The Journal of Faculty Development is an interdisciplinary publication. As such, it is critical that potential authors write clearly and effectively for a wide range of readers. At times, writing can enhance or detract from your research and scholarship. Potential authors should review and proofread their manuscripts with the following suggestions in mind:
- Avoid “There is . . .,” “There are . . . ,” and “It is . . . ” constructions.
- Follow “This” and “That” by a noun.
- Use the serial comma (i.e., one comma less than the total number of items in the list) for words, phrases, or lists in a series. For example: The journal publishes research, scholarship, and creative works. Semi-colons appear in a list only if the individual units contain commas.
- Use a comma to separate two main clauses joined by one of the seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, but, or, nor, so (that), yet. Place the comma before the conjunction
- Avoid “when” and “where after “is” in definitions.
- Avoid redundancies such as “the reason why” or “is because.”
- Do not substitute “would be” for the present or past verb tense.
- Use pronouns properly (e.g., “Terry was the kind of student that took tests poorly” should be “Terry was the kind of student who took tests poorly.”)
- Hyphenate two consecutive modifiers being used as a singular adjective (e.g., I developed a six-minute video on degree-completion students).
- Use introductory commas (e.g., Therefore, I conclude that flipping goes well).