Clear, precise, and credible writing requires more than correct grammar—it demands discipline in word choice, tone, and structure. Avoiding common pitfalls helps ensure your work is taken seriously and communicates ideas effectively.
Misreferencing Other Authors
In literature reviews and scholarly writing, maintain objectivity and precision:
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❌ Do not refer to someone else’s work as “the current study” or “the present study.”
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❌ Never use authors’ first names (e.g., “John argued…”). Use last names only: Smith (2020) found…
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❌ Do not include article or book titles in the body of your text—save them for the reference list.
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❌ Avoid describing what researchers “thought,” “felt,” “believed,” “said,” or “stated.” Focus on what they found, reported, or demonstrated in their published work.
✅ Correct: “Lee (2019) reported a 20% increase in user engagement.”
❌ Incorrect: “Lee said he felt the results were promising.”
Wordiness and Redundancy
Eliminate unnecessary words to improve clarity and concision:
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Instead of: “based on the fact that” → use “because”
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Instead of: “could be perhaps because” → use “could be because”
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Instead of: “the obtained data showed” → use “the data showed”
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Instead of: “participants for the study were” → use “participants were”
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Instead of: “a total of eight participants” → use “eight participants”
💡 Rule of thumb: If a word doesn’t add meaning, delete it.
Overuse of Passive Voice
Prefer active voice for stronger, clearer writing:
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❌ “The study was designed by Jackson to examine…”
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✅ “Jackson designed a study to examine…”
Use passive voice only when the action matters more than the actor (e.g., “Data were analyzed using SPSS”), but default to active whenever possible.
2.2.6 Informal Language and Slang
Maintain a formal tone:
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❌ Avoid contractions: don’t, can’t, it’s → use do not, cannot, it is
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❌ No slang, colloquialisms, or casual expressions (e.g., “a lot,” “kind of,” “really big problem”)
2.2.7 Excessive Quoting
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❌ Avoid long block quotations—paraphrase instead.
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❌ Avoid frequent short quotes—they disrupt flow and suggest overreliance on others’ wording.
✅ Use quotes only when the original phrasing is essential (e.g., defining a key term or analyzing language).
The Editorial “We”
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❌ Do not use “we” to refer to yourself unless your paper has multiple authors.
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In single-author work, use “this paper,” “the author,” or restructure to avoid first-person pronouns entirely (depending on style guide).
The Use of “You”
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❌ Never address the reader as “you.”
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❌ Do not use “you” as a generic pronoun (e.g., “You might think…”).
✅ Use “one,” “individuals,” “people,” or passive/impersonal constructions:
“One might assume…” or “It could be assumed…”
2.2.10 One-Sentence Paragraphs
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❌ Never write a paragraph with only one sentence.
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✅ Every paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence and develop the idea with supporting details, evidence, or analysis.
