, profession, social status, and marital status, employees have different options for balancing work and family life.

Not: Balancing work and family life is a difficult balancing act for many employees. Although companies can create alternatives to working outside the office with telework or remote work, the opportunities for successful reconciliation of work and family life vary greatly depending on education, profession, social status, and marital status.

According to a study by the Techniker Krankenkasse (2013, p. 14), 60 percent of people under the age of 25 eat convenience foods at least once a week.

Not: Studies by health insurance companies have shown that young adults eat poorly.

Müller (2012, p. 4) shows that the crime rate increased between 1992 and 2012. According to a study by the Federal Criminal Police Office (2013, p. 55), this is due to the growing spread of firearms.

Not: Müller (2012, p. 34) unfortunately shows that the crime rate has risen in the last 20 years. This is probably due to the far too high prevalence of firearms, according to a study by the Federal Criminal Police Office (2013, p. 55).

For these reasons, experts recommend full-day schools.

Not: For these reasons, experts recommend schools that, in addition to morning classes, offer an all-day program at least three days a week, with a minimum of seven hours each day.

The German education system, and thus the school system, is diverse and partly confusing. What is meant by the term full-day school differs in terms of content, organization, and region.

Not: The school system, as part of the education system in Germany, is nowadays very diverse and partly also confusing. When you deal with the topic of “full-day school,” it quickly becomes clear that there is no single type of full-day school. In terms of content and organization, as well as regionally in the federal states and municipalities, there are major differences. Therefore, before this topic can be discussed, a definition should first be provided.

Music therapy is one way to approach a person as an individual. Everyone perceives music differently, which is why music therapy does not appeal to everyone. However, its improvisational component makes it possible to respond individually to each person and their abilities. Therefore, music therapy can meaningfully complement common therapy methods.

Not: Music therapy is one way to approach a person as an individual and give them a stimulus. Of course, not everyone will respond to musical therapy, as everyone has a different relationship with music. However, due to the high proportion of improvisation, it provides an incredibly fascinating way to respond individually to the person and their abilities. Therefore, this form of music therapy is already a method that can very meaningfully supplement common therapy forms and offer hope.

The number of places in transitional homes is limited.

Not: The places in transitional homes are subject to a quantitative limitation.

People who have committed offenses are imprisoned in correctional facilities.

Not: People who have dedicated their lives to crime are imprisoned in correctional facilities.

The students at this school often wear worn-out clothes.

Not: The students at this school often wear old and shabby outfits.

The program FIT UND AKTIV for seniors has existed since 1946.

Not: The success story of FIT UND AKTIV began about 70 years ago.