Editor’s response

Thank you for your comments on my recent editorial. The intent of my editorial was to ensure that JVDI articles follow the basic ABCs of scientific writing—to be accurate, brief, and clear. To that end, you do agree with my thesis regarding personalization and use of the active voice.

Anthropomorphization may not have been the most appropriate term to categorize the grammatical construct that I was protesting. I certainly agree that nonhuman animals can “show” or “display” or “demonstrate” various behaviors. I could not come up with a broad term for actions that could be taken by animal entities (Domain Eukarya, Kingdom Animalia), but my sense of the non-preferred word usage in question remains.

The Oxford Dictionary definitions of the verbs reveal, show, and demonstrate read, at least to me, as human actions: “reveal, verb, make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others”; “demonstrate, verb, 1. give a practical exhibition and explanation of (how a machine, skill, or craft works or is performed). 2. clearly show the existence or truth of (something) by giving proof or evidence.” (show definitions given above.) In the context of a scientific publication, I still do not believe that results can, of themselves, “show” something.

I’ve scanned several recently published JVDI articles, and do find that I allowed instances of “show” and “reveal,” but in the context of actions (e.g., “analysis showed,” “sequencing revealed”—analysis and sequencing being human activities, rather than “results showed,” results not being activities). A fine point peculiar to me perhaps? I remain happy with “we, researchers, investigators, scientists, authors,” etc. being able to use action verbs to “show, reveal, demonstrate, find, suggest, indicate,” etc., but I still am opposed to these actions being assigned to these “results, studies, findings, effects, outcomes,” etc., which often result in unclear attributions.

My bottom line is to be accurate, brief, and clear, and to leave no doubt in the reader’s mind of who did what when.

Grant Maxie, DVM, PhD, DACVP
JVDI Editor-in-chief
gmaxie@uoguelph.ca