❏ Be Accurate
Science is a precise discipline. Your descriptions or results may be used by others who need to know they are reliable.
❏ Be Brief
Use only as many words as you need – remove or replace words that are repeated or do not add anything useful.
❏ Be Clear
You will not be there to explain to the reader what you mean. If you have to read a sentence again in order to understand it, rewrite it. Better still, give your work to others to read to see if it makes sense to them.
Be concise
❏ This keeps your writing from being swamped with unnecessary words.
❏ Make your writing clear and therefore easy to follow.
❏ All journals have strict word limits!