Avoiding Ambiguity and Vagueness

Abstract

Why is this chapter important? A sentence or phrase is ambiguous or vague when it has more than one ­interpretation or its interpretation is not obvious. If referees are not clear about what you are ­saying in a particular sentence, this may affect their overall understanding of the contribution of the paper. They may thus feel that they are not in a position to judge the merits of your paper. Just two or three ambiguous sentences are enough for referees to recommend delaying publication until ‘the English has been revised by a native speaking expert’.