grammatically correct?

[ilovemarkb]

does the following sentence sound correct?

The criteria for exclusion was patients who were diabetic.

thankyou does patients have a ' after it?
thankyou Julie x

[MarkRae]

The CRITERION for exclusion was patients who were diabetic. Criteria is the plural of criterion.

If you wanted to say that the criterion for exclusion was patients' diabetes, then you'd need the apostrophe for the genitive plural.

[THECORBYLOON]

Agree about criterion rather than criteria and it may be better to say patients who had diabetes rather than who were diabetic.

[ilovemarkb]

thankyou Mark thats really helpful !! x julie

[slaney]

How many exclusion criteria do you have?
If only exclusion only applies to diabetic patients, why not simply say:
Diabetic patients were excluded.

[dr b]

Can't you just say "Diabetic patients were excluded"? Use the active voice whenever possible - academic writing doesn't always have to sound stilted.

[dr b]

Doh!

I agree with slaney.

[mike11111]

As it stands the sentence does not make sense because the patients were not the criterion but the fact that they had diabetes.

[slaney]

Hola dr b.
At least you remembered the question mark!

[ilovemarkb]

actually i have a list of five exclusion criteria. So if i say.....

The criteria for exclusion are patients' who are diabetic, have peripheral arterial disease, rheumotoid arthritis, and also patients' that are allergic to calcium carbonate or manuka honey.
does this sound ok? thanks Mark and corby x

[dr b]

As mike11... points out, this implies that the criteria are the patients rather than their conditions. How about:

I (or we) exclude patients who are diabetic, have peripheral arterial disease, rheumotoid arthritis, or are allergic to calcium carbonate or manuka honey.

[ilovemarkb]

and the rest of the gang! (hi dr b) think you helped me find this study!

[dr b]

Maybe better:

I (or we) exclude patients who are diabetic, who have peripheral arterial disease or rheumotoid arthritis, or are allergic to calcium carbonate or manuka honey.

[FoxLee2]

You seem very concerned about getting the wording correct so may I point out that it should be rheumAtoid arthritis?

[ilovemarkb]

sounds good to me dr b !! thanks again julie x

[ilovemarkb]

thanks foxlee !!

[MarkRae]

> The criteria for exclusion are patients' who are...

You seem determined to put an apostrophe onto the end of the word patients! You would do this ONLY if you were saying something like "The patients' problems" or "The patients' treatment". In all other cases, it's just a plural noun and, as such, doesn't need an apostrophe.

[ilovemarkb]

thankyou Mark! I understand!!

[cathfromsaron]

i like:

'The criteria for exclusion [from the study] are patients having diabetes, peripheral arterial disease or rheumatoid arthritis, and those presenting with an allergy to calcium carbonate or manuka honey.'

[cathfromsaron]

No, sorry:

'Excluded [from the study] are patients having diabetes, peripheral arterial disease or rheumatoid arthritis, and those presenting with an allergy to calcium carbonate or manuka honey.'