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RaptorMagic

Orcinus

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Callimachus
(Done with Mirrors)

Gelmo
(Statistical blah blah blah)

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Athletics Nation

Andrew Sullivan
(Daily Dish)

Kevin Drum
(Political Animal)

Hilzoy
(Obsidian Wings)

 Friday, June 6, 2008
Needless to Say

Gelmo is a statistician, not an editor. His native habitat is academia, but he sometimes writes for the general public. (Well, no, not quite the general public, but at least that segment of the public that likes to read about politics.)

Last week he offered a short post with a list of stock phrases his fellow academics should consider excising from their papers:

Note that . . . Interestingly . . . Obviously . . . It is clear that . . . It is interesting to note that . . . very . . . quite . . . of course . . . Notice that . . .

We editors have similar lists for non-academics. My personal favorite is "needless to say", a phrase which can never be both correct and necessary. If what follows really is needless to say, then don't say it!

11:50:51 PM  [permalink]  comment []