Writing clearly means presenting your argument and evidence logically and creatively. If you put your noteworthy arguments in embellished prose, it might not attract enough attention.
But it should be noted that clear writing needs effort. In addition to a knowledge of basic grammar and syntax, it requires a good ear, a sense of proportion, and the ability to criticize oneself.
Most importantly, those who want to write clearly need to develop a critical sense. The writers should be able to judge their own writing objectively. This means that they should ignore the brilliance of the content and honestly evaluate its ability to convey ideas.
The following tips will be useful for those who want to publish articles in major scientific journals. These tips will help you improve your writing so that you will have a better chance of publication.
- Determine your argument before starting to write. You should know what you want to talk about since it increases the chance of writing a convincing and orderly paper.
- Plan out your outline and organize your paper based on it. It is better to have an outline since it helps your paper have a logical flow.
- Make your sentences clear. Try to convey only one idea in every sentence. To achieve this aim, it is better to have short and simple sentences so do not try to join them.
- Try to be concise. Brevity is an important principle in scientific writing. So try to avoid long sentences.
- Try to organize your thoughts. You should make sure that each paragraph has a topic that is in line with the main topic of the study. Try to report your findings and conclusions as briefly as possible.
- Replace the “to be” verbs. Your text seems weak if you use this verb a lot. For instance, change “it is a representation of” to “it represents”.
- Try to use fewer adjectives and adverbs. Do not use unspecific modifiers, including “very” and “highly”. If you want to use modifiers, try to make them precise. For instance, instead of “very good” you can use “desirable”.
- Try to be specific. Do not use phrases like “a number of” and “a quantity of”. You can replace them with “many,” “few,” or “some” or the exact number.
- Do not use unnecessary phrases. “It is needless to say that” to “the fact is that” are empty phrases. Since you believe in what you are saying, you do not need such phrases, just say what you think. It is also better to replace “in order to” with “to”.
- Try to find the missing parts. Review your test from the point of view of someone who is not as familiar as you with the topic. Try to add sentences that can make it easier for them to comprehend your article.
- Find the repetitions. Try to replace the repetitive words with their synonyms in your writing. Using repetitive words can make your text look unprofessional.
- Try to use the words that you ordinarily use. If possible, use words that you use while you speak. Avoid words that are difficult to understand in your writing.
- Put your draft aside for a while. After finishing your draft, try to leave it alone for a while. This time interval will help you find your mistakes more easily the next time you read your writing.
- Revise. Try to revise your manuscript as many times as is needed.