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What makes effective writing?
Effective writing is about being clear and concise so you can communicate your ideas effectively. Good writing is NOT about being overly formal, or about using complicated words or long sentences.
Effective writing requires formal, impersonal and objective lanauge. Good writing you should NOT use informal, personal or subjective language.
Five features of effective writing
Formal tone: clear writing uses a formal tone that is objective, impersonal, and professional. It avoids personal pronouns, slang and contractions.
Clear and concise language: effective writing uses clear and concise language that is free from ambiguity and vagueness. It avoids unnecessary words and complex sentence structures.
Evidence-based: effective writing is evidence-based. This means it relies on relevant and reliable evidence to support its argument. It includes in-text references and a reference list at the end to demonstrate the evidence used.
Logical structure: clear writing has a clear, logical structure that makes it easy for readers to follow and understand. It typically includes an introduction, main body, and conclusion.
Critical thinking: effective writing requires analysis and synthesis of evidence. This means that evidence is evaluated and discussed in order to support a clear line of argument in response to the essay question.
Mechanics of writing
Constructing a paragraph
An example of paragraph construction
Example paragraph
Guides to effective writing
Want to know more? See the Study Skills Handbook, or Success in Academic Writing
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