1"use strict";(globalThis.webpackChunkwebsite=globalThis.webpackChunkwebsite||[]).push([[8130],{7735(e){e.exports=JSON.parse('{"archive":{"blogPosts":[{"id":"/2026/03/11/new-detectors-information-flow-parallelism","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2026/03/11/new-detectors-information-flow-parallelism","source":"@site/blog/2026-03-11-new-detectors-information-flow-parallelism/index.md","title":"New: Information Flow and Parallel Structure","description":"ReallyWrite now analyzes information flow and parallel structure - two key principles of clear academic writing. See how the new detectors work.","date":"2026-03-11T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"reallywrite","permalink":"/blog/tags/reallywrite"},{"inline":true,"label":"new features","permalink":"/blog/tags/new-features"}],"readingTime":2.84,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"New: Information Flow and Parallel Structure","description":"ReallyWrite now analyzes information flow and parallel structure - two key principles of clear academic writing. See how the new detectors work.","date":"2026-03-11T00:00:00.000Z","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","reallywrite","new features"]},"unlisted":false,"nextItem":{"title":"AI Suggestions for Academic Writing","permalink":"/blog/2025/04/10/ai-suggestions-for-academic-writing"}},"content":"ReallyWrite now analyzes two more aspects of your writing: **information flow** and **parallel structure**. Both are key principles of clear academic writing and are now available in the [ReallyWrite Editor](/app) (currently with a Beta label).\\n\\n## Information Flow: start from what the reader knows\\n\\nHave you ever read a sentence and felt lost, even though the words themselves were simple? Often the problem is that the sentence starts with something new instead of something that was already in the reader\'s mind.\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nGood academic writing follows the [old-to-new principle](/learn/given-to-new-linking-sentences): start each sentence with what the reader is already thinking about, then introduce new information. This principle creates a smooth chain of ideas that the reader can follow without effort.\\n\\nFor example:\\n\\n> Our model predicts outcomes for these patients. **A novel biomarker** significantly improves predictions in our model.\\n\\nThe second sentence puts a brand-new concept (\\"a novel biomarker\\") right at the start. However, it could start with what we read just before: the model predicting outcomes for patients. ReallyWrite will now flag this as \\"information flow\\" and suggest reordering so that the reader will see the familiar idea first. \\n\\nHere is one way to revise it:\\n\\n> Our model predicts outcomes for these patients. **This prediction** is significantly improved by a novel biomarker.\\n\\nNow the second sentence begins with something the reader is already familiar with, in this case, the prediction. The new information (\\"a novel biomarker\\") comes at the end, right where the reader is expecting to find it.\\n\\n:::tip When should I ignore this suggestion?\\nIf ReallyWrite flags information as \\"new\\" that is not actually new to the reader, then it will be a false positive. We\'d appreciate it if you let us know when this happens (if you feel comfortable, you can share the section of your text with us and we can use it to adjust our code). As always, use your best judgement.\\n:::\\n\\n## Parallel Structure: keep your lists consistent\\n\\nWhen you connect ideas with *and*, *or*, or *nor*, each part should have the same grammatical structure. If you mix up the grammatical structure, you will confuse the reader.\\n\\nFor example:\\n\\n> We aim **to understand** the mechanism and **improving** the protocol.\\n\\nThe first part uses an infinitive (*to understand*) and the second uses a gerund (*improving*). ReallyWrite will flag this mismatch and suggest that you use the same form for both parts \u2014 in this case you could use \\"to understand... and to improve\\".\\n\\nThe same goes for mixing types of clauses:\\n\\n> This approach is robust, reliable, and **that it can be scaled**.\\n\\nHere, you have two adjectives and a *that*-clause. ReallyWrite catches this mismatch and nudges you toward a consistent structure.\\n\\nYou can read more about why parallelism matters on the [parallelism learn page](/learn/parallelism-writing-clarity).\\n\\n## What to expect\\n\\nBoth new issues are currently in **Beta** testing. We designed them to err on the side of caution. They will miss some issues rather than give you a lot of false positives. As we validate them on more real-world texts, we will remove the Beta label.\\n\\nAs always, these are *suggestions*, not commands. Think critically about each one and decide whether revising them makes sense for your text.\\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>\\n:::"},{"id":"/2025/04/10/ai-suggestions-for-academic-writing","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2025/04/10/ai-suggestions-for-academic-writing","source":"@site/blog/2025-04-10-ai-suggestions-for-academic-writing/index.md","title":"AI Suggestions for Academic Writing","description":"ReallyWrite now offers AI-powered suggestions. See how our
1customized model helps you rewrite sentences while maintaining your privacy and your original voice.","date":"2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"ai","permalink":"/blog/tags/ai"},{"inline":true,"label":"reallywrite","permalink":"/blog/tags/reallywrite"}],"readingTime":1.75,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"AI Suggestions for Academic Writing","description":"ReallyWrite now offers AI-powered suggestions. See how our customized model helps you rewrite sentences while maintaining your privacy and your original voice.","date":"2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","ai","reallywrite"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"New: Information Flow and Parallel Structure","permalink":"/blog/2026/03/11/new-detectors-information-flow-parallelism"},"nextItem":{"title":"Five myths about academic writing debunked","permalink":"/blog/2025/03/26/five-myths-academic-writing"}},"content":"ReallyWrite now has AI-powered suggestions!\\n\\n<div style={{ float: \'right\', width: \'50%\', textAlign: \'right\', boxShadow: \'0 0 10px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)\', margin: \'10px\' }}>\\n \\n</div>\\n\\n## How It Works\\n\\nWhen you click on an underlined or highlighted issue, you will now see an \\"AI Help\\" button at the bottom of the right panel. If you click the button, you will get an AI suggestion to improve that sentence. \\n\\nWe are using a customized large language model that tries to fix the issues that ReallyWrite identifies. This customization works a lot better than a generic LLM like ChatGPT, which often makes the text more complex than necessary or applies \\"academic style\\" (which can seriously harm the clarity of your writing).\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nIs it perfect? No! \\nBut it *may* stimulate you to change your sentence in ways you might not have thought about. \\nIt *may* help you learn to write better, faster. \\n\\nWe all know that AI can make mistakes, so you can use the \\"apply\\" button to insert the suggestion while *keeping your original version*. Then you can compare the two versions side by side and carefully integrate the suggestion into your writing.\\n\\n## Privacy\\n\\nWe still value your privacy and the confidentiality of your text. The AI processing happens on our own servers, and your text isn\'t shared with third parties.\\n\\nYou can read more about the AI suggestions [here](/ai-suggestions).\\n\\n## Getting Started\\n\\nTo use the AI suggestions:\\n1. Write your text as usual in the [ReallyWrite Editor](/app).\\n2. After you have clicked an issue in your text, click the \\"AI Help\\" button at the bottom of the right panel.\\n3. Review the suggestion carefully.\\n4. If you like the suggestion, click the \\"apply\\" button to insert it.\\n5. If you don\'t like it, just close the panel and keep editing.\\n\\nIf you have any questions about the AI suggestions, feel free to [contact us](/contact). \\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2025/03/26/five-myths-academic-writing","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2025/03/26/five-myths-academic-writing","source":"@site/blog/2025-03-26-five-myths-academic-writing/index.md","title":"Five myths about academic writing debunked","description":"Big words, passive voice, complicated sentences: five common myths about academic writing, debunked - so you can convey your message more clearly.","date":"2025-03-26T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"}],"readingTime":2.37,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"Five myths about academic writing debunked","description":"Big words, passive voice, complicated sentences: five common myths about academic writing, debunked - so you can convey your message more clearly.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"AI Suggestions for Academic Writing","permalink":"/blog/2025/04/10/ai-suggestions-for-academic-writing"},"nextItem":{"title":"The question you need to answer before you start writing","permalink":"/blog/2025/02/05/take-home-message"}}
1,"content":"If you can lay these myths to rest, you will convey your message more easily and effectively.\\n\\n## 5. I need to use big words.\\nIn academic writing and scientific writing, you\u2019ll probably already have quite a few big words to describe the context of your research. You can\u2019t change these **key words**, but you can balance them out with shorter, simpler words. Choose short words whenever possible to lighten up the sentence. \\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nFor example, choose: \\n- \u201cuse\u201d instead of \u201cutilize\u201d and \\n- \\"also\\" instead of \\"in addition\\". \\n\\nUsing shorter, more common words gives your reader a chance to catch their breath!\\n\\n## 4. Passive voice makes me look objective.\\nPassive voice does not have the power to cause objectivity. All passive voice does is take away the agent of an action. **The passive voice and active voice are tools** that allow you to move the parts of the sentence around and in doing so, improve the flow. \\n\\nSometimes the passive voice can help you (like when discussing methods or processes), but other times it can hinder you (like when drawing conclusions). If you overuse the passive voice in your discussion, for example, it can make you look like you are not taking responsibility for the conclusions you\u2019ve drawn or the decisions you\u2019ve made. [Read more here.](/learn/active-passive-voice-clear-writing)\\n\\n## 3. I need to have complicated sentences because my topic is complicated.\\nActually, the more complicated the topic, the simpler the sentence structure should be. A complicated structure obscures your message because you give your reader two things to decipher (structure and message) rather than just one (message). Use [parallelism](/learn/parallelism-writing-clarity) to create **elegant simplicity**.\\n\\n## 2. I should use a thesaurus to avoid repeating any words.\\nOn the contrary, you will need to [repeat certain words exactly](/learn/consistency-clear-vocabulary) to avoid confusing your reader. Rarely do we find two words that are exact synonyms. \\nFollow this guideline:\\n\\n> If you mean the same thing, use the same word. \\n> If you mean something different, use a different word.\\n\\n## 1. The only way my article will get accepted is if I write the way everyone else is writing, even if I don\u2019t like it myself.\\nThe best writers make every effort to write clearly at all stages of their education. Have the courage to write an article *you* would want to read. Don\u2019t use words you wouldn\u2019t normally use when talking about your research. If you read a sentence and can\u2019t understand it yourself, then no one else can either. We (your readers, as well as publishers and journals) want you to write clearly, concisely and actively; we don\u2019t want jargon-laden, noun-heavy, paragraph-long sentences. \\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2025/02/05/take-home-message","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2025/02/05/take-home-message","source":"@site/blog/2025-02-05-take-home-message/index.md","title":"The question you need to answer before you start writing","description":"Before you start writing, define your take-home message: the one or two sentences your reader will remember. Here\'s a simple formula to find it.","date":"2025-02-05T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"research","permalink":"/blog/tags/research"},{"inline":true,"label":"clear writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/clear-writing"}],"readingTime":1.75,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"The question you need to answer before you start writing","description":"Before you start writing, define your take-home message: the one or tw
1o sentences your reader will remember. Here\'s a simple formula to find it.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","research","clear writing"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"Five myths about academic writing debunked","permalink":"/blog/2025/03/26/five-myths-academic-writing"},"nextItem":{"title":"Get the most out of ReallyWrite","permalink":"/blog/2025/01/22/how-to-use-reallywrite"}},"content":"\\n\\nMany of us struggle at the beginning stages of an article. \\n\\nHow should it be structured? \\nWhat information belongs in this article? \\nAnd how do I sort out all the information floating around in my head? \\n\\nWe can make this struggle easier by defining our take-home message early, preferably before we start writing. \\n\\n## What\'s a take-home message? \\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nIt\'s the one sentence (or two) that the reader will remember when they finish reading the article. It is specific and it answers the main question of the research. \\n\\nFor example:\\n\\n> Treatment A improves outcomes in this group of patients.\\n\\n> This model effectively predicts ... in this group. \\n\\n\\nTo write a good take-home message, you need to know your main result and why it\'s important. Then you just tell us.\\n\\n\\n*I found*...\\n*This is important because*...\\n\\nThen you remove the scaffolding (in *italics* above) and you\'ve got your take-home message!\\n\\n## What a take home message is not \\n\\nIt is not a general statement that tells me your intention. For example: \\n\\n> I made some observations about the model. \\n\\n(So... what are your observations?) \\n\\n> I\'m looking at whether this drug will improve outcomes. \\n\\n(OK... does it?)\\n\\n## Here is my take-home message\\n\\nIf I were to explain my academic writing course in general, I would say:\\n> In this writing course, academics and professionals learn to think consciously about their writing.\\n\\nThat\'s fine and all, but it\'s pretty general. You don\'t actually know what you will *take home* from the course.\\n\\nA better take-home message would be: \\n> Academic writing can and should be easy and even enjoyable to read. When writers use strategies like parallelism, old to new, and precise verbs, their writing becomes clearer and more concise, and their research can make a bigger impact.\\n\\n:::tip Write your own\\nNow, are you ready to write your own take-home message?\\n:::\\n\\n\\n<small>Photo by No Revisions</small>\\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2025/01/22/how-to-use-reallywrite","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2025/01/22/how-to-use-reallywrite","source":"@site/blog/2025-01-22-how-to-use-reallywrite/index.md","title":"Get the most out of ReallyWrite","description":"The ReallyWrite Editor can help you spot your blind spots, and you can decide for yourself which sentences need to be rewritten - and how.","date":"2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"research","permalink":"/blog/tags/research"},{"inline":true,"label":"rhetoric","permalink":"/blog/tags/rhetoric"}],"readingTime":3.13,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"Get the most out of ReallyWrite","description":"The ReallyWrite Editor can help you spot your blind spots, and you can decide for yourself which sentences need to be rewritten - and how.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","research","rhetoric"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"The question you need to answer before you start writing","permalink":"/blog/2025/02/05/take-home-message"},"nextItem":{"title":"Can you recognize an illogical structure?","permalink":"/blog/2024/11/07/illogical-structure"}},"content":"\\n\\nWe created ReallyWrite to empower you to write clearly. We want to help you learn to make your own decisions about your writing.\\n\\n\\
1n\\n:::info Notice your blind spots\\n\\nThe ReallyWrite Editor can help you see your blind spots at the sentence level and push you to more clarity and accessibility.\\n\\n:::\\n\\nYou may have noticed that the line-by-line feedback you receive in the ReallyWrite Editor is coupled to a learn page. The learn page explains why that issue matters and how you can go about fixing it. \\n\\nReallyWrite does not fix your text for you. Instead, it acts like a fresh, critical reader and helps you identify issues that are hard to see when you have been working on a text for a long time. It cannot tell you what to write, but it can automatically recognize the potential issues and show you how to fix them. Think of it as a teacher looking over your shoulder.\\n\\n:::tip Read the learn pages\\n\\nNotice the potential issues in your text in the ReallyWrite Editor, then read about how you can fix them in the learn pages.\\n\\n:::\\n\\n\\n\\nYou won\'t fix ALL the issues that ReallyWrite points out. They are **potential** issues, so you need to think critically about each issue and decide whether it makes sense to rewrite your sentence to remove that issue.\\n\\n\\n<small>Photo by Brooke Cagle</small>\\n\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n### For example: the passive voice\\n\\nYou will choose to keep some passive voice in your text. ReallyWrite prompts you to **notice** each instance of passive voice and to **decide** whether the passive voice is the best option for that situation. Sometimes it will be, and sometimes it won\'t be.\\n\\n\\n\\n### For example: complicated sentences\\nYou will decide what makes each \\"complicated\\" sentence complicated: \\n 1) Does it have too much information? \\n 2) Is the structure unclear? \\n 3) Does it have a list at the end? \\n 4) Does it have multiple phrases that use parallelism, like in a comparison/contrast? \\n\\nReasons 1 and 2 will require revision, whereas reasons 3 and 4 will not. When I revise my complicated sentences away, I aim to leave no more than one complicated sentence per paragraph. But it\u2019s up to me to decide which complicated sentences I will choose to leave and for what reasons.\\n\\n\\n\\n## The Clarity Score should motivate you, but don\'t expect to reach 100.\\n\\nWhy not? \\n\\nFirst, because perfect doesn\'t exist. \\n \\nSecond, because texts with many longer, multisyllable words will automatically have a lower clarity score. If these words are key words, you cannot remove them. You can only change how the sentence is shaped around them. \\n\\nWhile writing this blog post, I ended up with a clarity score of 98 (YES!). I left two passive voice, four zombie nouns, and two bits of wordiness. Because it\u2019s a blog post, I revised away every single complicated sentence. (After all, I want you to read it!) \\n\\nBut when I am working on academic writing, about more complex topics, the clarity score is lower. I use the clarity score to help me gauge where I need to work and how much work I need to do. I also choose to leave some issues because I\'ve looked at them and decided that they are fine (that\'s why there is an \\"ignore\\" button).\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n:::caution Keep thinking critically\\n\\nReallyWrite draws your attention to issues that you can think critically about, but it does not think for you.\\n\\n:::\\n\\nWant to hear how I work my way through a text using ReallyWrite? [Watch the videos here](/learn/videos-how-to-use-reallywrite).\\n\\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>"},{"id":"/2024/11/07/illogical-structure","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2024/11/07/illogical-structure","source":"@site/blog/2024-11-07-illogical-structure/index.md","title":"Can you recognize an illogical structure?","description":"When you struggle to parse a sentence, it usually isn\'t your fault - it\'s the structure. Learn to recognize an illogical structure and the reader expectations behind it.","date":"2024-11-07T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"}],"readingTime":2.31,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"Can you recognize an illogical structure?","description":"When you struggle to parse a sentence, it usually isn\'t your fault - it\'s the structure. Learn to recognize an illogical structure and the reader expectations behind it.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"Get the most out of ReallyWrite","permalink":"/blog/2025/01/22/how-to-use-reallywrite"},"nextItem":{"title":"How speakers of Romance languages can improve their English writing","permalink":"/blog/2024/10/02/how-latin-speakers-can-write-better-in-english"}},"content":"\\n\\n\\nWe see illogical structures more often than we think. \\n\\nAnd the worst part? \\n\\nWe tend to blame ourselves when we struggle to parse a sentence, instead of noticing how the writer may have inadvertently made our job harder.\\n\\n## Question \\n\\nI recently had a question from a subscriber of the [free email course](https://www.reallywrite.com/course). When they first read about given to new, they asked:\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n\\
1n> I remember distinctly that The Economist often tells you the new number first. So they say: The Fed has increased interest to 4% from 3.5%. **I always struggle a bit parsing that** and am inclined to say: The Fed increased interest from 3.5% to 4%. \\n\\n> Would you put that under the given to new rule? And what might be their reason for switching it up? \\n\\n\\n\\n## Answer\\n\\nWhen you notice that you **struggle a bit parsing that**, that\'s a red flag. If the sentence was logically written, you would not be struggling. \\n\\nWhat makes this structure illogical?\\n\\nLet\'s break it down and look at what the reader expects at every moment:\\n1. *Subject and verb:* The Fed has increased \\nExpectation: I will see a *what* and then I will see an increase. \\n\\n2. *Object:* interest \\nExpectation: Good. I expected to see a *what*. Now I will see an increase. \\n\\n3. *Numbers:* to 4% from 3.5% \\nExpectation: WHAT? I was expecting an increase. When I read from left to right, the numbers are going *down*, not *up*! I am so confused.\\n\\nWhy are you confused? Because it\'s an illogical structure.\\n\\n### A good writer will consciously set your expectations and then follow through on them. \\n\\n**They will not suddenly pull the rug out from under your feet!**\\n\\nHere\'s another example: \\n\\n>A recent Pew Research Center analysis reported that from 1965 to 2011, fathers **reduced** the number of hours they devoted to paid work **to about 37 from 42** each week on average and **increased** the number of hours they devoted to childcare each week **to about seven from 2.5**.\\n\\nThe numbers gave you the opposite of what you expected. They set you up to expect a decrease and the numbers went *up*. Then they set you up to expect an increase and the numbers went *down*!\\n\\n\\n<small>Photo by Elisa Ventur</small>\\n\\nHow frustrating. Did you also notice that the numerals are not used consistently either (\'seven\' vs. 2.5)? There\'s no reason for that, either.\\n\\n### Will you start noticing when the writer makes you work harder to read? \\n\\nAnd will you realize that it\'s not your fault when you struggle to parse an illogical sentence?\\n\\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2024/10/02/how-latin-speakers-can-write-better-in-english","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2024/10/02/how-latin-speakers-can-write-better-in-english","source":"@site/blog/2024-10-02-how-latin-speakers-can-write-better-in-english/index.md","title":"How speakers of Romance languages can improve their English writing","description":"Speakers of Romance languages face specific hurdles in English: heavy Latin words, long sentences, and zombie nouns. Three tips to write clearer English.","date":"2024-10-02T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"English","permalink":"/blog/tags/english"}],"readingTime":1.95,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"How speakers of Romance languages can improve their English writing","description":"Speakers of Romance languages face specific hurdles in English: heavy Latin words, long sentences, and zombie nouns. Three tips to write clearer English.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","English"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"Can you recognize an illogical structure?","permalink":"/blog/2024/11/07/illogical-structure"},"nextItem":{"title":"We need more explicit writing instruction","permalink":"/blog/2024/09/11/explicit-writing-instruction-academic-writing"}},"content":"\\n\\n\\nSpeakers of Romance languages like French, Italian, or Spanish can face some specific difficulties when writing advanced English. \\n\\nIf you are in this situation, check out the following 3 tips to help you with the most common difficulties:\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n\\
1n### Problem #1: Latin words are too formal and heavy\\n\\nEnglish has both Germanic and Latin roots. Words with Germanic roots tend to be shorter and more common, while words with Latin roots tend to be more formal. For example, \\"help\\" is germanic and \\"assist\\" is latin. Likewise, \\"start\\" is germanic and \\"commence\\" is latin.\\n\\nSpeakers of Romance languages may prefer words that come from Latin. It\'s a natural choice because these words have the same Latin roots and feel more familiar! However, these words are longer and less commonly used in English, so they can make your English sentences sound overly formal and heavy. \\n\\nIn other words, **an English word that sounds common and easy to a Romance language speaker can actually be formal and rare in English.**\\n\\nTo solve this problem, choose more words from the Germanic side of English! They are shorter, more common, and can lighten up your sentences. \\n\\nNote: In academic writing, our key words often come from latin. These key words already tend to be quite long and heavy, so balancing them out with shorter, Germanic-origin words can make your text more readable. \\n\\n**Solution: Get out of your comfort zone and use more Germanic words!**\\n\\n### Problem #2: Sentences are too long and complicated\\n\\nMost Romance languages favor longer, complex sentences with many subclauses over short and simple ones. However, the English academic tradition prefers short, clear sentences. Work on creating one \\"subject-verb-object\\" structure, then stop. \\n\\nPay attention to your \\"complicated sentences\\" on ReallyWrite and aim to have as few complicated sentences as possible.\\n\\n**Solution: Use shorter, simpler structures. Use parallelism!**\\n\\n\\n### Problem #3: Sentences use too many [zombie nouns](/learn/zombie-nouns-clear-writing-verbs).\\n\\nRomance languages often use more nouns and fewer verbs than English, which prefers strong verbs that convey action.\\n\\nYou can use ReallyWrite to find the zombie nouns and replace them with a precise verb whenever possible.\\n\\n**Solution: Use more precise verbs!**\\n\\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2024/09/11/explicit-writing-instruction-academic-writing","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2024/09/11/explicit-writing-instruction-academic-writing","source":"@site/blog/2024-09-11-explicit-writing-instruction-academic-writing/index.md","title":"We need more explicit writing instruction","description":"Native and non-native English speakers have very different language experiences. Here\'s why non-native researchers need explicit writing instruction, not vague feelings.","date":"2024-09-11T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"research","permalink":"/blog/tags/research"}],"readingTime":4.38,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"We need more explicit writing instruction","description":"Native and non-native English speakers have very different language experiences. Here\'s why non-native researchers need explicit writing instruction, not vague feelings.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","research"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"How speakers of Romance languages can improve their English writing","permalink":"/blog/2024/10/02/how-latin-speakers-can-write-better-in-english"},"nextItem":{"title":"How teachers can improve student writing with ReallyWrite","permalink":"/blog/2024/09/04/make-your-teaching-life-easier"}},"content":"\\n\\n# Why non-native English speakers need to be explicitly taught how to write well\\n\\n<small>TL,DR: Asking non-native speakers to learn to write in the same way as native speakers (implicitly) does not take into account their different language experience. Non-native speakers benefit from learning to write more explicitly.</small> \\n<p></p>\\n\\nWriting is hard for everyone, that\u2019s a given. \\n\\nBut writing can be hard in a different way for native speakers and non-native speakers of English.\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nNative speakers have been taught to write clearly, both implicitly for years and s
1omewhat more explicitly in higher education. They can rely on their feeling about \\"what sounds good\\". I have spent years thinking about how we can best approach native speakers and non-native speakers differently when teaching them to write well.\\n\\nFirst, I think we have to explicitly acknowledge that these two populations have entirely different language experiences.\\n\\n## A native speaker\\nHere is a typical native speaker\'s experience of language and writing:\\n\\n> *I have only ever spoken one language in my life-- English. I have been exposed to the rhythm and nuance of the language every day since before I was born. I learned parallelism and rhythm on my parent\'s knees. I have been exposed to some of the best writing that English has to offer as part of my basic education because the art of language is valued in my culture (English class in school is called \u201clanguage arts\u201d for a reason!). In short, I\u2019ve had a lifetime to develop a feeling for what makes writing \u201cgood\u201d. I trust my feeling. I can use many different forms easily. My vocabulary is extensive and I know the feelings that different words evoke and which words they connect with. Even at university, I am required to take at least one course in writing composition, no matter my field. I am given writing style guides to read. Everything I do and will do is in English.*\\n\\n## A non-native speaker\\nAnd here is a typical non-native speaker\xb4s experience (from the Netherlands, with a high level of English in society!): \\n\\n> *I speak at least two languages, and I probably spoke a language other than English for most of my childhood. I have only been exposed to English since late childhood or early adolescence. Even then, my time learning other languages has been divided: as a teenager in the Netherlands, it was often divided between Dutch, French, German and English, not to mention Latin and Greek. And I have not learned other subjects (like biology, history, math) in English, but in my native language. When I did learn English, my teachers focused on teaching me grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Then, at university, I suddenly had to start speaking, writing, and processing all the information in English. It has been exhausting, and I am constantly questioning myself. I am not taught what makes English writing \u201cgood\u201d. Most of the what I read in English is \\"academic\\": badly written and complicated. I wonder if I am supposed to copy this style? I struggle to understand what some of these academic articles are saying. I think I must not be good enough. I think the problem is me: I need to work on my English so I can understand them. The other languages in my mind are constantly interfering with my English structure. I lack confidence. I think that I am not allowed to write in a way that makes sense to me.*\\n\\n### Clearly, non-native speakers are at a disadvantage\\nNon-native speakers of English have had so much less opportunity to develop their *feeling* for good writing in English, simply because the course of their lives has been different. Once we agree that these two groups have vastly different developmental trajectories, we can recognize that they also need a different approach. \\n\\n**So how can we expect non-native speakers to learn to write implicitly, based on feeling, like native speakers do?**\\n\\nI think you can\'t ask a non-native speaker of English to \\"write what feels natural\\". Natural is a loaded concept. \\"Natural\\" will often look more like their native language than like English. \\n\\nSo, what if we teach them more explicitly?\\n\\n## Learning explicitly\\nWhen non-native English speakers are explicitly taught to write, they reap multiple benefits:\\n- They actively use critical thinking skills and logical reasoning. They do not blindly follow random rules without understanding why.\\n- They feel more confident because they can recognize what makes a text objectively hard to read. In other words, they know *they* are not the problem.\\n- They play a more active role in team discussions because they can reason with their colleagues about the best solution for their situation. They do not feel confined to follow rules that may not fit their situation.\\n\\nAfter almost 15 years of teaching highly educated non-native English speakers how to write clearly, I am convinced that explicit teaching is the way to help them improve. We *cannot* ask them to \\"use their ear\\". We *can* ask them to reason about their choices.\\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2024/09/04/make-your-teaching-life-easier","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2024/09/04/make-your-teaching-life-easier","source":"@site/blog/2024-09-04-make-your-teaching-life-easier/index.md","title":"How teachers can improve student writing with ReallyWrite","description":"Short on time to teach writing? Five low-effort ways teachers can use ReallyWrite to help students write better - from homework to class work.","date":"2024-09-04T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"research","permalink":"/blog/tags/research"}],"readingTime":3.01,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"How teachers can improve student writing with ReallyWrite","description":"Short on time to teach writing? Five low-effort ways teachers can use ReallyWrite to help students write better - from homework to class work.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","research"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"We need more explicit writing instruction","permalink":"/blog/2024/09/11/explicit-writing-instruction-academic-writing"},"nextItem":{"title":"A bit of rhetoric can boost the impact of your research","permalink":"/blog/2024/08/29/rhetoric-boost-impact-research"}},"content":"\\n\\n\\nMost teachers don\'t have time to explicitly teach writing as well as their content matter, but they still want students to write decently. \\n\\nBecause of course, who will be reading those papers?\\n\\nIf this sounds familiar to you, then why not use ReallyWrite in y
1our classes? It\'s minimal effort, zero risk, and high reward.\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n:::tip Teaching writing to students or colleagues?\\n\\nWe\'re running three free pilots this fall with writing centers, graduate schools, and doctoral training programs. [Interested in joining the pilot?](/institutions)\\n\\n:::\\n\\n\\n## 5 ways you can use ReallyWrite to make your teaching life easier\\n\\n### 1. Ask students to read the ReallyWrite learn pages\\nAssign them as homework! Just add the [link](/learn) to your syllabus as a homework assignment early in the semester. Then they can work on using the information throughout the semester.\\n\\n### 2. Ask students to name the techniques they see\\nIf your students give peer feedback, ask them to comment specifically on how the techniques from the learn pages are being applied (or not) in a text. They can do this during homework or in class. Ask them to explicitly label which techniques they see and which ones they think their peer would benefit from using. This exercise will help them shift their learning from theoretical to practical.\\n\\n### 3. Ask students to show how they changed their text based on feedback from ReallyWrite\\nAs a warm-up, ask them to share with a partner how they changed three sentences based on the feedback from the ReallyWrite editor. This exchange may only need 10 minutes at the beginning of class. To use your time efficiently, you can ask them to come prepared to share the three changes they are most proud of.\\n\\nFor example:\\n1. Here I had a zombie noun and I changed it to this verb and cut four words in the process. \\n2. Here I had a list of prepositional phrases and I realized what was happening was [...] so I changed it like this.\\n3. Here I had an extremely complicated sentence and I noticed that I was trying to say three different things that are not connected very well, so I split it up into three sentences and used parallelism to show the relationships.\\n\\n### 4. Let students analyze a peer\'s text for \\"given to new\\"\\n\\nAsk them to highlight a section of a partner\'s text: given (or old) information in one color and new information in another color. Encourage them to discuss their findings, either in class or on their own time. Use this exercise to help them see how what is in the writer\'s mind is not necessarily in the reader\'s mind. \\n\\n### 5. Only accept papers with a minimum clarity score\\n\\nInstead of a minimum word count, why not give a minimum clarity score? Tell them you will only accept papers that have a certain **minimum clarity score** (I recommend 40 to start). Giving a bare minimum can push them to uncomplicate their complicated sentences and make it easier for you to read them!\\n\\n#### Have you tried using ReallyWrite in your classes? I\'d love to hear from you!\\n<br/>\\n\\n:::tip Want to go further than these five tips?\\n\\nA free tool can only offer so much. Do you want to build a course around the ReallyWrite principles, see where a group struggles, or apply your department\'s own standards? This fall, we are building more services for institutions. Interested in joining the pilot? [Read more here](/institutions)\\n\\n:::\\n\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2024/08/29/rhetoric-boost-impact-research","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2024/08/29/rhetoric-boost-impact-research","source":"@site/blog/2024-08-29-rhetoric-boost-impact-research/index.md","title":"A bit of rhetoric can boost the impact of your research","description":"Research articles haven\'t always been so heavy. A few rhetorical techniques, once taught to everyone, can help you write about your research clearly and logically.","date":"2024-08-29T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"research","permalink":"/blog/tags/research"},{"inline":true,"label":"rhetoric","permalink":"/blog/tags/rhetoric"}],"readingTime":2.32,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"A bit of rhetoric can boost the impact of your research","description":"Research articles haven\'t always been so heavy. A few rhetorical techniques, once taught to everyone, can help you write about your research clearly and logically.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","research","rhetoric"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"How teachers can improve student writing with ReallyWrite","permalink":"/blog/2024/09/04/make-your-teaching-life-easier"},"nextItem":{"title":"How to tell when you are learning","permalink":"/blog/2024/07/02/how-to-tell-when-you-are-learning"}},"content":"\\n \\n## Those articles haven\'t always been so heavy\\nDo you ever put down an article and wonder if it really had to be so hard to read? If it couldn\'t have been easier, lighter, more interesting? If it couldn\xb4t have been written in a way that made it a pleasure, not a burden, to read? \\n\\nResearch articles don\'t have to be so heavy. They haven\'t always been this way. \\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nUntil the late 19th century, most students learned rhetoric (the techniques we use to communicate). This widespread explicit communication instruction gave everyone the opportunity to develop their communication skills: how to get their point across clearly and succinctly, how to build up a logical argument.\\n\\n## What changed?\\nRhetoric was gradually cut to make space for other fields. It is still taught in some places in the US, usually under a pseudonym (\\"communication\\" or \\"writing\\"), but it is not taught in non-native English speaking countries, where it could help enormously. \\n\\nLearning explicit communication techniques can lessen the burden on non-native English researchers who need **more** help writing in English because they have **less** experience to draw from and **fewer** good examples to follow. \\n\\nBecause of this loss of explicit communication instruction, many of us no longer think consciously about how to communicate clearly. \\n\\nA few rhetorical techniques (combined with a few linguistic theories) can help researchers make clear, logical decisions about how they convey their research, and these techniques are not hard to learn.[^1] \\n\\nThese techniques can help you write more clearly:\\n- parallelism\\n- given information to new information\\n- verbs instead of nouns\\n- light before heavy\\n- comparison\\n- repetition\\n\\n## We are writing unconsciously\\nIf you have never explicitly learned how to write clearly, you are writing unconsciously. Learning to write **consciously** will save you time because you will be able to identify problem areas and you will know which techniques can fix them. \\n\\nMy students tell me that **they can never go back to being unaware.** They can identify what is wrong with a text; they understand that they struggle to understand it because the writer failed to use easy rhetorical techniques that could have created elegance. They do not struggle because they are not smart enough.\\n\\nRhetoric can help us achieve the ideal of **elegant simplicity**. If we want readers to focus entirely on the content, we should write sentences that are so clearly structured that the structure becomes invisible. If readers don\'t have to work to figure out the structure, they are free to focus entirely on the content. \\n\\nRhetoric can help us achieve that.\\n\\n[^1]: They can be hard to apply though!\\n<br/>\\n\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2024/07/02/how-to-tell-when-you-are-learning","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2024/07/02/how-to-tell-when-you-are-learning","source":"@site/blog/2024-07-02-how-to-tell-when-you-are-learning/index.md","title":"How to tell when you are learning","description":"Learning feels uncomfortable, and that\'s the point. Maslow\'s four stages of competence explain why your writing seems to get worse right before it gets better.","date":"2024-0
17-02T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"learning","permalink":"/blog/tags/learning"}],"readingTime":4.6,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"How to tell when you are learning","description":"Learning feels uncomfortable, and that\'s the point. Maslow\'s four stages of competence explain why your writing seems to get worse right before it gets better.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","learning"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"A bit of rhetoric can boost the impact of your research","permalink":"/blog/2024/08/29/rhetoric-boost-impact-research"},"nextItem":{"title":"The emotional journey to clear research writing","permalink":"/blog/2024/06/19/emotional-journey-academic-writing"}},"content":"\\n\\n## Learning feels uncomfortable\\nIt\'s human nature to seek pleasure and avoid pain. But when it comes to learning, the proverb is true: no pain, no gain. \\n\\nLearning is supposed to be hard. It is supposed to make us feel vulnerable and uncertain. \\n\\nBut when we\'re in the middle of that discomfort and we feel like everything is wrong, we may start to think that we haven\'t learned anything. Or we may get discouraged and think that we will never learn it. Maybe we want to lash out or give up.\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nFeeling discouraged can lead us into a vicious cycle: if we cannot see the progress we are making, we may think that we are not making any progress, then we get frustrated at ourselves, which limits our ability to learn, which impedes our progress even more.\\n\\n## It gets worse before it gets better?\\nTo break out of that vicious cycle and get back on track, we can view our progress through the four stages of competence. Even though we may feel like our skills get worse before they get better, they do not actually get worse; we only become aware of what was wrong in the first place. \\n\\nimport stages from \'/img/stages.png\';\\n\\n<p>\\nMaslow\'s four stages of competence illustrate this learning process:\\n<img src={stages} style={{maxHeight: \'375px\', width: \'100%\', objectFit: \'cover\', objectPosition: \'50% 95%\'}} />\\n\\n</p>\\n \\nStudents usually join my class when they are **unconsciously incompetent** and end when they **consciously competent**. \\n\\n### Unconscious incompetence <small>(onbewust onbekwaam)</small>\\nYou do not know how to do something and do not realize that anything is missing. You may feel like you do not need that skill. Before you can move on to the next stage, you\'ll first need to recognize that the skill is important and that you are ignorant.\\n> You leave this stage when you decide to start learning something; you recognize that something is missing in your knowledge. This is when you decide to take a class, for example.\\n### Conscious incompetence <small>(bewust onbekwaam)</small>\\nYou still do not know how to do something, but you know that you need to learn it. You\'ve opened your mind to new ideas and are aware of your ignorance. **Humility and the freedom to make mistakes are essential here.**\\n> You might want to quit. You realize that you didn\'t know a lot more than you thought, which may feel overwhelming.\\n### Conscious competence <small>(bewust bekwaam)</small>\\nYou\'ve been practicing and you think you\'ve got it! You understand it--in theory. **But it still takes effort.** You may need to break it down into steps or focus on one thing at a time.\\n> You make fewer mistakes, but you don\'t feel comfortable yet. You can manage it, but it\'s exhausting.\\n### Unconscious competence <small>(onbewust bekwaam)</small>\\nYou have had so much practice that the skill has become second nature and takes less effort. You can do it more quickly and with less concentration. You can teach it to others.\\n> You\'ve got this. You radiate confidence.\\n\\n## The first stage: ignorance and comfort\\nSome people join my academic writing course in this stage, believing that they don\'t have much to learn. Often more experienced researchers remain at this stage if they have never consciously learned how to write about their research clearly. However, it can be challenging to develop a career when one of your most important skills is unconsciously incompetent.\\n\\n## The second stage: vulnerability\\nMost people start my course in this second stage. They knew they needed help, in general, but they didn\'t realize what they didn\'t know until they joined a class. \\n**Confidence can plummet at this point--all you can see is how \\"bad\\" you are, and not how much you are changing week by week. But progress comes in many forms.**\\n\\n### How to recognize that you are learning something:\\n- You can say what you don\'t know-- you can put a name to it\\n- You can correct your mistakes when they are pointed out to you\\n- You can identify your mistakes or recognize when something is \\"wrong\\" (even if you don\'t know what is \\"right\\")\\n- You can ask questions about what you don\'t know\\n- You can say what parts you understand and what parts you don\'t\\n\\nSo please don\'t get hung up on the fact that you are making mistakes.\xa0**That\'s exactly what you should be doing--making mistakes!**\xa0You *should* be struggling with difficult concepts--the more you focus on what\'s difficult, the more you\'ll learn. No need to be flawless and perfect the first time. \\n\\n## The third stage: clear progress\\nMost people end my course in this third stage. They are able to talk objectively about their writing with each other, but they haven\'t had enough practice to internalize their skills. We think that ReallyWrite can be especially useful for researchers who are in these first three stages of learning how to write clearly. \\n\\n## The fourth stage: perfecting your skills\\n\\nGetting to the fourth stage takes time and practice. You know you\'re there when the skill feels like second nature.\\nBy the time you have internalized the skill, you don\'t need the kind of help ReallyWrite offers as much anymore. However, ReallyWrite may still be useful in this fourth stage because it can help reduce your mental burden, thus freeing up the mental energy to come up with more creative solutions.\\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2024/06/19/emotional-journey-academic-writing","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2024/06/19/emotional-journey-academic-writing","source":"@site/blog/2024-06-19-emotional-journey-academic-writing/index.md","title":"The emotional journey to clear research writing","description":"Learning to write clearly can feel uncomfortable. We look at the fear and vulnerability that academic writers face - and how to move through it toward real growth.","date":"2024-06-19T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"shuhari","permalink":"/blog/tags/shuhari"},{"inline":true,"label":"style","permalink":"/blog/tags/style"}],"readingTime":3.09,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"The emotional journey to clear research writing","description":"Learning to write clearly can feel uncomfortable. We look at the fear and vulnerability that academic writers face - and how to move through it toward real growth.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","shuhari","style"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"How to tell when you are learning","permalink":"/blog/2024/07/02/how-to-tell-when-you-are-learning"},"nextItem":{"title":"Developing your own academic writing style","permalink":"/blog/2024/01/19/shuhari-academic-writing"}},"content":"\\n\\nMy academic writing classes start with skeptics and usually end with converts. The path between can be uncomfortable. \\n\\nSome participants hate writing. Some have had bad past experiences, which they describe as \\"frustrating\\" and even \\"traumatic\\".\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n\\n<small>Photo by Elisa Ventur</small>\\n\\nThe beginning of a class is uncertain; the participants are exposed to ideas that they have never encountered before; it\'s normal to be skeptical.\\n\\nThe end is rewarding and hopeful. They have seen their writing transform. They have learned things they never thought to ask. And I hope that they feel empowered to make their own decisions about how they communicate their research, grounded in science and logic. \\n\\n\\n<small>Photo by No Revisions</small>\\n\\nDuring the course, as we open our minds to new ideas and practice new skills, we usually have to work through some uncomfortable emotions: fear and vulnerability. **It is extremely uncomfortable to be confronted with everything that we do not know.** \\n\\nMost PhD students in my classes are mature, self-aware, reflective and emotionally intelligent. \\n\\nBut occasionally young people will struggle to be so far out of their comfort zone. The students who are most susceptible to struggle are usually those who feel less confident in their position and who fear making mistakes. \\n\\nYounger and less experienced students can have a hard t
1ime managing this discomfort. The fear and vulnerability may come out as arrogance: a defense mechanism. \\n\\n**When we are too afraid to acknowledge our fear and discomfort**, we block our learning by closing ourselves off to the first and most important stage of the learning process (Shu): the one where we feel the most discomfort. (Shu is the first stage of learning according to the Japanese concept of Shuhari, which I wrote about [here](/blog/2024/01/19/shuhari-academic-writing).)\\n\\n## Fear and vulnerability may be disguised as defensiveness and arrogance\\n\\nIf you refuse to even try a new technique, it can look like arrogance. You might say you don\'t believe in it or claim that you have your own style--but really, deep down, you are just afraid to fail.\\n\\nIf you have been expressing your fear and vulnerability as arrogance, you are not alone: arrogance is a common obstacle in this first stage of learning according to Shuhari[^1]:\\n\\n> \\"Arrogance and overconfidence will urge you to skip SHU. This is impossible to do and attempting to do so can be dangerous.\\nSHU is necessary.\\nSometimes, certain people tend to be ignorant and don\'t realise all the work, the effort and focus that is required to master something. **They see skilled people (but not the effort they put in) and assume they are able to emulate these people, without the work and effort that is needed to achieve that skill.**\\n\\n> **Put simply, you can\'t \\"break the rules\\" if you never learn what those rules are in the first place. It\'s wandering blind.**\\nA person who tries to skip SHU is highly likely to make dangerous mistakes, for themselves and others around them.\\n\\n> To think that you\'re able to skip the most important lessons when you don\'t even know what those lessons are is the very definition of Arrogance.\\n\\n> Don\'t be arrogant, be patient and take your time, learn everything you can about the system and the rules. Only then can you consider progressing into HA [the next stage of learning].\\"\\n\\n\\n\\n[^1]: The quotes are taken from [this site](https://hsbudo.blogspot.com/2016/10/shuhari-process-of-mastery.html?m=1).\\n<br/>\\n\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a> \\n:::"},{"id":"/2024/01/19/shuhari-academic-writing","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2024/01/19/shuhari-academic-writing","source":"@site/blog/2024-01-19-shuhari-academic-writing/index.md","title":"Developing your own academic writing style","description":"Does following the rules of clear writing cramp your personal style? The Japanese concept of Shuhari shows us why you need to master the rules before you transcend them.","date":"2024-01-19T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"style","permalink":"/blog/tags/style"},{"inline":true,"label":"shuhari","permalink":"/blog/tags/shuhari"}],"readingTime":3.15,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"Developing your own academic writing style","description":"Does following the rules of clear writing cramp your personal style? The Japanese concept of Shuhari shows us why you need to master the rules before you transcend them.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","style","shuhari"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"The emotional journey to clear research writing","permalink":"/blog/2024/06/19/emotional-journey-academic-writing"},"nextItem":{"title":"Why is academic writing so hard to read?","permalink":"/blog/2023/12/13/why-is-academic-writing-hard-to-read"}},"content":"\\n\\nMy students sometimes feel that applying the principles[^1] of clear writing conflicts with them developing their own personal writing style.\\n\\nWe can resolve this conflict if we think about our stages of learning. I particularly like using the ancient Japanese concept of Shuhari.\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n## How does the ancient Japanese concept of Shuhari relate to modern day academic writing?\\n\\nShuhari describes the stages of learning from beginner to master: \\n\'Shu\' \u5b88 means \'Follow\' \\n\'Ha\' \u7834 means \'Digress\' \\n\'Ri\' \u96e2 means \'Transcend\'.[^2] \\n\\nOr more simply: \\"Follow the rules, Break the rules, Make the rules.\\"\\n\\n1. When you first start learning a skill, you must \\"follow the rules.\\" \\n\\n2. After you are comfortable with these rules, you can move to the second stage: \\"break the rules,\\" where you question the rules to understand how and why they work. \\n\\n3. Once you have truly mastered the skill, you can \\"make the rules\\" or go beyond the rules. **The rules are within you, but they do not limit you.**\\n\\nI think of this third stage as \\"being at one with the rules\\"--you no longer think consciously about them, but you use them freely as you have mastered them completely.\\n\\n## So how do you develop your own academic writing style?\\n\\nFirst, you look at the stage you are in (and recognize that there is nothing wrong with being in SHU). If you are in SHU or HA, you are not ready to develop your own style **yet**. You must first learn these principles deeply -- internalize them-- before you can choose to digress or transcend. \\n\\n**We need to take the time to learn and understand before we can break out.**\\n\\nDeveloping your own style happens in RI. Try not to skip steps.\\n\\nYou might wonder if you even need to get out of SHU to write well academically. I am not sure you do. Maybe trying to move through the stages of learning is not the goal in academic writing. If you can write well by following the principles exactly[^3] then why digress? Maybe it\'s enough to just clearly communicate your research.\\n\\nEnjoy the poem below.\\n\\n\\n<small>Photo by Alicia Perez</small>\\n\\n## SHU HA RI \\nThe Art of Mastery \\n<small>by Azumi Uchitani[^4]</small>\\n\\n**\u5b88 SHU Protect**\\n\\nI practice the form, I protect the form.\\n\\nI respect the form. I repeat the form.\\n\\nIn this process, I learn the principle.\\n\\nThe principle is the heart of the form.\\n\\nWithout a solid form,\\n\\nnothing can be held.\\n\\n \\n\\n**\u7834 HA Break**\\n\\nI detach myself from the known,\\n\\nBreaking the form of basic, with trials and errors,\\n\\nI discover what works for me and what doesn\u2019t.\\n\\nIt is scary to be here.\\n\\nBut the principle I learned never leaves me.\\n\\nI trust my soul and I evolve.\\n\\n \\n\\n**\u96e2 RI Transcend**\\n\\
1nI see I have wings now.\\n\\nThe wings, gifted by the divine.\\n\\nWith the colour of my soul,\\n\\nWith the patterns of my skills,\\n\\nWith the power of my principle,\\n\\nI fly with my wings, with the divine.\\n\\n<br/>\\n\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>\\n::: \\n\\n\\n[^1]: The main principles are [parallelism](/learn/parallelism-writing-clarity), [given to new](/learn/given-to-new-linking-sentences), and [verbs](/learn/verbs).\\n[^2]: I do not know any Japanese. I trust that the translations are correct and I am grateful for the educational materials found [here](https://hsbudo.blogspot.com/2016/06/15-more-budo-terms-clarified.html?m=1).\\n[^3]: Yuval Harari comes to mind when I think of an academic writer who follows the principles of clear writing precisely and writes clearly and engagingly\\n[^4]: This poem can be found [here](https://www.azumiuchitani.com/shuhari/)."},{"id":"/2023/12/13/why-is-academic-writing-hard-to-read","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2023/12/13/why-is-academic-writing-hard-to-read","source":"@site/blog/2023-12-13-why-is-academic-writing-hard-to-read/index.md","title":"Why is academic writing so hard to read?","description":"Does academic writing have to be heavy and exhausting? We explore why so much of it is hard to read - and why clarity matters for all of us.","date":"2023-12-13T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"}],"readingTime":6.21,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"Why is academic writing so hard to read?","description":"Does academic writing have to be heavy and exhausting? We explore why so much of it is hard to read - and why clarity matters for all of us.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"Developing your own academic writing style","permalink":"/blog/2024/01/19/shuhari-academic-writing"},"nextItem":{"title":"What is academic writing?","permalink":"/blog/2023/12/08/what-is-academic-style-academic-writing"}},"content":"Academic writing can be hard--hard to read and harder to write. But does it have to be?\\n\\n## Does academic writing have to be so hard? \\n\\nWhat rule states that academic writing should be heavy and exhausting to read? \\n\\nCan your structure be simple, even if your subject matter is complex? \\n\\nWill readers understand your complicated topic better if they first have to untangle a complicated structure? \\n\\nCan academic writing be easy to read? Even, dare I say it, enjoyable? \\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n### **Is that allowed?**\\n\\n<small>Photo by Kraken images</small>\\n\\nWhat if academic writing stays heavy and opaque-- are we ready to accept the consequences?\\n\\n:::caution consequences of bad writing\\nWhen ideas and research results are difficult to understand, it hurts all of humanity. **It creates barriers rather than breaking them down.** It prevents us from working together efficiently to tackle the hard problems of our age.\\n:::\\n\\nHow can we work together to reverse climate change and find cures for cancer if we cannot even understand each other easily?\\n\\nIf we accept that clarity is paramount when communicating research, then why is some academic writing *still* so hard to read?\\n\\n:::info why is some academic writing still so hard to read? \\nIt may be because researchers **don\'t know how to write clearly** or because they **believe that they have no choice.**\\n::: \\n\\n[ReallyWrite](/) was created to help solve the first problem (they don\'t know how to write clearly), so let\'s talk about the second (they believe that they have no choice).\\n\\n## Hard-to-read academic writing comes from blindly following \\"rules\\"\\nEven though we talk about the importance of clear writing in class, early-career researchers still look at me with big eyes when I lead them to a logical structure for their text. They exclaim: \\"But I thought I wasn\'t allowed to do that!\\"\\n\\nNot allowed? Says who?\\n\\nI think that academic writing is so hard to do well partly because young academics erroneously think they have to conform to countless random \\"rules\\"--many of which only serve to make their writing harder to understand. \\n\\nIt\'s hard enough to figure out this whole writing thing, but what if you also have to follow a bunch of random, mostly unstated \\"rules\\"?\\n\\nWhen peo
1ple talk about \\"academic writing,\\" I wonder what they mean. Do they mean the random \\"rules\\" that are sometimes still imposed on young, unsuspecting PhD students? Or do they mean, fundamentally, the writing that we do to share our research?\\n\\n\\n<small>Photo by Anna Shvets</small>\\n\\nHave you heard these \\"rules\\" before?\\n\\n:::danger \\"rules\\"\\nUse this kind of word. (latin!) \\nDon\'t use that kind of word. (germanic!) \\nOnly this many sentences per paragraph are allowed. (5-15) \\nDon\'t start a sentence with these words. (But, Yet, For, So, Because...) \\nVary your vocabulary. (otherwise you will be boring) \\nAvoid the passive voice. \\nUse only the passive voice. \\n:::\\n\\nDo you feel like your hands are tied, trying to conform to countless random \\"rules\\"? \\n\\nAnd how does following these \\"rules\\" help us to write more clearly?\\n\\n## The \\"rules\\" are NOT rules and they limit your options\\n\\nThinking about academic writing in terms of \\"rules\\" **is disempowering**. It takes away your ability to reason about the best structure for your situation. And worst of all, **it limits your options.** \\n\\nIf your options are limited, how will you ever be able to create a really clear text? \\n\\nIn my experience, researchers find the \\"rules\\" constraining and illogical. Many academics are even putting their power and influence behind the push for better academic writing by publicly questioning their logic.\\n\\nMany former conventions are no longer conventions. Some never were. \\n\\nFor example, researchers have been writing in the active voice since the invention of research. Choosing to write in active voice is not revolutionary.\\n\\n:::tip For example\\nMost journals explicitly ask authors to us *we* and active voice, to avoid jargon, to explain terminology clearly, to think of their reader and to strive to write accessibly.\\n::: \\n\\nThe following quotes come from the guidelines for authors in Nature journals[^1], emphasis mine:\\n\\n> **Clarity of expression** is needed to achieve the goal of comprehensibility. \\n\\n> Nature journals prefer authors to **write in the active voice** (\\"we performed the experiment...\\") as experience has shown that **readers find concepts and results to be conveyed more clearly if written directly**. \\n\\n> We have also found that using several adjectives to qualify one noun in highly technical language can be confusing to readers. We encourage authors to **\\"unpackage\\" concepts** and to present their findings and conclusions in **simply constructed sentences**.\\n\\n> Many papers submitted for publication in a Nature journal contain unnecessary technical terminology, unreadable descriptions of the work that has been done, and convoluted figure legends. Our journal subeditors and copyeditors edit the manuscript so that it is **grammatically correct, logical, clear and concise**. They also ensure that manuscripts use **consistent search terms and terminology** that is consistent with what is used in previous articles published in the journal. Of course, this process is assisted greatly if the authors have written the manuscript **in a simple and accessible style**, as the author is the best person to convey the message of the paper and to persuade readers that it is important enough to spend time on.\\n\\n> We ask authors to **avoid jargon and acronyms** where possible. When essential, they should be defined at first use; after first use, the author should use pronouns when possible rather than using the abbreviation or acronym at every occurrence. **The acronym is second-nature to the author but is not to the reader**, who may have to refer to the original definition throughout the paper when an acronym is used.\\n\\n:::tip write clearly for each other\\nThey are not asking you to write accessibly **for the layperson**, they are asking you to do it **for your fellow scientists!**\\n::: \\n\\n:::info question\\nDo you ever dare to ask \\"why?\\" when you are told you just have to do something a certain way?\\n::: \\n\\nIt\'s entirely understandable that a young researcher may
1not feel brave enough to question. *Doing a PhD can make you vulnerable.* Often, young researchers don\'t dare to question because they don\'t know enough about writing to know that they **can** question. They also don\'t know what questions to ask. \\n\\nHowever, when researchers learn about all the options that are available to them, **they can develop the courage to question these \\"rules\\" more.**\\n\\n:::tip What if?\\nWhat if, instead of blindly following \\"rules,\\" you could understand how writing works? \\n\\nWhat if you could understand the options you have and how they affect a reader\'s understanding, so that you can make informed choices that fit your situation?\\n::: \\n\\nMaybe we are still blindly following these \\"rules\\" because we have all, collectively, forgotten why we do academic writing? Maybe we need a reminder that the purpose of academic writing is to communicate our ideas and research results **as clearly as possible**.\\n\\nAnd **we are free to use the most logical word, sentence structure and tool in our arsenal to achieve that goal.**\\n\\nCan we all agree to write about our research as clearly as possible? \\n\\nAfter all, life puts enough obstacles in our path. Let\'s not create more of them. \\n\\n[^1]: read more [here](https://www.nature.com/nature-portfolio/for-authors/write).\\n<br/>\\n\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>\\n:::"},{"id":"/2023/12/08/what-is-academic-style-academic-writing","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2023/12/08/what-is-academic-style-academic-writing","source":"@site/blog/2023-12-08-what-is-academic-style-academic-writing/index.md","title":"What is academic writing?","description":"What is academic writing, really? Instead of copying a heavy \\"academic style,\\" reflect on your true purpose: conveying your research as clearly as possible.","date":"2023-12-08T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"}],"readingTime":2.6,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"What is academic writing?","description":"What is academic writing, really? Instead of copying a heavy \\"academic style,\\" reflect on your true purpose: conveying your research as clearly as possible.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"Why is academic writing so hard to read?","permalink":"/blog/2023/12/13/why-is-academic-writing-hard-to-read"},"nextItem":{"title":"How to write a clear comparison sentence","permalink":"/blog/2023/11/28/write-clear-comparison-sentence"}},"content":"How often do you stop to reflect on the purpose of your research and the purpose of the article or book you are writing?\\n\\n\\n<small>Photo by Ian Schneider</small>\\n\\nWhy are you doing that research? \\nWhat is your **ultimate reason** for writing that article? \\n- To get your PhD? \\n- To make yourself look smart? \\n- To be respected? \\n\\nOr maybe\\n- to convey your research results and implications as clearly as possible?\\n\\n## How do we learn to \\"write academically\\"?\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nSome people talk about \\"academic writing\\" and \\"academic style\\" as if they are something special-- as if the only articles that can be published are articles that **copy the style** of previous articles. \\n\\nBut why, oh why, would you copy someone else\'s choices?\\n\\nAnd if you want to copy, could you choose to copy something that you yourself found easy and enjoyable to read?\\n\\nMaybe the writer you are copying had no idea what they were doing. Maybe they just threw something together to get it published and be done. We can\'t know what was in the writer\'s mind.\\n\\n:::info Choose what to copy\\nWe **can** learn to write well by copying the style and structures of *good* writers, *professional* writers[^1]. \\n::: \\n\\nBut most academic writing is not written by professional writers. Most academic writers have little writing experience and no formal writing training before they start churning out papers: most academic writers are amateurs. \\n\\nBy all means, c
