[Zeno]

Good read and well stated. Thanks for the response. I probably do have a slight aversion to the words “belief” "believe" that has colored my perception of the word. Thanks for pointing that out. Its use however does cut into the precise nature and strong emphatic style that I strive for in my science and technical writing. For common usage I believe its use is fine. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

By the way, the USGS Style Guide is very usually and not just for scientists. There are sections on general writing that would help anyone in efforts to produce clarity in word sense, a succinct prose style, and helpful in reducing common grammatical errors. I recommend it highly, especially to those that have to produce reports or papers of any kind.

-Zeno