Mind your binomials: a guide to microbial nomenclature and spelling in sexually transmitted infections.

There are several reasons for expecting authors to spell scientific terms correctly. First, the conventions for scientific names are meant to allow scientists to communicate precisely and accurately with each other. Incorrect spelling or terminology of the names of microorganisms can cause confusion and perpetuate mistakes. Second, an incorrectly spelled name in the title 4 of an article means that scientists searching for your article might not find it. Third, and maybe unfairly, poor spelling gives editors and reviewers the impression that you do not know or do not care about the subject of your research. A quick look at the mistakes made when spelling Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis suggests that people are confused about when to use the Latin name for the pathogen or its common descriptive name and about differences between UK and US English spelling. It didn’t take long to put together the errors listed above, so we conclude that there is a real problem. Now is a good time to remind ourselves of the conventions for using and writing scientific names and to let authors know of our new guidance for nomenclature and abbreviations for bacteria, protozoa and viruses and the infections they cause.