Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
often unwise; the meaning is unclear at a page break, for example. Changes of topic
should be signalled by headings. Indentation is also used to offset material that is
not part of the textual flow, such as quotes, programs, and displayed mathematics.
Text looks tidier if it is right-justified as well as left-justified (although it is not
always easier to read). Consider using a running header, of say the authors' sur-
names or the paper's title. Pages should be numbered. When submitting a paper, note
that some journals and conferences ask that the author information be on a separate
page, and many venues have specific formatting guidelines in their “Information for
Authors”.
Stops
Stops (or full-stops or periods) end sentences. Some writers don't use any other
punctuation. Sentences should usually be short but commas and other marks give
variety. Lack of other marks makes text telegrammatic. Such text can be tiring to
read. Rather like this paragraph.
Stops are also used in abbreviations, acronyms, and ellipses. When these occur at
the end of sentence, the sentence's stop is omitted. Problems with stops are a good
reason to avoid abbreviations.
The process required less than a second (except when the machine was
heavily loaded, the network was saturated, etc.).
The process required less than a second (unless, for example, the machine was
heavily loaded or the network was saturated).
It is not usual to put a stop at the end of a heading.
3. Neural Nets for Image Classification.
3. Neural Nets for Image Classification
Commas
The primary uses of commas are to mark pauses, indicate the correct parsing, form
lists, and indicate that a phrase is a parenthetical remark (that is, a comment) rather
than a qualifier. Thus “the four processes that use the network are almost never idle”
means
of the processes, the four that use the network are almost never idle
, while
“the four processes, which use the network, are almost never idle” means
the four
processes use the network and are almost never idle
. Incorrect use of commas in
parenthetical remarks, in particular omission of the first of a pair of commas, is a
frequent error.
