Cut the waffle
In academic English, short sentences and paragraphs are often clearer, more readable and more effective than long ones.
Rambling: best left for the outdoors
Read your work aloud to make sure you're not rambling.
Getting quality feedback on your work-in-progress
It is vital to get quality feedback on your manuscript by approaching the right person for each aspect of your writing: an expert on the subject to check the content; your supervisor or a colleague to check the argument; a trusted friend with good writing skills to check the grammar and punctuation.
Encapsulate the essence of your argument
It is helpful to get a colleague or fellow student to read through the work to see if the argument is clear.
Getting ‘distance’ from your writing
Always set aside your writing for at least 24 hours and come back to look at it with fresh eyes.
Smoothing out the rough: paragraphs that won’t flow
If a paragraph refuses to flow, underline the essential parts that must be included, work out the best order and add only enough words for the paragraph to make sense.
How can you analyse your own writing?
It's hard to analyse your own writing but there's a simple, straightforward way to check how your writing will come across.
Embracing the delete button
Don't be scared of the delete button - it can be your most valuable tool for sharpening your writing.