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Lists

Sentences often include lists of terms, values, or statements.

Lists of examples

"such as"

"such as" is commonly used to introduce a list of examples.

"such as" should come as close as possible to the term associated with the examples.

Example 1. Correct use of "such as"

	… were prepared using conventional oxidation methods, such as photocatalysis, photolysis, and ozonation.
	… machine learning algorithms such as support vector machine (SVM).
	… is analyzed based on metrics such as precision, accuracy, recall, loss, and F score.

Mistake

The author places "such as" far away from the term associated with the examples.

Remedy

Place "such as" as close as possible to the term associated with the examples.

Example 2. Incorrect use of "such as"

	Heuristic optimization methods were used in previous studies, such as Monte Carlo optimization and simulated annealing.
	Heuristic optimization methods, such as Monte Carlo optimization and simulated annealing, were used in previous studies.
	"Monte Carlo optimization" and "simulated annealing" are examples of "methods", not "studies".

	Heuristic optimization methods used in previous studies, such as Monte Carlo optimization and simulated annealing, were compared with …
	Note that the above example is correct because "Monte Carlo optimization" and "simulated annealing" are examples of "methods used in previous studies".

	Many types of film can be synthesized using hydrothermal methods, such as BaTiO₃, SrTiO₃, and ZnO.
	Many types of film, such as BaTiO₃, SrTiO₃, and ZnO, can be synthesized using hydrothermal methods.
	"BaTiO₃", "SrTiO₃", and "ZnO" are examples of "types of film", not "hydrothermal methods".

Commas with "such as"

Use commas with "such as …" if the statement still makes sense without "such as".

Example 3. Commas with "such as"

	Feature selection methods, such as sequential forward selection, particle swarm optimization, and simulated annealing, are often used to reduce the dimensionality of data …
	The statement still makes sense without "such as" ("Feature selection methods are often used …").

	Methods such as sequential forward selection, particle swarm optimization, and simulated annealing are often used to reduce the dimensionality of data …
	The statement without "such as" ("Methods are often used …") is too general, so no commas here.

"namely"

Assume that you measured the temperature, velocity, and relative humidity. The set of measurements is {"temperature", "velocity", "relative humidity"}. When all elements in a set are listed, use "namely" instead of "such as".

Example 4. Use of "namely"

	We measured several parameters, such as temperature, velocity, and relative humidity.
	We measured several parameters, namely temperature, velocity, and relative humidity.

Mistake

The author uses "such as" to list all items in a set.

Remedy

Use "namely" to list all items in a set.

Example 5. Incorrect use of "such as"

	For this example, assume that two methods (method A and method B) were evaluated.
	The evaluated methods, such as method A and method B, were applied to …
	The evaluated methods, namely method A and method B, were applied to …

Lists of values with shared unit

For a list of values that share a unit, the unit is usually written only once (i.e., at the end of a list).

Example 6. List of values with shared unit

The heights were 1, 4, and 12 m.

When the values are followed by extra information (see example below), I suggest repeating the unit for clarity.

Example 7. List of values with extra information

The heights were 1 m (model A with x=12), 4 m (model A with x=17), and 12 m (model B with x=12).

When the list has only two items, some journals require the unit to be repeated. For example, you must use "12 nm and 15 nm" instead of "12 and 15 nm". Check guidelines.

"respectively"

"respectively" is commonly used in lists of items to remove repetition. "respectively" uses the pattern shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Pattern for "respectively".

In the pattern, two or more elements are associated with another set of elements (of equal number). In Figure 1, A is associated with X, B is associated with Y, and C is associated with Z. Note that three elements (A, B, and C) are associated with three other elements (X, Y, and Z).

Example 8. Correct use of "respectively"

	where T_N(ξ) is a Chebyshev polynomial of the first kind and U_N(ξ) is a Chebyshev polynomial of the second kind.
	Note that "is a Chebyshev polynomial of the X kind" is repeated. Here, A = T_N(ξ), B = U_N(ξ), X = "first", and Y = "second".
	where T_N(ξ) and U_N(ξ) are Chebyshev polynomials of the first and second kind, respectively.
	The repeated part is removed.

	The parameter M was set to 5 m, the parameter SF was set to 48 m, the parameter D_sr was set to 6 m, and the parameter D_rd was set to 17 m.
	The parameters M, SF, D_sr, and D_rd were set to 5, 48, 6, and 17 m, respectively.

Inline lists

A sentence should be used for short lists. Add numbering if it improves readability.

Example 9. Inline list

The criteria were (i) a high ion velocity, (ii) a change in polarity, and (iii) a quadrupole magnetic field.

Block lists

When the list items are rather long, consider using a block list for clarity.

Example 10. Block list

The criteria were:

a high ion velocity and a change in the polarity of the Y component of the ion velocity,
a change in the polarity of the X component of the magnetic field, and
a quadrupole magnetic field in the Z component of the magnetic field during ion flow.

The punctuation for block lists varies by journal. Check guidelines.