Effective Alternatives to Using 'BUT' in Scientific Writing

[exponent137]

How to avoid word "BUT"?

It is suggested that word "BUT" should be avoided in scientific papers. In book "Science research writing" I found alternative words as, "although", "however", "whereas", "on the other hand", "while", by contrast" and so on. Word "however" is suggested many times, but it seems to me, that it changes sentence meaning.
Can you, please, find better word for the next sentences:

Stapp also concludes that a momentary decision is not enough for movement of a finger, but it needs thought effort.

He shows that the brain temperature is too high that quantum coherence could last any substantial time, for instance one second,
but it lasts many size classes less.

Therefore the results of the Libet experiment seem logical to them. But, our intuition speaks differently.

 

[Neil.yc]

exponent137,

I was trying to type down all of your sentences in different cases, but I realized that would not help you much, certainly not in the long term.

You will need to understand the usage and then you can use it appropriately; reading scientific paper will certainly help you to achieve this.

Also I do not think it is a decent idea to discuss this question here as this is not quite a question of scientific education or teaching. I might be wrong though.

Neil

 

[exponent137]

exponent137,

I was trying to type down all of your sentences in different cases, but I realized that would not help you much, certainly not in the long term.

You will need to understand the usage and then you can use it appropriately; reading scientific paper will certainly help you to achieve this.

Also I do not think it is a decent idea to discuss this question here as this is not quite a question of scientific education or teaching. I might be wrong though.

Neil

Although I read a lot of scientific papers, I have not enough feeling how to avoid word "but".

Maybe it is not an appropriate place to discuss, but here I did not found sub-forum for this. I will try on some grammar forums.

 

[AlephZero]

It is suggested that word "BUT" should be avoided in scientific papers.

Who is suggesting that? The ACS style guide doesn't say that, and gives several examples using the word:

Use coordinating conjunctions (“and”, “but”, “or”, “nor”, “yet”, “for”, and sometimes “so”), correlative conjunctions (“either, or”; “neither, nor”; “both, and”; “not only, but also”; “not, but”), and correlative constructions (“as well as”; e.g., “as well as”) to connect words or groups of words of equal grammatical rank.

-- from http://www.oup.com/us/samplechapters/0841234620/?view=usa#STYLE

Avoid fancy words. Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute. Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready, and able...

-- from Strunk and White, "The Elements of Style".

 

[mathwonk]

With all respect, may i suggest you need more basic english language writing experience, e.g. the use of articles such as "the". I would suggest you work at practicing general writing in english and not worry about trivial matters such as use of the word "but". You might enjoy a basic writing class.

 

[exponent137]

Mathwonk, I made some corrections about articles, how is correct?

It is suggested that THE word "BUT" should be avoided in scientific papers. In THE book "Science research writing" I found alternative words as, "although", "however", "whereas", "on the other hand", "while", by contrast" and so on. THE word "however" is suggested many times, but it seems to me, that it changes sentence meaning.
Can you, please, find better wordS for the next sentences:

Stapp also concludes that a momentary decision is not enough for THE movement of a finger, but it needs thought effort.

He shows that the brain temperature is too high that quantum coherence could last any substantial time, for instance one second,
but it lasts many size classes less.

Therefore the results of the Libet experiment seem logical to them. But, our intuition speaks differently.