Effective Use of Hedging in Scientific Manuscripts: Advice to Non-Native English-Speaking Researchers

Abstract

For many non-native English-speaking researchers, writing clear research manuscripts can be very difficult. To be able to write high-quality manuscripts, a good understanding of writing skills, including terminology and grammar, in addition to other facets of writing are essential.1 Furthermore, clearly differentiating what can be considered a fact, and what is only a possibility, is also very important in scientific/medical writing. In this article, we focus on hedging, which is a way of expressing tentativeness and possibility using specific words and expressions, which are also known as ‘hedges’.2 This is considered a necessary element when writing medical and scientific manuscripts,3 as it enables researchers to make statements with appropriate accuracy, caution, and humility, by expressing a certain degree of uncertainty, which minimizes the risk of readers making opposing claims.4 In addition, it can also show the writers’ modesty and politeness.3 Previous linguistic studies have shown that the use of hedges may be influenced by various factors, such as culture and gender.3,5,6 Some studies have found that hedging occurs more in the Discussion and Conclusion sections than other sections in academic writing.7 It is also common in medical publishing for hedging to be used in Opinion articles and in the Discussion section of original research papers, because this is where the researcher will need to discuss or give interpretations for the results of a study, without sounding overconfident, and leaving room for other perspectives and opinions. As medical editors in Japan, we find that it is often difficult for non-native English-speaking researchers, in our case, mostly Japanese researchers, to use hedging effectively in their writing. We will introduce a few examples taken from actual manuscripts written by Japanese researchers that we have edited (with modifications as appropriate), to demonstrate how hedging should be used, and to provide effective hedging strategies.