“I am writing a longer letter than usual because there is not enough time to write a short one.” This quote, attributed to Blaise Pascal in Lettres provinciales (ca. 1657), remains a common reference when discussing concise scientific writing. 

There is extensive literature on why concise articles are more likely to engage readers and have a greater impact. But it is not easy to achieve this goal, because it requires the development of the right mindset and technical skills.

“Some writers may fear that writing concisely will make their papers too short. However, adding extraneous material or ‘fluff’ to make your paper longer will dilute its focus and meaning and will not improve your chances of publication or of getting a favorable grade,” according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2020). 

See also: How InstaText increases conference acceptance rates

While there are many tips for developing the attitude and technical skills needed for concise writing, not all of them are so simple, practical, or memorable that they can be implemented effortlessly when drafting, writing, editing, and proofreading. 

In this post, we share insightful, easy-to-implement tips from Scott Hotaling’s article, “Simple rules for concise scientific writing,” which lists 10 rules with examples to help scientists improve and “tighten” their writing. 

Before we get to the rules, however, the author mentions a few points that you should bear in mind: 

• It is important not to go too far in your pursuit of conciseness. Over-condensing can lead to ambiguity, unclarity, and the loss of key information. The goal is to tighten your text while retaining the core ideas. 
• The 10 rules are guidelines, not strict laws, which you can adapt to the situation at hand. However, two rules should not be broken: Take writing seriously and embrace feedback.
• Concise writing is not a binary of success or failure. It is a matter of degree, and as you strive to improve your writing, you must recognise when to stop.

Rules for concise scientific writing

Now let’s take a look at the rules:

• Rule 1: Take writing seriously
• Rule 2: Identify and stick to your message
• Rule 3: Get to the point
• Rule 4: Keep your Methods and Results contained
• Rule 5: Do not repeat yourself (too often)
• Rule 6: Avoid unnecessary or inefficient “lead-ins”
• Rule 7: Use first-person, active voice
• Rule 8: Remove unnecessary words
• Rule 9: Simplify your language
• Rule 10: Seek and embrace feedback

Rule 1: Take writing seriously

Effective writing is a critical skill for scientists that requires regular practice and a commitment to improvement. You should treat writing as a professional endeavor and approach it with dedication. 

While conciseness is important, it should be part of a larger strategy to write clearly and effectively. The ability to communicate ideas effectively—whether in emails or manuscripts—can have a significant impact on the clarity and success of your scientific work. Developing this skill takes time, effort, and a consistent focus on refining the writing process.  

See also: How InstaText helps improve your communication

Rule 2: Identify and stick to your message

To write effectively, you should start by clearly articulating your message as early in the process as possible. Define the goal of your paper and summarise the key points in a few sentences—this will serve as your roadmap.

Each paragraph and sentence should follow this roadmap to ensure that your text remains focused and cohesive. Techniques such as the ABT (And, But, Therefore) method can help you structure your narrative, link key points, introduce conflict, and draw conclusions seamlessly.

A clear roadmap also helps you avoid unnecessary expansion and keep your ideas on track. For sections such as Introductions and Discussions, consider outlining the focus of each paragraph in a single sentence before you write it. This way, you ensure that each element contributes to the story you want to tell. 

Remember that writing shouldn’t feel like a mystery to your reader. By giving them a clear roadmap and connecting each part of your manuscript to a unified narrative, you’ll make it easier for them to follow and engage with your ideas.

Rule 3: Get to the point

When writing, concentrate on conveying information efficiently. Avoid lengthy introductions, unnecessary details, or off-topic information, as they waste time and may confuse the reader. 

Instead, try to present your ideas clearly and directly and ensure that every sentence contributes to your message. Always think about your audience’s time and understanding and get to the point as quickly as possible.

Rule 4: Keep your Methods and Results contained

Keep your Methods and Results sections focused on their respective content. Sometimes details from these sections end up in the wrong parts of the paper. While it is okay to provide context, avoid repeating or rehashing information unnecessarily. 

Review your manuscript carefully and move misplaced content to the appropriate sections and delete it if it has already been covered. Do not include the general aims of the study in the Methods or Results—these belong in the Introduction. Remember that some methodological context in the Results is acceptable if your paper uses a non-standard structure, e.g. Results before Methods. 

Rule 5: Do not repeat yourself (too often)

Redundancy detracts from conciseness and makes texts appear lazy. While repetition can be useful in places like the Conclusions to emphasise important points, avoid repeating information unnecessarily. If you have stated something clearly, only repeat it if you are adding new or important details, e.g. the distinction between two methods. 

Do not repeat information that is already included in figures and tables. For example, if Figure 1 shows the study area, you do not need to describe this information again in the text. Similarly, tables should be referenced without repeating all the details in the manuscript.

Rule 6: Avoid unnecessary or inefficient “lead-ins”

Unnecessary “lead-ins” waste words and reduce brevity. Such lead-ins are found in many manuscripts and can add hundreds or even thousands of extra words. By recognising and eliminating them, you can make your text more concise and improve the reading experience.

