Letters to the Editor
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Kohl should have added a kind word for a conformity in writing style. I prefer to journal editors, who, after all, assume say "The curve fitted the data" or "None ultimate responsibility for the quality of of them is..." rather than "The curve fit To the Editor: publications and the integrity of the peerthe data" or "None of them are...." If a I very much enjoyed reading Harry writer's expression is correct and clear review process. Leamy and Jack Wernick's article on the but differs from what an editor (or An editor's job is not easy. Consider the history of semiconductor silicon, in the reviewer) prefers, the writer's preference logistics of arranging reviews, scheduling May [1997, page 47] issue [of MRS should prevail since the paper will bear publication, and editing texts for clarity Bulletin]. I've just one small quibble, and his/her name. A vexed example is puncand conciseness. To these must be added that is based on my personal experience. tuation. For instance, "Tom, Dick, and several complications that derive from The authors say that the revelation of disHarry" is preferable to "Tom, Dick and the modern scene. First, there is the crete etch pits by etching a sub-boundary Harry." Without that last serial comma, explosive growth in the number of in a germanium crystal, published in 1953 the connotation is that two parties are authors and profusion of their output by a group at Bell Labs, was the "first involved rather than three. (c.f., David Goldstein's "The Big Crunch" direct evidence of dislocations in crystals." 1995 [page 7] issue of MRS in the October More problematic is the practice of omitNot so. In 19471 published (in the proBulletin), with some scientific journals ting the hyphen, a useful punctuation ceedings of a conference held in Bristol, now serving more authors than readers— mark that is going the way of the adverb in England) an outline account of etch-pits in as pointed out by A.K. Christensen in American English. (Omit the hyphen and sub-boundaries in single crystals of zinc /. Microscopy Society of America 2 (3) (1996, most people cannot pronounce acoustooptic which had been plastically bent and then page Ncl7). Second, English is now linproperly or make sense of the statement, annealed, which "polygonized" (straightgua franca to the scientific common"We sell demand and supply statistics.") ened) the curved lattice planes and caused wealth which encompasses diverse peoMany editors insist that the acronym CVD some of the dislocations to migrate and ples with varying mastery of this difficult be written out in full, and this is attended assemble. The resultant sub-boundaries language. The sharp dichotomy between with much confusion. Various punctuation consisted of dislocations, which were then English usage in America (with its egalischemes have appeared in different jourrevealed as etch-pits. The observations tarian and improvisational attitude to nals. This is an important issue, for phrases were published more fully (with the addivocabulary and sentence structure) and of the sort "Che
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