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Writing concisely means expressing an idea in as few words as possible. 

Eliminating unnecessary words, repetition, and complex phrasing will help you write more concisely while maintaining clarity.

Concise writing is important in scholarly writing because it allows your reader to focus more on understanding your ideas and less on deciphering your words. Consider the following examples.

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Wordy:

It has been argued by Stargill (2009) that there is no topic in education on which there is greater agreement and consensus among educators than on the need for parental involvement in classrooms.

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More Concise:

Educators agree on the need for parental involvement in classrooms (Stargill, 2009).

lightbulbThe key to concise writing is shedding words without shedding meaning. Here, the editor pared the sentence from 32 to 10 words while retaining it’s meaning, allowing the reader to quickly understand this point and move on to the next sentence.

Tips for Writing Concisely

Explore the accordion below for tips on writing more concisely.


Look for grouped synonyms

Especially when conveying complex information, many writers tend to pack sentences with grouped synonyms, or lists of words with similar meanings, when one word would suffice.

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Wordy: Scholars, researchers, and writers have recommended and promoted student assessment as a means by which to address the achievement gap.

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More Concise: Researchers have recommended student assessment to address the achievement gap.

Revise “there are” and “it is” phrases

These constructions tend to weigh down sentences and create unnecessary wordiness.

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Wordy: There are 30 participants who volunteered for the study.

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More Concise: Thirty participants volunteered for the study.

Active Voice

Learn more about how using the active voice can help you write more concisely.
Eliminate unnecessary adverbs

Adverbs (like "interestingly," "clearly," "ideally," “really,” “very”) are often unnecessary in scholarly writing because, while they add emphasis, they do not convey meaning.

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Wordy: Students’ success in the course depended entirely on their prior knowledge of the subject matter.

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More Concise: Students’ success in the course depended on their prior knowledge of the subject matter.

Avoid repetitive information and phrasing

Repeated words and phrases may also represent opportunities to write more concisely.

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Wordy: At J. Ackerman Elementary School in Kansas, fifth-grade students must complete two final reading assessments to pass the fifth grade.

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More Concise: At J. Ackerman Elementary School in Kansas, fifth-grade  students must complete two final reading assessments to pass.

Consider combining sentences

Another way to avoid wordiness caused by repetition is to look for opportunities to combine sentences.

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Wordy: While many scholars believe that emotions are irrational, they are often signals of emotional distress. Emotions indicate stress, depression, and tiredness.

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More Concise: While many scholars believe that emotions are irrational, they often signal stress, depression, and tiredness.

Avoid phrases like “I believe,” “I think,” “I feel.”

While it’s not wrong to use the pronoun “I” in scholarly writing, it’s often not necessary. Eliminating “I think,” “I feel,” and “I believe” from your writing will reduce wordiness and help you sound more confident.

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Wordy: I feel that the study is significant to psychology scholars invested in mindfulness research.

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More Concise: The study is significant to psychology scholars invested in mindfulness research.

Point of View

Learn more about how point of view contributes to conciseness and clarity.

Remember that using simple language is the clearest way to express complex ideas. In addition to eliminating unnecessary words from your writing, don’t be afraid to use simple words and simple sentence structures. 

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Wordy, Overly-Complex: 

Due to the unforeseen circumstances that arose from the recent market oscillations, which were largely incited by geopolitical tensions, the company's decision to diversify its investment portfolio was ultimately deemed necessary to maintain long-term stability.

lightbulbWhen possible, avoid complicated sentence structures that include multiple dependent clauses or asides, such as “which were largely influenced by geopolitical tensions.” These make your writing more difficult to follow. Similarly, avoid elevating your prose, or using a formal-sounding word when a simpler one would be clearer.
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Simpler, Clearer, More Concise: 

Because of recent market fluctuations caused by geopolitical tensions, the company’s board decided to maintain long-term stability by diversifying its investment portfolio.

lightbulbThis revised sentence takes a more direct approach by eliminating unnecessary words, using simpler vocabulary (“Because” instead of “Due to,” “caused” instead of “incited,” “fluctuations” instead of “oscillations”) and using a less complicated sentence structure.

Key Takeaways

Concise writing is the result of diligent, fearless editing. Do not be afraid to delete text from your writing or use simple words and sentence structures. Writing simply and clearly about complex ideas is the best way to ensure you will be understood.

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