WRITING SKILLS

Some features of good writing:

Ordered not confused

Short rather than long (words and sentences)

Plain language preferred to jargon

Clarity preferred to ambiguity

Writing that has good features is:

Easier to produce

Readers will be more likely to want to read it

Readers will be more likely to understand it

Readers will be kindly disposed towards it

Ordered not confused

You do not want to lose your readers in their journey through a complex or long argument, or across a range of ideas. Always aim to guide your readers through your writing. There are devices that you can employ to help the reader.

Signposts

Signposts are sentences that indicate to the reader where you have reached in your argument and/or give the content of the text that is to follow, e.g.

'In this chapter I shall discuss three types of molecular structure.'

'I shall first show how such techniques were first applied and then ...'

'My thesis builds upon three implicit assumptions.'

Transition

A transition is a word or phrase that indicates the logical relationship between two sentences or ideas, e.g.

therefore, thus, for example, in contrast, having said that, although, similarly, nonetheless, alternatively, put another way ...

Summaries

Summaries are sentences intended to state the main points of your argument. You should aim to make readers aware of what is important about, or crucial to, an argument, rather than merely to describe it. Summaries may be reserved for the end of a piece or, in the case of papers in journals, the abstract. They may be useful elsewhere in longer pieces, as signposts, e.g.

So far, I have described the ways in which metalloproteins bind heavy metal ions and analysed the contribution of this binding to detoxification in polluted environments.

A useful tip

Successful writing communicates meaning clearly to readers. Read your work and ask yourself if you have written what you should have written. Are signposts adequate, transitions clear and summaries complete? Ask someone else to read your work before you submit it.

Short rather than long

A listener or reader often has difficulty in making sense of long-winded speech or writing. Bear in mind at all times that the patterns of speech are different from writing. When two people converse, they rarely use properly constructed sentences. You should rarely write in the same manner in which you speak. What works in speech may not be effective or permissible in writing.

Your choice of words can be crucial. As a general guide follow Gower's advice:

'If the choice is between two words that convey a writer's meaning equally well, one short and familiar and the other long and unusual, of course the short and familiar should be preferred.'

(Gower 1986 : 48).

Similarly, it is often better to use direct language rather than searching for convoluted expressions. Is anything gained by describing an unhappy coincidence as 'an infelicitous concatenation of events'?

What is true for words is equally true for sentences.

One definition of a sentence is that it is a self-contained unit of meaning. In academic writing, meaning should flow from sentence to sentence, carrying argument forward. If we lapse from the sentence format, there is a danger that meaning can become lost. Short, simple and carefully crafted sentences should be used whenever possible, especially when discussing difficult matters.

Make every word count. Be ruthless in cutting out 'verbiage' and 'padding'. If your sentences seem long and clumsy, split them into shorter sentences. Check that each sentence contains a subject and a main verb.

Remember: well written means easy to read

What is 'jargon'?

The word can be understood in (at least) two ways.

Jargon is sometimes used to describe pompous and verbose language, or as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it: 'unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing.' The OED goes on to give a further definition: 'Applied contemptuously to the language of scholars, the terminology of a science or art ...'

Jargon is often understood (without contempt) to mean technical or specialised language used in specific contexts. Two examples might be legal English and expert to expert communication. Here jargon can find its proper place. It can be a most useful form of 'shorthand' communication between specialists and in the proper context it is quite appropriate. But how can you judge when it is proper for you to use it?

The short answer is to think of your readers or audience. Will they understand the jargon? If you are sure that they will understand and something is to be gained by using it, then do so.

If the above conditions do not or may not apply, then either:

use other, more readily understood words, or

explain the jargon word(s) the first time that you use it.

There are other circumstances where it would be appropriate to use jargon accompanied by an explanation. It may be that two people understand a jargon term differently. By giving an operational definition of a term, you avoid unnecessary misinterpretation of your work. It may also be the case that you do not know the accepted meaning of a word in a given context. By explaining your use of it, the error can be identified and you can learn from your mistake.

back to contents

©University of Leicester, 1997. Writing Skills for Postgraduates and Other Research Scientists, Lucy Birkinshaw and Professor Robert Smith. Based on a pamphlet originally prepared by Robert Ash for the Faculty of Social Sciences. Web-editors: Ted Gaten and Magnus Johnson

Last updated: May 2003
Biology Web Maintainer
This document has been approved by the head of department or section.