The following is a list of the web editor's pet peeves. It is intended to make writers think more about simple use of English, and for editors to cut jargon where possible and avoid overusing clichés. We encourage you to avoid these words, except in direct quotes.

Please note that this list does not apply to official documents, which often use a more formal language, or texts for a scientific audience.

Access (as a verb)

And/or (Logic gates do not belong in prose)

Anomalous – results are not anomalous, they are "unexpected"

Anthropogenic

Breakthrough 

Colloquium – say "seminar" 

Component  – say "part"

Elucidate – say "find out"

et al. – say "and colleagues" or "and their team"

Facilitate – say "help"

Further research is needed (or anything like that)

Holy Grail – an overused metaphor

However  – use "but" (except at the start of a sentence)

Impact (as a verb)

Initiate – use start

In order to – almost always redundant. Just say "to"

Interdisciplinary

Interested in (as in, "Dr. Frankenstein is interested in tissue regeneration." – it makes it sound boring)

It has been shown… By who?

Literally (even if it’s used accurately, the word is generally useless)

Material properties

Mechanism

Methodology

Mitigation

Modulate

Multiple (as in many? Then just use many)

Novel say "new" (The noun, as in a type of book, is fine.)

Optimum

Orthogonal

Paradigm shift

Parameter (also, parameterise)

Scientists have learned in recent years that… (A dodge to escape explaining what actually happened)

Seminal

Sustainability

System (as in, "He chose atoms as a system to study")

Synergy (corporate jargon that we can all do without)

The discussion was informed by...

This (if there is no antecedent in sight)

Transmissibility

Trivial (in the way scientists like to use it: "This problem is trivial." Non-trivial is even worse.)

Utilise – say "use"

Via – use "through" or "by"

Very – This word is almost always redundant. It’s not "very big", it’s huge, vast, or enormous. "Very small"? – No. Tiny, minute, etc. The exceptions are when "very" is used to mean "actual; precise" as in those were his very words, or to mean "without addition; mere" as in the very thought made her shudder. Those uses are fine.

We  – as in "We now accurately know the diameter of the proton." We includes your readers, most of whom don’t know until you tell them. Even worse are constructions such as "We've all laughed at Charlie Chaplin films". No, we haven't!