academia - Different uses of "risk of/to/for" in professional medical literature [style]


This question is about the preferred style in medical scientific journals.


Consider the following sentences:



risk to develop a severe reaction


risk of developing a severe reaction


risk for developing a severe reaction



Clarity and brevity should probably be the most important when writing in medical journals. So do these sentences have different meanings? Is one use preferred over another? Which use is the most suited for medical journals?


Any other possible combinations that you suggest?



Answer



Ngram can be a helpful in this case. The more common (preferred) construction is "risk of developing" and if you check the numerous exemples they all refer to medical contexts.


"Risk for developing and risk to develop" are less commonly used but they are just correct and from a literal perspective they convey the same meaning.


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