Writing concisely means expressing your ideas succinctly to make your point in as few words as possible. It shows you understand the concepts you are discussing and that you're not padding out your assignments with unnecessary words. Lecturers often set word limits on assignments to help you build these skills.
Concise writing techniques
Make your points straight away.
The first point relates to…, Secondly…, Finally…
Replace phrases with single words or stack your adjectives.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| The science students sat their exams | The group of science students sat their exams |
| Smith (2006) agreed, but recognised that some managers preferred to have longer all-day meetings. | Smith (2006) also believed this to be true, but took into consideration the fact that some managers also preferred to have long meetings that took all day. |
Avoid qualifying words which mean the same thing.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Records | Past records |
| Separate | Separate out |
| In retrospect | Looking back in retrospect |
Omit unnecessary words.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Lowering the rope | Lowering the rope down |
| Measuring the job | Measuring up the job |
| Because... | Due to the fact that... |
Avoid clearly implied facts.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| The farmer sheared the sheep | The farmer sheared the sheep and removed all their wool. |
Be wary of clumsy sentences with extra words that detract from the point.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Several soldiers, each with guns and ammunition, gathered at the camp gates before dawn. | There were several of the soldiers, each with their guns and ammunition, who gathered at the gates of the camp before dawn. |
Write actively, unless there’s good reason not to.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| The vet operated on the cow | The cow was operated on by the vet |
| The researcher assessed the data according to theme | The data were assessed according to theme by the researcher |
Some disciplines or individual lecturers believe it sounds more objective to use the passive voice and the third person. If you are unsure, always check with your lecturer or course coordinator.
Active and passive voice
The difference between active and passive voice is in the:
- active voice, the focus is on the subject
- passive voice, the focus is on the receiver.
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