William Zinsser wrote a book 'On Writing Well' in which he provides valuable lessons for writing non-fiction. Aim for simplicity over clutterClear thinking leads to clear writingConsider style and audienceImitate 'good writing'Understand the words you are usingAim for unity (consistency) in language and contentOpening (and closing) is important to engage the reader Remember these pointsContinue reading "Elements of writing well"
Accessibility
Accessibility in publishing means making your content available to as wide an audience as possible. This means organising your content, and using the right level of language and explanation, for your intended audience. Accessibiilty can also mean something more specific. There are international standards relating to the accessibility of online content - see the WebContinue reading "Accessibility"
It’s a dash dash dash
The hyphen (dash), en-dash (also known as en-rule), and em-dash (em-rule) have different functions. Common use of hyphens: to connect words into a single unit, e.g. short-term, long-termfor certain prefixes, e.g. counter-intelligencewhere words have different meaning with a prefix compared to without, e.g. recover v re-coverwhere a prefix creates a word with two vowels, suchContinue reading "It’s a dash dash dash"
When to use/not use Italics
While italics can be used to highlight important words, their overuse defeats the purpose. There are also more specific rules on the use of italics. Italics must be used for: Book titles, journal titles (also use Title Case)Legal Acts, legal cases (see the conventions on presenting legislation in the Style Manual)Foreign words or phrases notContinue reading "When to use/not use Italics"
Presentation matters
How you present content can affect whether (and how) someone reads your work. Just like cooking a meal, presentation can affect whether someone wants to consume your work (the meal) and what they think of it overall. Ultimately, you are aiming for a professional looking document where: (1) the presentation does not distract you fromContinue reading "Presentation matters"
The importance of writing well
There are clear benefits of writing well. This is particularly the case in academia - careers depend on it. Not only that, both in teaching and research, we have an inherent responsibility to communicate knowledge clearly and respectfully to others. How you communicate says a lot about you and your work. You are: More likelyContinue reading "The importance of writing well"
Let’s talk about decimal alignment
When producing any form of content, it needs to be 'easy on the eye'; i.e. easy to navigate and absorb the information on the page. This is particularly the case for large amounts of numerical data presented in tables - especially when accompanied by minus signs (post to follow on use of the en-rule), differentContinue reading "Let’s talk about decimal alignment"
Style Guides (Part 3)
Organisational and journal style guides are often incomplete. While I recommend defaulting to a recent publication to guide you on the style requirements of a specific publication (see Style Guides (Part 1)), this does not always provide you with an understanding as to why one approach is used over another. If in doubt, I referContinue reading "Style Guides (Part 3)"
Style Guides (Part 2)
Every discipline has its own language and style. From expressions or terms, to abbreviations and contractions, to capitalisations. This is not necessarily documented in a journal or organisational Style Guide. However, you can develop your own Style Guide for your discipline to ensure consistency within your own work and across your discipline. There is nothingContinue reading "Style Guides (Part 2)"
Style Guides (Part 1)
Every publication has it's own style - in terms of writing, format and content. Most organisations (including universities) and journals have a Style Guide to help authors understand what is required for publication. Style Guides cover many things; they may include requirements about structure, length, headings, citation/reference style, writing style and presentation. This ensures theContinue reading "Style Guides (Part 1)"
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