1opy the styles and structures of great scientific writers: Stephen Hawking, Bill Bryson, Steven Pinker, and Yuval Harari, to name the first few that come to mind. But, please, take care in copying anything from any other random article you\'ve read.\\n\\n:::caution question\\nWhen did academic writing morph into something separate from simply communicating knowledge?\\n::: \\n\\n## What are \\"academic writing\\" and \\"academic style\\"?\\nWouldn\'t your research be more impactful if you decided for yourself how it can best be presented? \\n\\nThat would mean letting go of \\"should\\" and \\"have to\\" and making your own decisions based on the ultimate purpose of \\"academic writing.\\"\\n\\n\\"Academic writing\\" is\\n > the writing that we do to communicate our ideas and research results as clearly as possible to an international community of interested readers (other scientists)[^2]\\n\\n\\"Academic style\\" is\\n> a professional style that gives all relevant information about the research as clearly and accurately as possible. This style should be accessible to international researchers who all have to read in a foreign language (English).\\n\\n**And why do we do academic writing?** \\n\\n> To help move our field forward of course! To learn. To share information. To collaborate and discover. \\n\\nCan we all agree to write about our research as clearly as possible? \\n\\nAfter all, life puts enough obstacles in our path. Let\'s not create more of them. \\n\\n\\n\\n[^1]: I don\'t claim to be one.\\n\\n[^2]: keeping in mind that we tend to **overestimate our readers\' background knowledge** because of our own [curse of knowledge](/learn/logical-gaps)\\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>\\n:::"},{"id":"/2023/11/28/write-clear-comparison-sentence","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2023/11/28/write-clear-comparison-sentence","source":"@site/blog/2023-11-28-write-clear-comparison-sentence/index.md","title":"How to write a clear comparison sentence","description":"Learn how to write comparison sentences that actually show how your results relate to each other.","date":"2023-11-28T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"comparison","permalink":"/blog/tags/comparison"}],"readingTime":5.71,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"How to write a clear comparison sentence","description":"Learn how to write comparison sentences that actually show how your results relate to each other.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","comparison"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"What is academic writing?","permalink":"/blog/2023/12/08/what-is-academic-style-academic-writing"},"nextItem":{"title":"Three ways to improve your academic writing","permalink":"/blog/2023/11/24/academic-writing-improve-three-ways"}},"content":"\\n\\nLet\'s talk about comparisons.\\n\\nComparisons, or comparative sentences, are a blind spot for many academic writers, but especially those for whom English is not a native language.[^1]\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n## How a comparison sentence can go wrong\\nIt goes wrong when writers just stick the words \\"compared to\\" in the sentence and leave it otherwise unchanged.\\n\\n> Compared to Method A, Method B is safe. \\n\\nBut this is not a comparison sentence!\\n\\nThis sentence only tells me that Method B is safe. I don\'t know how Method B relates to Method A. Was Method A less safe? Was it not safe at all?\\n\\n> The number of peptide A increased compared to the number of peptide B.\\n\\nThis sentence only tells me that the number of peptide A increased. I don\'t know what happened to peptide B. Did it increase as well, but not as much? Did it not change at all?\\n\\n## How to write a clear comparison sentence\\nTo write a clear comparison sentence, take the time to think through how the parts of your research *actually* relate to each other and then use a **clear verb** to show that relationship. \\n\\nIf the relationship is not clear in your mind, you won\'t be able to put it clearly down on paper. Use the steps below to force yourself into a clear structure.\\n\\n### 1. Figure out which situation you are in\\n\\nDecide whether you are comparing how two things *look at one moment in time* or how two things *changed over time*.\\nNeither situation needs the word \\"compare\\":\\n\\n1. One moment in time (an end result): \\nThe signals in A **were twice as high as** the signals in B. \\n\\n2. A. Change over time (both things changed, but one changed more than the other):\\nThe signals in A **increased twice as much as** the signals in B.\\n\\n B. Change over time (one thing changed but the other did not):\\nThe signals in A **doubled**, while the signals in B **stayed the same**.\\n\\n\\
1n### 2. Use parallelism\\nComparisons require parallelism, so lay out the groups and the differences between them in [parallel structure](/learn/parallelism-writing-clarity). You cannot compare apples and oranges. Go as far as to line up each parallel part on top of each other to help you see the relationship: \\n> Surgery is recommended for high-risk patients, while \\ntherapy is recommended for low-risk patients.\\n\\n\\n### 3. Use \\"than\\"\\nLess experienced writers often think they have to use the word \\"compare\\" in a comparison (\\"in comparison with\\" and \\"compared to/with\\") and they often end up with a relationship that is at best **vague** and at worst **nonsensical**. Most of the time you can avoid the word \\"compare\\"[^2] completely because is it unnecessary and wordy.\\n\\n:::tip Challenge: USE THAN\\nDon\'t use the word *compare* by default. Show the comparison using *than*.[^3]\\n::: \\n\\nIf you are comparing within a single phrase, there are a few basic comparison structures, all of which use *than*:[^4] \\nA is more/less/*higher* ... than B. \\nA has a more/less/*higher* ... than B. \\nMore/fewer people did A than B. \\nA occurred more/less *often* than B.\\n \\n### 4. Use precise, consistent verbs and adjectives\\n\\nThe key to writing a clear comparison sentence is to think carefully about how the groups relate to each other and to **make that relationship explicit.**\\n\\n**Verbs** are the lifeblood of sentences--they show us the relationship between two nouns. In a comparison, a verb, adjective, or adverb can often show a relationship more clearly than a noun. \\n\\n\\n:::caution Don\'t use unnecessary zombie nouns\\nUse verbs, adjectives, and *than* instead\\n:::\\n\\n\\n<Example>\\n<before>\\n These broader criteria are justified <issue>based on the more complex nature of</issue> biotherapeutics <issue>compared to small molecules</issue>\\n </before>\\n<after>\\n These broader criteria are justified because biotherapeutics **are more complex than** small molecules.\\n</after>\\n</Example>\\n\\n\\nIf the relationship is the same in both groups, [don\'t use a synonym](/learn/consistency-clear-vocabulary), use the **same** verb or adjective!\\n:::danger Don\'t say\\nMethod A is favorable, while Method B is desirable.\\n:::\\n\\n:::tip say\\nMethods A and B are both advantageous.\\n:::\\n\\n### 5. Put the comparison phrase in between the groups that are compared \\n\\nThe simplest structure to offer a reader is subject-verb-object (SVO). Follow this structure whenever possible in comparisons.\\n\\n:::tip USE\\nGroup 1 - Comparative - Group 2. \\n::: \\n\\nMethod A *is faster than* Method B.\\n\\n:::danger don\'t use\\nComparative - Group 1 - Group 2 - Comparative. \\n:::\\n\\n*Compared to* Method B, Method A *is faster*.\\n\\nYou might be thinking: \\n> *But if I was just talking about Method B, then I want to put Method B in the beginning of the sentence, so what is actually wrong with that sentence?* \\n\\nIt is not ideal to break up SVO structure because a verb shows a clear relationship between two nouns: the comparison relationship[^5]. You can put Method B in front **and still keep SVO structure**:\\n\\n> Method B *is slower than* Method A.\\n\\nHere are two more examples that show why you need to keep the comparison relationship together. \\nIn this sentence, I have to read all the way to the end before I find out what the two comparison groups are:\\n<Example>\\n <before>\\n Free light chains have a shorter half-life *(than what?)*, which allows them to more accurately assess immune activation <issue>than serum Igs \\n </issue>.\\n </before>\\n <after>\\n Free light chains have a shorter half-life than serum Igs, which allows them to more accurately assess immune activation.\\n </after>\\n</Example>\\n\\nThis sentence is missing a comparison group:\\n<Example>\\n <before>\\n Serum FLC (\u03ba and/or \u03bb) concentrations are higher <issue>(in what group?)</issue> than in healthy controls.\\n </before>\\n <after>\\n Serum FLC (\u03ba and/or \u03bb) concentrations **are higher in group A than in** healthy controls.\\n </after>\\n</Example>\\n\\nChallenge yourself to write a crystal clear comparison sentence in your next article! Good luck! \\n\\n<br/>\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>
1\\n::: \\n\\n\\n[^1]: Smart, capable (mostly non-native English speaker) academics regularly struggle to make clear comparison sentences. I\'m even talking tenured professors here (!) However, most academics don\'t even realize their comparison is not clear until someone points it out to them. I\'d like to see more results presented unambiguously, hence this post.\\n\\n[^2]: And all its forms: compare, compares, comparison, compared. An added benefit to removing \\"compare\\" is that you no longer have to wonder which preposition to use: \\"compared to?\\" \\"compared with?\\" Who cares? Just use \\"than!\\"\\n\\n[^3]: Sure, in certain cases you can make an exception here, but in the vast majority of cases this rule applies. \\n\\n[^4]: Replace the adjective in italics to fit your relationship.\\n\\n[^5]: Sometimes you will. This is not a hard and fast rule. Most of the time you should try to keep the comparison together."},{"id":"/2023/11/24/academic-writing-improve-three-ways","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/2023/11/24/academic-writing-improve-three-ways","source":"@site/blog/2023-11-24-academic-writing-improve-three-ways/index.md","title":"Three ways to improve your academic writing","description":"Academic writing can be clear and easy to read. Learn three strategies - parallelism, precise verbs, and information flow - to quickly improve your writing.","date":"2023-11-24T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"parallelism","permalink":"/blog/tags/parallelism"},{"inline":true,"label":"given to new","permalink":"/blog/tags/given-to-new"},{"inline":true,"label":"verbs","permalink":"/blog/tags/verbs"}],"readingTime":3.79,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"title":"Three ways to improve your academic writing","description":"Academic writing can be clear and easy to read. Learn three strategies - parallelism, precise verbs, and information flow - to quickly improve your writing.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","parallelism","given to new","verbs"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"How to write a clear comparison sentence","permalink":"/blog/2023/11/28/write-clear-comparison-sentence"},"nextItem":{"title":"The question every academic writer should be asking themselves","permalink":"/blog/academic-writing-ask-this-question"}},"content":"\\n\\nAcademic writing can and should be clear and easy to read.