Academic & Scientific Proofreading Flashcards
7 cards from real CPP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Academic & Scientific Proofreading flashcards as text
Which of the following correctly identifies passive voice in a scientific sentence?
Answer: The samples were analyzed by the researchers.
Passive voice is formed with a 'to be' verb + past participle ('were analyzed'), with the agent ('by the researchers') optionally expressed.
In MLA 9th edition, what punctuation is used between the container title and the publication date in a Works Cited entry?
Answer: A comma
MLA 9th edition uses commas to separate most elements within the same container in a Works Cited entry.
A manuscript consistently writes 'the author' when referring to the paper's own writer. In academic style, this is:
Answer: Awkward and potentially ambiguous; first-person 'I' or 'we' is preferred in most modern academic styles
Most current academic style guides, including APA 7th edition, encourage first-person pronouns for clarity; referring to oneself as 'the author' can be confusing when other authors are cited.
When a proofreader encounters a sentence ending in a preposition in formal academic writing, such as 'This is an issue we need to think about,' what is the most appropriate action?
Answer: Note it as a style consideration but recognize both forms are now widely accepted
The 'rule' against ending sentences with prepositions is a style preference, not a grammar error; most modern guides accept terminal prepositions when recasting the sentence would sound awkward.
In a research paper, the abbreviation 'n.d.' in a citation means:
Answer: No date of publication found
'n.d.' stands for 'no date' and is used in citations when no publication date can be determined for the source.
Which of the following best describes the difference between proofreading and copyediting in an academic publishing workflow?
Answer: Copyediting addresses style, grammar, and consistency at an earlier stage; proofreading is a final check against the typeset proof
Copyediting occurs earlier and involves substantive grammar, style, and consistency work, while proofreading is the final stage of checking the typeset or formatted document.
A scientific paper states: 'Less participants completed the survey than expected.' What error does this sentence contain?
Answer: 'Less' should be 'fewer' because participants are countable
'Fewer' is used for countable nouns (participants), while 'less' is used for uncountable quantities; 'fewer participants' is correct.