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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak quote

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

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refers about

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "refers about" is not correct and not usable in written English.
The correct expression would typically be "refers to" when indicating what something is about. Example: "The article refers to the latest research on climate change."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Conclusion: HPV triage is at least as sensitive as immediate colposcopy for detecting CIN grade 3 and refers about half as many women to colposcopy.

The new system would replace an older version that uses less information and refers about 14percentt of ticket buyers for extra scrutiny.

News & Media

The New York Times

"There is a large group of consumers out there that want a dealerless transaction," said Mark W. Lorimer, chief executive of Autobytel.com, which now refers about 45,000 customers a month to dealers who sell them cars, and accounts for almost half of all online car sales referrals.

News & Media

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

Alarmingly, the GAO's report of all providers that referred an MR or CT examination in 2010 revealed that self-referring providers referred about twice as many of these services as providers who did not self-refer.

News & Media

Huffington Post

In the past year, they have referred about 600 cases to prosecutors, but only 18 were presented to the courts.

News & Media

The New York Times

Since the programme was set up in 2006, a total of 3,934 people have been referred, about 20% of whom are deemed by panels to require further action.

News & Media

The Guardian

Since 2002, the financial industry's self-regulatory groups have referred about 80 instances of suspicious SAC trading activity to federal authorities for further investigation.

News & Media

The New York Times

He was referred about 4.5 years earlier after having total thyroidectomy that showed multifocal MTC with cervical lymph nodes metastasis.

Science

BMC Cancer

Non-urologic hospitalists appeared to refer more patients after an abnormal PSA test than GPs, but seem to refer about as often as PCPs.

A study by Shipman et al. [ 9] showed that GPs working out-of-hours in a practice-based setting referred about 17% of all patients to the patient's own GP the next day.

Just 34%95%5% CI = 22 50) of children with severe illness were correctly managed, and HEWs referred about one-half (54%, 95% CI = 41 67) of children needing referral to a health center.

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Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "refers about" in formal writing. Instead, use "refers to" or other more grammatically correct alternatives like "mentions" or "relates to".

Common error

The common mistake is adding "about" after "refers" when "to" is the correct preposition. Always use "refers to" to indicate what something is about.

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

87%

Authority and reliability

2.5/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase "refers about" functions as a verb phrase, attempting to describe the act of referencing something. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, the construction is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "refers to".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "refers about" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in both formal and informal writing. Ludwig AI confirms that "refers to" is the correct construction. While examples exist, primarily in news and scientific contexts, the incorrect grammar undermines their authority. It's best to use alternatives like ""refers to"", "mentions", or "relates to" to ensure clarity and grammatical accuracy. Focus on using grammatically sound phrases to maintain credibility in your writing.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "refers" in a sentence?

The correct construction is "refers to", as in "The article "refers to" the latest research."

What can I say instead of "refers about"?

Use alternatives like ""refers to"", "mentions", or "relates to" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "refers about" or "refers to"?

"Refers to" is the correct and grammatically sound phrase. "Refers about" is not standard English.

Is "refers about" ever appropriate to use?

No, "refers about" is generally considered incorrect. It is best to use ""refers to"" or a similar alternative.

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Source & Trust

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Authority and reliability

2.5/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: