Avoid casual English
Casual language should be kept for conversation or other forms of writing. It must be replaced by the correct term, which is often shorter:
| avoid |
better |
| nowadays | presently, currently |
| for instance | for example |
| despite the fact that | although |
| goes under the name of | is called |
| on the contrary | in contrast |
| firstly | initially |
| to begin with | initially |
| be that as it may | however |
| at last | finally |
| in as much as | because |
| by the way | delete |
| as a matter of fact | delete |
| ’til now (until now) | to date* |
*This last example also uses a contraction which cannot be used in scientific writing at all. Other examples include:
| avoid |
better |
| it’s | it is |
| weren’t | were not |
| didn’t | did not |
| haven’t | have not |
| can’t | cannot |