Concision and Precision Writing shorter clearer articles Writing

Concision and Precision Writing shorter, clearer articles Writing with specific language

Main Goals of Writing Write for the reader Write to be understood Clearly convey complex ideas Length is less important than meaning Be clear Be concise Be precise

Concise Writing: Lower Your Word Count Concise: Giving a lot of information clearing, in a few words. Reader’s attention Length of time taken to get to the point

Concise Writing: Lower Your Word Count Concise: Giving a lot of information clearly, in a few words. Most academic writing IS NOT concise because: - Long sentences Tangents Irrelevant information Interruptions Stating obvious information Unclear sentences Takes to long to make a point This author is so boring! When will they get to the point?

Concision is Editing Reducing word count and improving clarity is the goal of concision. Concise writing comes from editing and revising previous drafts Steps to improve concision 1) Improve Subject-Verb with active verbs. Remove weak verbs 2) Remove redundant and less important information 3) Reduce wordiness 4) Compress phrases into a single word The point

Be Concise: Remove Weak Verbs Weak verbs: To be (is, are, was were) To get (get, gets, got) To have (have, has, had) The outcomes have demonstrated that the data our research team got from the experiment is valid. Identify weak verbs and replace them with a subject and active verb

Be Concise: Remove Weak Verbs Weak verbs: To be (is, are, was were) To get (get, gets, got) To have (have, has, had) The outcomes have demonstrated that the data our research team got from the experiment is valid. Identify weak verbs and replace them with a subject and active verb The experiment outcomes demonstrate data validity. Same meaning 10 fewer words

Remove Less Vital Information Find redundant, irrelevant, and less important information. Often contained in interruptions, which reduce clarity and concision. A sample size was not quite sufficiently large enough, although the data collection used valid methodologies, to gather enough data on the population being studied despite our best efforts to do so.

Remove Less Vital Information Find redundant, irrelevant, and less important information. Often contained in interruptions, which reduce clarity and concision. A sample size was not quite sufficiently large enough, although the data collection used valid methodologies, to gather enough data on the population being studied despite our best efforts to do so. Remove or reorder less vital information. Apply principles of clarity to improve concision. Despite valid data-collection methods, the same size was insufficient to gather enough data on the study population.

Avoid Wordiness Remove duplicate pairs with similar meaning Avoid redundant modifiers: Words with same meaning Reduce redundant phrases Ex. First and foremost… Ex. Completely finished… Ex. In order to… = to After the previous… Revolve around… Prior to…= before Basic and fundamental… Progress forward… A number of…= several Any and all… Finally done… So on and so forth… Initialize start-up… In addition to… = additionally

Avoid Wordiness Remove meaningless adverbs and adjectives Replace pompous language and nominalization (modifying words) (use plain language) Very… Really… Quite… Actually… Rather… Basically… Kind of… Generally… Substantial(ly)… Interesting(ly)… Pursuant to the recent promulgation issued April 19, 2017, because of temporal exigencies, it is incumbent upon us all to endeavor to make maximal utilization of electronic communication vis-à-vis scripting counselors to assure visitation at the centre for improved written communication. (Telling the reader what they will read) The author will argue the benefits of increased spending on research. In this section, you will be introduced to necessary concepts… Waste of words. Use plain, clear language Use precise language Avoid meta-discourse/meta -writing Lead the reader. Don’t tell them what they will read.

Compress Phrases because…since…or why… replaces - The reason for… For the reason that… Due to the fact that… Owning to the fact that… In light of the fact that… This is why… On the grounds that… about… replaces - As regards… In reference too With regards to… Concerning the matter of… - In the event that - If it should transpire… - If it should happen that… must/should… replaces although…even though… replaces - Despite the fact that… - Regardless of the fact that… - Notwithstanding the fact that… if… replaces - It is crucial that… It is necessary that… There is a need for… It is important that… It cannot be avoided… can…could…may…might… replaces - Is able to… Is in a position to… Has the capacity for… Has the ability to…

Precision in Writing Precise: Accurate and exact expression Imprecision is caused by generalizing. Avoid imprecise, vague words area nature structure case system situation character level field condition process problem Words can have multiple meanings Avoid anonymous claims It was shown that… It is speculated… It has been found… Generally speaking… In general, everyone knows… There are many papers written on this topic… Where is the evidence to prove this?

Use Positive Language Precisely Double negative: a statement expressing two negatives, resulting in a positive outcome Double negatives reduce clarity, concision and precision It is not uncommon for experiments to fail = It is common for experiments to fail It is unlikely that it will not succeed = It will likely succeed Replace negative with affirmative statements Not many = few not the same = different Not important = unimportant/minor Not possible = impossible did not remember = forgot Did not pay attention = ignored Did not allow for = prevented The point

Precise Words adds Analysis and Power The patient did not want to receive additional medical support and their reason stemmed from their strong belief in religion. Vague, unimpressive, long The patient rejected medical treatment because of their strong religious beliefs. Precise, powerful, accurate, analytical

Precision Avoids Doubt If you are certain of something, take a stand Presents uncertainty Students can enhance their papers by revealing insight. Additional funding may lengthen the research period. Precision might be ranked among the most important qualities of good writing. Certainty gives a sense of authority Students enhance their papers by revealing insight. Additional funding will lengthen the research period. Precisions ranks among the most important qualities of good writing.

Precision Avoids Doubt Express certainty when you are certain. Save doubt for real uncertainty. When we cannot guarantee certainty, use: would should could may might can A new cancer treatment could save the lives of millions. According to our findings, efficiency may be increased by as much as 73% if the company applied this new management approach.

Use Precise Examples to Define Avoid defining technical terms. Place them in context for the reader instead A binary system is described as a situation when two astrological bodies gravitational forces interact to such a degree that the two objects begin to orbit each other. Gravitational relationships are exhibited by binary systems. When two objects with strong enough gravitational fields are close enough together, their gravity interacts. This interaction can result in a binary system if these two objects begin orbiting each other. Easier to understand? Less boring? You get the definition through the context

Precise Language for International Readers Avoid slang and clichés the reader will not understand We needed to think outside the box, to search for the holy grail. However it was neither found to be a magic bullet nor a slam dunk. So, we rolled with the punches and let the chips fall where they will. In the end, we saw the glass was not half empty. It really was a no-brainer. The team ended up being tickled pink and happier than a pig in mud. Be professional, be precise. Use plain language to convey intelligent thought

Precision is about Style is specific Style is definite Style is concrete Style grabs attention Style takes work to refine

Easy Tips for Concision/Precision Start by removing weak verbs - Use the Find/Navigate function in Word Look for the preposition to Search for weak verbs and their various forms Identify the strong verb hidden within your sentence Use online resources and digital tools to work smart - The Writer’s Diet Test (clarity, concision, precision) - Thesaurus. com to improve your vocabulary and find more precise words Understand Clarity and Concision/Precision overlap - Working to clarify often improves concision Becoming more precise improves clarity