A collection of scripts (simple programs you run from a command prompt) that will help you find weak spots in your scientific writing.
If the script (.sh extension) is in the same folder as your text file run:
./weaselwords.sh yourpaper.txt
You may have to type in chmod +x weaselwords.sh in order to make the scripts
executable.
The script language_test.sh will run all the other tests in sequence. For example, to check all of Chapter 3 (split into several .tex files) of my thesis I run:
$ ./language_test.sh ../03.*
Starting language self test
=======================================================v0.1==
Checking for use of passive voice in ../03.Channel-coding-Thm.tex ../03.Example.tex ../03.HSW-Thm-proof.tex ../03.HSW-Thm.tex ../03.Point-to-point-channels.tex
../03.Channel-coding-Thm.tex:15: Each use of the channel is assumed to be independent,
../03.Channel-coding-Thm.tex:19: This is called the discrete memoryless setting.
../03.Channel-coding-Thm.tex:25: \emph{rate} $R$ at which the channel $\mcal{N}$ can be converted
Checking for usage of weasel words in ../03.Channel-coding-Thm.tex ../03.Example.tex ../03.HSW-Thm-proof.tex ../03.HSW-Thm.tex ../03.Point-to-point-channels.tex
../03.Channel-coding-Thm.tex:223: % and techniques many of
../03.Example.tex:244: and see various coding strategies, measurement constructions and
Checking for duplicate words in ../03.Channel-coding-Thm.tex ../03.Example.tex ../03.HSW-Thm-proof.tex ../03.HSW-Thm.tex ../03.Point-to-point-channels.tex
=============================================================
Original author: Matt Might http://matt.might.net/ http://matt.might.net/articles/shell-scripts-for-passive-voice-weasel-words-duplicates/
New ideas from: Kristin Sainani via the "Writing in the Sciences" course https://class.coursera.org/sciwrite-2012-001/
I plan to make more scripts as the class progresses. Contributions are welcome.
Find a way to make scripts usable to win32 people. They are people too ;)
A language script by Baron Schwartz https://gist.github.com/xaprb/8492226
http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ via https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7223969
https://www.languagetool.org/ https://github.com/languagetool-org/languagetool/tree/master/languagetool-core/src/main/java/org/languagetool/rules
See also links in Links folder.