Letter From the Editor Blog:

Letter From the Editor Blog

January 2019 Letter From the Editor

Dear scholarly writer,

Today I am opining on what may seem like an inconsequential topic, but it is one that is extremely important in order to improve your writing.

If you had to pause for a second while reading that sentence, then you can understand the importance of this letter’s topic: diction or word choice. Word choice should be based on communicating ideas clearly and objectively. Though a reader might be able to understand what I wrote in the first sentence, there are words that do not help communicate what I wanted to say: “Today I am writing on what may seem like an unimportant topic, but it is one that is important to improve your writing.” Ignoring how I could edit that sentence further, the words I chose in the first sentence address common issues seen at Form and Style: using unfamiliar words or jargon (touched on in APA 3.09) and using adverbs (touched on in APA 3.21).

When it comes to choosing words, simpler is better. For example, I replaced “opining” and “inconsequential” in the first sentence with “writing” and “unimportant.” Other words I have seen in papers are “purported,” “elucidate,” “paucity,” “ascertain,” “ameliorate,” “nascent,” “dearth,” and “proliferated.” Though these words may sound more academic, using them can affect how your ideas are communicated; it is important that a reader can understand what you are trying to say without pausing or using a dictionary. The same goes for using technical terms in specific fields. For example, “acuity levels of patients” can be simplified to “the levels of patients’ needs.”

Another important choice to consider is between two words or phrases that seem similar:

• “Utilize” means to use something in a way it was not intended. For example, “MacGyver utilized the paper clip to make his escape.” “Use” is often more appropriate: “I used a qualitative design to study the effects of trauma on social workers.”
• “In regard to” can be replaced by “about” or “on”
• “Upon” can be replaced with “on,” “within” can be replaced with “in,” and “in order to” can be replaced with “to”

A final note is on adverbs, which can insert an opinionated tone and add unnecessary words to a sentence. Saying, “Unfortunately, this is an issue that has been overlooked; therefore, I conducted this study to address…” tells a reader that it is unfortunate that the issue has been overlooked when (a) it is implied that the issue is overlooked by the fact that you conducted the study, and (b) you can show a reader evidence through the literature review.

You can find more information on commonly confused words and other issues related to word choice on the Scholarly Voice page on the Form and Style website.