Conciseness

One of the hallmarks of professional writing is that it is clear, organized, and concise. I recently reviewed a final dissertation that was 450 pages long… it is painful to wade through that much information. The reality is that if you are writing that much, you are probably repeating yourself and not being concise.  

How do you make your writing concise? First, make an outline of each chapter and stick to it! There is a tendency for people to be attracted to distantly related articles, and start to go in strange directions. An outline will keep you focused on the essentials. When you think you are done with the chapter, go back to the original outline and make sure you haven't taken any wandering paths. 

Second, never copy a section from a previous chapter into a later one. I know it is more work to actually rewrite a similar section, but trust me; your reader will appreciate not reading the same paragraphs over and over. Besides, you may make new interesting connections or have flashes of inspiration when you rethink that section. You will also have a tendency to write more concisely the second (and third) time. 

Third, make sure you have grammar and spell check turned on in Word. Pay attention to the grammar and writing marks that are shown in Word (those green and red lines that appear under words and sentences). Right click your mouse on them and they will offer suggestions- follow them. 

Fourth, and this is the tough one, reread each sentence and think about how you could write it clearer. Eliminate adverbs (e.g., "mostly," "almost"), eliminate extra "thats" (my own problem area). Put the paper aside for a day or so, then go through it again carefully and make sure each sentence works with the previous one and is clear. 

Finally, pay attention to the total number of pages. Think about would you want to read that much? Please don’t send your committee a paper with 450 pages!  

Next time, we will take a look at the prospectus from the faculty view. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu