Academic Writer

academic writer: web writing: readability

Make your writing easy to read
Reorganize your work with conclusions first. Jakob Nielsen has used the phrase 'Inverted Pyramids in Cyberspace'. The idea is that you start with your conclusion, then add the supporting detail, and lastly include the background information. This is the same style adopted by journalists all over the world to attract their readers' attention. How relevant is this model to academic papers? It is most relevant in the overview sections of your paper - abstract, introduction, conclusion. For the main body of your paper, you may retain longer sections. Use hypertext structure to break these up and make it easier for readers to get around.
- Write short screens so reader doesn't have to scroll. There are no absolute rules - but it is probably better to produce short screens where possible.
- Write short paragraphs within each screen so main point is immediately clear
- Write concisely, total word count perhaps 50% of your hard copy
- Use simple objective language. Studies show that web readers are not impressed by inflated language.
- Prioritize important information by using colour, bold, etc. These are more significant than reading on paper because web readers are often in a hurry and following their own agendas.
- Use quickly downloadable graphics (or forget about them unless absolutely necessary)

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