Learn English – Is “far from the end” correct

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Is it right to say far from the end in the following example?

Researches on the exploitation of the DAS method are far from the end.

Best Answer

Using complicated double-negatives is an incredibly bad idea in any sort of scientific or engineer writing.

Simply say:

Research on the exploitation of the DAS method have only just begun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNPAM5ABhvs

Similar phrases include "it is early days" or "is a new field" or "is a fledgling field" or "is only getting underway."

IF that is what you mean. Try to state exactly what you mean, literally, using quantification. For example...

"Research on DAS began only in 2012 with about 8 papers published so far." or "Research on DAS should take 10 years, but research has only been underway for 6 months."

Your current sentence tells us nothing, you know?

If you must use a double-negative, just use "far from complete" as Edwin explains.

But note that research tends not to have a "goal", so, it makes little sense (probably) to say anything at all in relation to the "end". (For example, can you state, what year, it will end?)

So, it's very likely what you are probably trying to say is that it is early days, that it is a new field.

In short

(1) forget about complicated double-negatives in anything scientific

(2) it's extremely unlikely there is actually an "end" relevant

(3) simply, state - accurately, using numbers - what you mean.

For example, note that as a reader I literally do not know what you mean. in fact I am now curious, how long has this research been going on? How many people are active, how many papers have been published, what time-scale do you guess for real results?

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