when to use Hyphen-minus between two words?
 

Dear Forum Users,

I had a scientific article published recently and I was a bit confused after I received the galley proofs.

While I had consistently written side-chain or side-chains (or backbone-side-chain interactions) in the article, I was consequently corrected to:


1. side-chain (this was kept)
2. side chains (no hyphen-minus)

3. backbone-side chain interactions

Especially when side chains has no hyphen-minus puzzles me.

Kind regards
Markus

Re: when to use Hyphen-minus between two words?
 

The use of the hyphen is very optional. Some people use it, others don't. But any publication will have made an editorial decision about whether it does or doesn't use it in its own in-house style - so that all articles are consistent. The changes made to your text were not, therefore, "corrections" in the sense that they changed something that was wrong, but simply "editing" in order to bring your style in line with the in-house style. Generally publications issue a list of guidelines to potential authors, explaining what their policy on these matters is. But if they don't, or if authors don't follow them, then work will be edited accordingly.