\\n\\nIn my experience, academic writers only need a few strategies to drastically improve the quality of their text. Will you start using these strategies?\\n\\n## Three ways to quickly improve your academic writing\\n\\nLet\'s break the cycle of long, complicated, hard-to-read prose. How do you write about your research clearly? It takes effort and focused attention, but if you understand a few basic ideas, *it does not have to be so hard.* \\n\\n:::info Form matters\\nMost higher education is focused on content, not on form, yet **the form that the content takes** determines its accessibility and its impact.\\n::: \\n\\nTo improve your writing, learn these three strategies first:\\n1. Use [parallelism](/learn/parallelism-writing-clarity) everywhere\\n2. Use precise [verbs](/learn/verbs) instead of [zombie nouns](/learn/zombie-nouns-clear-writing-verbs)\\n3. Use the [(given to new) information flow principle](/learn/given-to-new-linking-sentences)\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n### Strategy 1: Use Parallelism\\nParallelism means consciously giving your sentences the same structure. It is so ingrained in the English language that native speakers use it without thinking. But while parallelism is easy for native speakers of English, it is challenging for non-native speakers.\\n\\nParallelism is absolutely required in lists: \\n> We *administered* 10 mg of this drug intravenously, then *performed* a CT scan 72 hours later. \\n\\n> Having these cultural characteristics means that this group *is* relatively unaccepting of power differences, *values* its individuality and input, and *prefers* to solve conflicts through negotiation and relationship building. \\n\\n> These differences could be due to the *temperature*, *pressure*, or *volume* of the sample. \\n\\nParallelism is absolutely required in contrasts (and can help you cut down on unnecessary words): \\n> To err is human, to forgive divine. [^1] \\n\\n> This measurement increased in group A but remained stable in group B. \\n\\nParallelism can be used in many other places as well, for example, to reduce wordiness or to emphasize ideas. \\n\\n> To improve life here, to extend life there, to find life beyond. [^2]\\n\\n### Strategy 2: Use precise verbs instead of zombie nouns\\nOne of the most important choices you can make is which verb to use. Most academic writing is laden with vague, heavy, jargon-sounding nouns and empty verbs. Change these zombie nouns back into verbs and your writing will spring back to life.\\n\\nHere\'s how:\\n\\n> One study showed an *improvement* in quality of life after *surgical repair* of the injury. \\nIn one study, quality of life **improved** after the injury **was surgically repaired**. \\n\\n> Initial *treatment* for this disease is conservative. \\n**We** initially **treat** this disease conservatively. \\n\\n> *Overflow* of liquids and other substances is less likely to occur. \\nLiquids and other substances **are less likely to overflow.**\\n\\n\\n### Strategy 3: Use the (given to new) information flow principle\\n*What is this?* Most people have never heard of it. Yet, good writers use it all the time. \\n\\n:::tip Information flow\\nReaders expect to see certain kinds of information in certain places in a sentence: familiar information in the beginning and unfamiliar information at the end. \\n::: \\n\\n- Familiar information refers to information that is already in the reader\'s mind. It always goes first: in the [topic position](/learn/topic-position-given-to-new). \\n- Unfamiliar, new information refers to information that the reader has not yet seen. It moves the argument forward. It goes second: in the stress position.\\n\\nLook at every sentence and determine whether the beginning of your sentence contains information that was in the reader\'s mind just before they started that sentence. If not, choose to start with something that *was* in the reader\'s mind and make a new sentence. \\n\\nWhen you first start applying *given to new*, you will notice that your sentences become a bit repetitive. That repetition is a necessary first step to creating a logical order. Once you have applied given to new everywhere, you should be able to look at the sentences again and see where they can be combined and excess wording can be cut. *The final draft will not be as repetitive as the initial draft!*\\n\\nHang in there! It is possible to apply given to new everywhere, consistently. If you stop using it because you can\'t figure out how to do it well, you are doing yourself, your readers, and your students a disservice. \\n\\n## Good luck using parallelism, verbs, and given to new!\\n\\n[^1]: Alexander Pope\\n[^2]: NASA Mission Statement\\n<br/>\\n\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>"},{"id":"academic-writing-ask-this-question","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/academic-writing-ask-this-question","source":"@site/blog/2023-11-01-ask-this-question/index.md","title":"The question every academic writer should be asking themselves","de
1scription":"Want more impact from your research? Shift your focus to your reader and ask one question of every edit: will this make my message easier to understand?","date":"2023-11-01T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"academic writing","permalink":"/blog/tags/academic-writing"},{"inline":true,"label":"reader expectations","permalink":"/blog/tags/reader-expectations"}],"readingTime":2.31,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"slug":"academic-writing-ask-this-question","title":"The question every academic writer should be asking themselves","description":"Want more impact from your research? Shift your focus to your reader and ask one question of every edit: will this make my message easier to understand?","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["academic writing","reader expectations"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"Three ways to improve your academic writing","permalink":"/blog/2023/11/24/academic-writing-improve-three-ways"},"nextItem":{"title":"Welcome to ReallyWrite","permalink":"/blog/welcome"}},"content":"\\n\\n## Make the biggest impact with your research\\n\\nYou\'re deep in your research and you\'re excitedly writing a paper to share all the details with the world. But how can you make the biggest impact?\\n\\nMost of us are so involved in our text that we forget to pay attention to the other player in this game: the reader. We find it hard to stop and think about where our reader is, what our reader is thinking of, and what our reader needs. Instead, we focus on ourselves: \\"What do *I* want to say here?\\" and \\"What do *I* find important?\\" \\n\\n:::info Pitfall\\nIf you are only focused on **yourself**, you will not be seeking to communicate in a way that makes sense to **your reader**.\\n::: \\n\\nMany readers struggle to read academic articles. But you can make a difference by making your article easy to read and thus **increasing its reach.** \\n\\nThere is one basic way to improve your writing skills: *shift your perspective*.\\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\n## Think about your reader.\\n\\nAs writers, you act in service to your reader. You are not the reigning monarch, you are the butler. You, the writer, do all the behind-the-scenes work to make sure your reader has an easy life. You hold the keys to the castle, you organize everything within it and, most importantly, **you offer them what they need when they need it.**\\n\\nSo when revising your text, remember to put your reader front and center and ask yourself this question for every decision that you make: \\n\\n:::tip question\\nWill this change make it easier for my reader to understand my message?\\n::: \\n\\nWhen we are focused in on the details, it\'s easy to forget that this article is not for us, it\'s for others. \\n\\nWhen you get feedback to \\"use more passive voice,\\" ask yourself:\\n:::caution question\\nWill moving to passive voice here make it easier for my reader to understand my message?\\n::: \\n\\nIf the answer is no, reject the suggestion and move on.\\n\\nWhen you get the feedback that you \\"need to use jargon,\\" ask yourself:\\n:::caution question\\nWill using this jargon make it easier for my reader to understand my message?\\n::: \\n\\nIf the answer is no, reject the suggestion and move on.\\n\\nWhen you get told that you should \\"use synonyms to make it less boring,\\" ask yourself:\\n:::caution question\\nWill using different words to mean the same thing make it easier for my reader to understand my message? [^1]\\n::: \\n\\nIf the answer is no, you know what to do!\\n\\n[^1]: The answer is no! Read more about [consistency](/learn/consistency-clear-vocabulary).\\n<br/>\\n\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>\\n:::"},{"id":"welcome","metadata":{"permalink":"/blog/welcome","source":"@site/blog/2023-10-23-welcome/index.md","title":"Welcome to ReallyWrite","description":"Meet ReallyWrite: a free editor and learning platform that gives academics, researchers, and scientists line-by-line feedback to make their writing clearer.","date":"2023-10-23T00:00:00.000Z","tags":[{"inline":true,"label":"welcome","permalink":"/blog/tags/welcome"},{"inline":true,"label":"reallywrite","permalink":"/blog/tags/reallywrite"}],"readingTime":1.44,"hasTruncateMarker":true,"authors":[{"name":"Taylor Krohn","title":"ReallyWrite","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorkrohn/","imageURL":"/img/taylor.jpg","key":"taylor","page":null}],"frontMatter":{"slug":"welcome","title":"Welcome to ReallyWrite","description":"Meet ReallyWrite: a free editor and learning platform that gives academics, researchers, and scientists line-by-line feedback to make their writing clearer.","authors":["taylor"],"tags":["welcome","reallywrite"]},"unlisted":false,"prevItem":{"title":"The question every academic writer should be asking themselves","permalink":"/blog/academic-writing-ask-this-question"}},"content":"\\n\\n## Better academic writing starts here. \\n\\nWe simplify the most relevant ideas about clear writing for academics, researchers, scientists, lawyers, and anyone else!\\n\\nThe [ReallyWrite Editor](/app) is a free editing tool for informative writing. It gives you line-by-line feedback your text based on established writing principles. Just paste a section of text into the app and start revising!\\n\\
1n:::info new to writing?\\nYou may not be familiar with all the principles that ReallyWrite evaluates in your text. Don\'t worry, you\'re in good company! Many people do not write consciously-- they are unaware of the underlying principles that impact clarity.\\n::: \\n\\nIf you don\'t understand the issue that the [ReallyWrite Editor](/) points out, you can just click to the [learn](/learn) page to learn how it works. If you need more explanation, later you\'ll be able to sign up for an extensive online course or schedule a one-on-one feedback session with an experienced writing teacher. \\n\\nThe teachers will not edit your text for you: they will talk you through what is happening in your text so that you understand how to fix it. We want you to learn to do it well yourself -- and to share that information with others!\\n\\nIf we can make this information freely available worldwide, then everyone who aspires to **advance their field by writing about their research clearly** has the support to do so. \\n\\nWe also hope to give you the confidence and courage to dare to write clearly, especially early in your career. \\n\\n\x3c!-- truncate --\x3e\\n\\nFeel free to contact us with feedback! \\n<br/>\\n\\n:::note Interested in more content like this?\\n\\n<a href=\\"https://reallywrite.substack.com/\\" class=\\"button button--lg button--block button--primary\\">Subscribe to our Newsletter</a>"}]}}')}}]);
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