Clear writing comes from clear thinking; think what you are trying to say first, then write what your idea in the most concise manner.
Unless it's an opinion column, do not judge, write fact,. If data says A city has a higher birth rate than B city, say it; not include your understanding of why, unless that is widely accepted fact.
I recently learnt this lesson in my work. I needed to present a paper, it has tons of data points, and instead of telling what my data says - which is what valuable, I written things like X is under-indexed because of Y, where that Y was my assumption and interpretation. Of course, I got pushbacks and challenges from reviewers on how did I concluded Y.
We often try to say more to show how much we know. While in reality, that means exactly the opposite - we do not really know what we are talking about.
So think first, then talk! Otherwise, go back to think.
2023/05/13
Unless it's an opinion column, do not judge, write fact,. If data says A city has a higher birth rate than B city, say it; not include your understanding of why, unless that is widely accepted fact.
I recently learnt this lesson in my work. I needed to present a paper, it has tons of data points, and instead of telling what my data says - which is what valuable, I written things like X is under-indexed because of Y, where that Y was my assumption and interpretation. Of course, I got pushbacks and challenges from reviewers on how did I concluded Y.
We often try to say more to show how much we know. While in reality, that means exactly the opposite - we do not really know what we are talking about.
So think first, then talk! Otherwise, go back to think.
2023/05/13
--
Jing
Jing