Finding the right word, formulating it logically and precisely - the struggle with language and its expressive possibilities accompanies every student when writing academic papers, from the introduction to the conclusion. Linguistic vanity will help you less than verbal economy.
Actually, you already have the material for your homework together, now you just have to write it. But you know: the devil is in the details. So here are some tips to help you formulate it.
Right words
Today, 'I' is allowed to appear in a scientific text, but I use it sparingly. It is only permissible if you as a person are not interchangeable. If everyone else could have gained the same insights or carried out an investigation in the same way, then write neutrally and 'I'-free. 'I am investigating...' becomes 'The investigation revealed...'.
Avoid emotional words and keep your language on a factual, neutral level. You can train your expression and writing style on foreign texts. Stylistically, you naturally orient yourself towards those that correspond to your genre.
Fight for the right word! 'Could', 'should', 'should' and 'might' are not suitable verbs for you. You also avoid negations: What does 'not bad' mean? Write 'good', 'suitable', 'appropriate', 'suitable', 'expedient' if that's what you mean. Negation is only permissible when the opposite is clear: 'No advantage' is 'a disadvantage'.
Dangerous words
Be careful with absolute words, such as 'always', 'never', 'everywhere' or 'nowhere'. Such words actually provoke contradiction and can be refuted with just one counterexample. Transitional phrases such as 'only for this reason' or 'the most important factors are' also harbor conflicts. Did it really just happen for that one reason? Are other factors actually rather unimportant? Often you accidentally refute yourself because your text contains additional reasons or additional arguments.
'Pretty much', 'actually' and 'quasi' as well as their linguistic siblings are your enemies. If you don't want to commit yourself, then objectify your relativizations: 'The impression arises...', 'The assumption suggests...' or 'The assumption is obvious...'. Your presentation in the sentences before or after makes it clear how the impression, assumption or assumption could have arisen.
Write quickly, revise thoroughly
Of course you will first 'write down' everything. Afterwards, take enough time and check whether the words you choose really accurately express what you mean. For example, almost every 'already' is actually an 'already'. By the way, every good text is written at least twice, often three to four times. Only rarely do formulations and sentences from the first copy survive all proofreading and proofreading - and that's a good thing.
Be stingy with words. Two ideas per sentence. One overarching idea per paragraph. A self-contained (partial) aspect or a fully answered (partial) question per (sub)chapter. Sentences with more than three lines are suspected of being divided. Short sentences are more concise and easier to read. If you can't read your own sentence in one sitting or miss or confuse a reference, then that sentence deserves work.
Relevant adjectives
Only use adjectives if they add something needed to the issue: Is an 'xyz ABC' different from a plain 'ABC'? Where an adjective is not absolutely necessary, leave it out: 'severe devastation', 'black raven', 'newly renovated', 'completely convinced'. Also avoid adjectives with emotional charge or judgment or make sure that their meaning is clear in the lines before them:
- 'this significant insight': you outlined the meaning before
- 'that special procedure' - you explained the special nature of the procedure before
Each adjective adds additional charge to a passage of text and is initially an assertion. In a few cases, a good dynamic results if you only provide the evidence for the claim in the next few lines. It reads more scientifically if you first provide the evidence and then the result - this way the claim becomes a finding, a taking up and summarizing of the previous lines. If in doubt, delete all adjectives and check whether the text passage is still understandable and clear.
Dangerous meanings
Many words carry technical meanings that you may not be familiar with, but that you need to take into account. The word 'classical', for example, is understood differently in each subject area: classical music, a classic building, a classical theory, the modern classic, etc. Terms that have been co-opted by philosophical theories are also dangerous; you won't recognize all of them by the 'iv ', 'ist' or 'ism'. Check suspicious terms and, if necessary, make it clear in a footnote that you are not using the word in its philosophical-theoretical meaning. Such footnotes demonstrate your knowledge and pursuits outside the box.
If you take all of this to heart, i.e. formulate it clearly, clearly and succinctly, find the right word and also avoid metaphors and language games, you can definitely compete with your professor in terms of language.
The table helps you to structure your text well in terms of content and form. This means you lose your thoughts and arguments on sentences, paragraphs and chapters:
Finding the right words can make household chores a nightmare. We give you writing tips for your studies.
