Wordiness: Using more words than is necessary
Academic writing is succinct and to the point. Try to use as few words as possible to make your point, but make sure your meaning is still clear.
Examples:
- Incorrect: at this point in time
- Correct: now
- Incorrect:
due to the fact that - Correct: because
- Incorrect: When communicating in the written form, a writer should always ensure that the meaning of what she is trying to say comes through
clearly . - Correct: A writer should try to be clear.
Avoid word redundancy:
Do not unnecessarily repeat words/phrases or use words that mean the same thing.
Examples:
- “the findings are exactly the same” - if something is the same, then it is “exactly the same” and there is no need to use both words
- “the tall skyscraper enhanced the sky line
” - skyscrapers are always tall
Use abbreviations:
After you have used a term once (with its acronym in parentheses), you can then use its abbreviation for subsequent references to reduce the repetition of long names.
Example:
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an organization that invests in facilities and equipment in Canada's research institutions.
