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Writing Betrays Scientists Who Falsify Data

Scientists who falsify data had better watch out, because analysis of their writing can help tell good science from bad. Two researchers at Stanford University have come up with a way to see if a scientific article contains fraudulent data. How? By measuring the degree of obfuscation in the writing. Communication professor Jeff Hancock and graduate student […]

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Effective Business Writing: 5 Tips

Note: This post on effective business writing was originally published on July 19, 2012. Some text and images have been updated. Your marketing materials contain a crucial message. If that message doesn’t get through clearly, it can hurt your brand. (Not to mention your sales.) But effective business writing connects with readers. It makes your product […]

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OnPage SEO: Think “Secure, Responsive, and Fast”

Technology
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When people ask me how on-page SEO (search engine optimization) works, I usually start by explaining to them how search engines rank web pages. Once you understand how Google (and Yahoo and Bing et al.) see your website’s pages, it’s easy to understand how you can optimize your digital content for search. On-page SEO is the […]

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WaPo Accepts Singular They, Apocalypse Nigh

Linguistics
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If you use the singular they, your cause is gaining traction. The Washington Post announced yesterday that it will now accept the word they when it refers to just one person. Of course, if you’re an old-school English teacher, a grammar Nazi, or otherwise a pedant, the end of the world is approaching. How will […]

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Over 200 Languages Spoken in Brazil *Aren’t* Portuguese

Linguistics
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There are 216 languages spoken in Brazil. And 215 of them are spoken by 1% of the population. Portuguese is by far the most spoken language in Brasil. In fact, 99% of the population speaks it. You’ll hear and read Brazilian Portuguese in school, business, and government. Other languages spoken in Brazil include those of indigenous Amerindian groups and […]

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FleschKincaid Test: Is Congress Getting Dumber?

Linguistics
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A few years back, the Sunlight Foundation found that our public servants in Congress were “speakin’ real easy-like.” Flesch-Kincaid test data showed that members of Congress were speaking at almost a full grade level lower than they had seven years prior. The Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that pushes for more transparency in government, hence the word “sunlight” […]

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The Hardest Language to Learn

What’s the hardest language to learn for English speakers? That’s tough to say. It depends on the learner. But several entities, including the U.S. State Department, have some insight. But the analysis applies to native English speakers only. The most difficult language to learn varies with the individual. The following all play a role: Your native […]

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