Yea I’ve had wrong spelling and punctuation on words like dear and deer or were and where. It passed the spell check by definitely the wrong words.

Proof-read, Proof-read, Proof-read

I guess this is also a comment on myself: edit, re-edit, and re-edit again. I did not do so on my first reply, but I have now.

(P.S. — don’t use devices like “” or on research papers! )

However, I must disagree (slightly) on three points: use of contractions, active vs. pasive voice, and punctuation.

As demonstrated, “vs.” is clearly read while “versus” is harder to type and less clear. likewise: “etc.” compared to “et cetera.” Contractions should be used with great care, but are sometimes to be preferred.

Active voice, I have found, is very useful if used judiciously. It should be reserved primarily for drawing conclusions that might not be obvious.

I strongly feel that punctuation should be used in its purest form. Any abuse might be seen as a misunderstanding of the correct usage, and can be interpreted as poor scholarship. As a general rule, if you feel you are using too much punctuation in any given instance, reconstruct the wording and/or split the sentence.

A further caveat: always check spelling (I found two spelling errors in this post. please forgive my anal-retentive habits).

Excellent advice!