Rule 7: Use first-person, active voice

Using first-person, active voice makes the writing clearer and more engaging because the focus is on the writer’s actions. Sentences such as “We collected the data this way” help convey ideas efficiently. Active voice places the most important subjects and actions at the beginning of the sentence and makes it easier to get to the point. 

However, in certain cases, the passive voice may be necessary, such as when the writer has not performed the action, like “Samples were collected…”. 

Rule 8: Remove unnecessary words

Filler words or phrases can make sentences unnecessarily long. They often fall into three categories:

• Qualifiers: Adverbs that modify or enhance other words and often add little value (e.g. quickly, extremely, frequently). These can usually be removed without changing the meaning.
• Prepositional phrases: Phrases such as “in this case” or “for the most part” that make sentences feel cluttered. Replace multi-word phrases with a single word where possible, or switch from passive to active voice to reduce their use.
• Transitions: Words that connect sentences (e.g. however, meanwhile, thus ) that can be overused. Remove unnecessary transitions and combine sentences where possible.

Rule 9: Simplify your language

You don’t need complicated words or clever phrasing to write well. They take up space, waste time, and can lead to misinterpretation. 

When revising your text to reduce the number of words, also try to reduce the number of syllables by using shorter words wherever possible (e.g. replace “utilise” with “use”). 

Rule 10: Seek and embrace feedback

It can be difficult to spot editorial issues in your text, which is why good feedback is so important. It helps tighten up ideas, notice repetition, or recognise when the narrative is straying from the main goal. 

While feedback doesn’t always focus on the conciseness of the text, it can point out areas that need attention. If you are working under a word limit, it is useful to remind reviewers to look for sections that can be condensed.

To get the most out of the feedback process, consider these three recommendations:

• Seek critical feedback: Share your work with trusted people who will give you honest, constructive criticism. While praise is encouraging, a lack of critical input before submission can be damaging.
  
• Accept feedback graciously: Understand that giving feedback is a difficult task and that reviewers are there to help improve the work. Appreciate their time and effort.
  
• Take feedback seriously: Approach criticism with humility. Even if there are differences of opinion, it is important to consider the feedback thoroughly. If you dismiss it or are overconfident, it will weaken your work and waste time.

For those who experience anxiety about writing and receiving feedback, it is important to remember that feedback focuses on the work, not the person. Reviewers invest their time in constructive criticism because they believe in the writer’s potential. If they didn’t believe the writer could improve, they wouldn’t bother.

But even with a lack of confidence, it’s important not to blindly accept all comments as absolute truth. Writers should consider all feedback carefully, ask for clarification when needed, and trust their instincts when they are unsure. If an issue is raised, the critic is probably right, but their proposed solution may not always be the best approach. 

How InstaText helps you write (and learn to write) concisely 

You may have heard experts say that academic writing is no one’s first language. And this is so true. Whether you’re a native English speaker or speak English as a second language, the good news is that you can learn to write better. At the same time, there are tools to help you edit your work to improve it in terms of conciseness and beyond. 

And what if we told you that there are tools like InstaText, an advanced editing assistant, that can help you edit your work quickly and efficiently, meet academic originality and authorship criteria, and learn to write better at the same time?

You heard it right. Using advanced language technologies, but not generative AI, InstaText improves your texts by enhancing clarity, readability, flow, structure, style, tone, conciseness, word choice, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and more during the editing and proofreading process. 

And InstaText’s interactive feedback allows you to see and track suggested edits and accept or reject them. This means that over time you will gain the ability to improve your text in terms of conciseness and beyond if you pay attention to the edits.If you are already using InstaText for academic writing, we assure you that it is your best bet for getting published.

If you’re not familiar with InstaText yet, try it for free and decide for yourself if it can improve the quality of your scientific papers and your workflow.

“InstaText is one of the most useful software tools for proofreading academic texts in English. It is fast and flexible as you may accept or reject suggested words/phrases. It also saves a lot of time of researchers, especially those who want to write their articles as perfect as possible and spend too much time searching for appropriate synonyms or collocations.”

— Dr. Karmen Pižorn, University Professor

“I find InstaText very helpful. It makes me much faster in writing papers. I’m a perfectionist and usually spend (way too) much time finding the right words and making sure that sentences are easily readable even if the concepts are arbitrarily complicated. InstaText makes my life easier. I recommend it to any PhD student or researcher, whether a native English speaker or not.”

— Giulia Guidi, PhD Student, University of California, Berkeley

“What resonates with me the most is InstaText’s simplicity and flexibility. In the realm of writing, where complexity can often hinder creativity, this tool is a breath of fresh air. It aligns perfectly with my workflow, enhancing my content while giving me the freedom to express myself naturally.

Being a writer and translator, real-time feedback is a boon. InstaText’s ability to identify nuances and offer suggestions in real time has revolutionized my editing process. It’s like having a brilliant co-writer who polishes the text while respecting the writer’s voice. As I write, I can see my content improving and evolving with every keystroke.”

— Dr. Doaa Elalfy, Academic Researcher