Avoid These Three Things: Common Mistakes Made by Beginning Academic Writers

Dear Real Academics,

In this post, I want to share three common mistakes I see in academic writing, especially among beginning academic writers. The purpose of doing so is to help you improve your academic writing and/or provide a tool so you can help others.

I have frequently made (and still make -- especially when drafting!) these mistakes. Now that I've had more experience as an academic writer, though, I am aware of these common mistakes and know how to fix them.

So, whether you are a seasoned academic writer or not, read on; and please share this post with anyone who may benefit from this information.

Common Mistake #1: So and So Says

I call this the "so and so says" mistake because it uses the following structure to start a paragraph (and, often, the sentences that follow): "Author and Author (Date) state that...." and "According to Author (Date)...." and "Author (Date) says..."

Writing structured in this manner is frankly boring to read; but, even more problematically, this structures gives the impression that the writer has no original ideas or ability so synthesize information.

We should always give credit where credit is due, and sometimes it's OK to start a sentence with "According to Author (Date)...". But, writing tends to read with more flow when structures are varied. I prefer when a writer paraphrases and idea well -- especially for a beginning paragraph topic sentence -- and includes a citation at the end. 

Try the following structure: "Information, idea, and/or paraphrase (Author & Author, Date)." Then, within paragraphs, work on artfully balancing a sentence with a citation followed by one or two sentences of your own insights/commentary.

Common Mistake #2: Over Quoting

Over using direct quotations is another common mistake I see among beginning academic writers. My theory is that once a new academic author learns how to properly cite a direct quotation by including the page number in the parenthesis, they get overly excited and over quote! (I know I went through this phase!). 

The reasons over quoting is problematic is similar to the reasons why the "so and so says" mistake is problematic (did I use the word "problematic" enough in this sentence?). If a paragraph is made up of mostly direct quotations, the reader will likely question two things: (1) Is the writer able to digest and paraphrase information? (2) How are all these quotation connected?

Direct quotations should be used sparingly and reserved only for when the author you are quoting has said something in a way that is "striking" and/or so clear (like a definition) that paraphrasing it would not do it justice. Otherwise, if the quote contains just information, paraphrase the ideas in your words and add a citation.

Common Mistake #3: Using Vague Pronouns

Using "it" and "that" and "this" and "those" and "these" can make the reader crazy trying to figure out what you mean as a writer. I always say that writers know what is in their heads, but the reader does not know what is in them, so it is important to keep this in mind.

I really hope you read the previous sentence and asked, "What is she talking about?!" Allow me to revise the sentence for clarity by getting rid of vague pronouns and breaking up a really clunky, long, and unclear sentence: 

As writers, we know what we mean "in our heads". But, when we write down our ideas, the meaning must be clear to the reader. Making our writing clear to the reader by avoiding vague pronouns is therefore important.

Was the revision of the sentence clearer? I hope so, though I'm sure I could revise further to make it better. The more you can avoid vague pronouns and the more specific you can be in your writing, the more powerful your writing will be.

Closing

That's it for now, Real Academics! (And, yes, I just used "that" and "it" in one, short sentence, but "this" is a blog, haha). 

I hope the information presented in this post was helpful and has challenged you to be more clear with your academic writing. If anything, I hope this post has provided you with a tool to help others with their academic writing.

Until next time, happy writing!

Maggie
www.therealacademics.com