Tips for writing a clear and concise academic paper.

1. Academic writing
Tips

2. Make it formal
• Use specific language
• Avoid strong emotive
language
• Avoid slang (including text
language)
• Avoid abbreviations and
contractions

3. Take care with pronouns
• The article provides a
different perspective on the
subject of literary fraud and
hoaxes because the author
considers it to be an act of
literary criticism
• What does it refer to?
• Make sure you do not do this
in your writing

4. Avoid redundant words
• Because of the fact / due to
the fact
• Basically, generally, kind of,
actually
• Each and every
• The end result / the final
outcome

5. Use simple, direct language
• Acquiesce / agree
• Ascertain / discover
• To expedite / to hasten
• To facilitate / to simplify
• To utilize / to use

6. Write in an active voice
• The students conducted
many experiments to
demonstrate the truth of the
hypothesis
• Many experiments were
conducted by the students to
demonstrate the truth of the
hypothesis

7. Use words to show not tell
• Connectives
• Synonyms

8. Write a list of synonyms
use this:
for your thesis statement
in your critical reflection

9. Get some feedback
• Ideas (does it have ideas
discussed initially)
• Structure (does it follow the
essay structure handout)
• Meaning (does it make
sense?)
• Length (is it too long or too
short? Good?)
• Referencing (have you
referenced correctly?)

10. Ensure you proofread
your critical reflection