[John Kilduff]

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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

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I appreciate your response, and look forward to perusing the USGS style guide (which has already been saved to Favorites [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ). Thanks.

I don't object to your objecting to the use of "believe" on grounds of popular connotations; I just didn't think the word itself deserved to be thought of in so lowly a manner [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Good stuff and I really do look forward to the USGS Style Guide, since I have a lot of compiling and summarizing to accomplish over the next five months, so thanks again.