Good writing requires a firm grasp of aesthetic theory and art content. Essays should have correct grammar and works cited. They should also have a beginning (intro), body, and conclusion.
Good academic business writing is similar to good writing in other academic disciplines. Academic business writing should state research problems, hypotheses, variables, and results like all good scientific writing. Proper grammar, spelling, and sentence structures must be used.
When communicating within a business to colleagues or customers, good business writing contains the following features:
The passive voice is preferred for describing negative events.
Incorrect: "You left the product out in the rain, which ruined the product."
Correct: "The product may not work correctly if it is exposed to water."
Incorrect: "You did not properly assemble the product."
Correct: "Malfunctions may occur if the handbook is not followed."
What's required is clarity of thought and efficiency of words. The best writing is succinct, direct; addressing the issue at hand without resorting to populist rhetoric which is unfortunately all too common in a subject about which everyone has an opinion; macroeconomics in any case. Good economic writing focuses on the positive and touches the normative after fully analyzing the factual context of an issue. Wonderfully complete subjective examinations in economics can be as parsimonious as essays in theoretical mathematics; a doctoral dissertation in twenty pages including references. Good writers never burden their subject with froth; never lay siege when stepping up to the front door and knocking is the path to truth; excuse the labored metaphor.
Definitions of good writing--good writing is unified, coherent, and well developed, for instance--focus upon the end product of writing at the expense of the process that creates it. In order to create and foster good writing in any discipline, we must pay attention to the process, as well as the product. The process of good writing includes significant revision of at least two types: global and local. In global revision, the writer asks herself if she has done everything that she could to persuade the audience to identify with her message. Issues such as logic and organization of the whole draft come up at this stage of revision. In local revision, the writer focuses upon the individual paragraphs and sentences within her draft to determine how well each relates to the overall purpose of the writing task. Issues such as transition between paragraphs and sentences, and organization within paragraphs come up in this phase of revision. Even experienced writers benefit from receiving feedback from peers and mentors during revision, and all writers need to leave themselves sufficient time to proofread carefully for grammatical and mechanical precision before meeting their deadlines. There are a fortunate few for whom the process goes smoothly and quickly; good writing springs fully formed from their heads like Athena from the head of Zeus. Unfortunately, for most of us good writing results from a laborious process of drafting and revision that ends only when the "final" draft is forced out of our hands on a due date.
Good writing must attend to purpose-that's not the same as topic. The purpose of the paper is what the writer teaches the reader that they don't already know. In almost every case good writing must allow ownership of the ideas-that means that a student must have some tie to the topic that allows them to interpret outside information in light of their experience in the topic. Otherwise students have no choice but to gobble up information from outside sources and throw it back up on the page when they approach assignment deadlines.
Good writing must address audience, and audience must be more than the teacher. If a student sees herself writing to just one person, why will she take the time to revisit ideas, revise and incorporate additional support, edit for style, and proofread for small grammatical and punctuation errors? The truth is that no one has the time to devote hours on a paper that is only written for one reader. The student who cares about her writing will write for the teacher first, but envision a wider audience, one that might be interested outside the classroom setting.
Good writing is not dependent upon length. An essay is not five paragraphs strung together with firsts, seconds, thirds, and finallys. Good writing cannot be shoved into a formulaic pattern. The message must dictate the form, not the other way around.
Finally, a writer must care about what he is writing. He must want to teach the reader. He must go into the process realizing that he does not have all the answers, so he must first write to discover answers and then seek to share his discoveries with readers of his work.
In exercise science and health education, we typically ask our students to do short research papers based on empirical data, so of course we want papers that are thorough, informative, and organized in thought. Our students' papers are also required to be structured using APA format with a general title, brief overview and introductory paragraph, several paragraphs in the body, and a separate paragraph of summary and conclusions. Proper grammar, spelling, and correct punctuation are crucial. Also crucial is that students be able to read and interpret research studies and write about those studies IN THEIR OWN WORDS. We often ask the students to write research article abstracts as a method of developing these skills.
Before you can write intelligibly or creatively about a topic, you must understand the topic. Political science classes are typically reading and writing intensive. Since most of the writing you will be asked to do in political science classes will be about something you have read, it is essential that you read carefully, actively, and critically.
It would be good practice to take the time to summarize what you have read, reflect upon it, and synthesize it with other reading you have done, before attempting to write about it. Good writing in political science requires, above all else, good thinking. Before beginning the paper, you should outline your major points. Political science papers should be tightly written, seamlessly transitioning from point to point, without too much repetition. Try to be as objective as possible, as too obvious a bias or ignoring a well-recognized alternative view will diminish the strength of your arguments and conclusion. Alternative perspectives or arguments should be recognized and, perhaps, skillfully refuted.
The introduction of your paper should include a clearly stated thesis or hypothesis, and perhaps a purpose or plan for the paper, with the body of the paper organized to defend the thesis. The body of a research paper should include a review of the relevant literature, a methods and data section, and results. The body of an essay should be organized to defend the thesis point by point. Be as complete in your defense as possible, as omitting too obvious of a point reduces the credibility of your thesis. The paper should conclude with a carefully worded conclusion, perhaps a restatement of the thesis, and a well-worded concluding statement.
Citation of sources with a properly formatted list of references or bibliography is critical to good writing in political science. Political scientists typically follow the style manual of the American Political Science Association (APSA).
Good writing in psychology is descriptive yet concise, avoiding unnecessary embellishments without sacrificing detail. Most frequently, the purpose of such writing is to report either the results of research experiments or clinical observations and/or testing. With the former, a key goal is to describe the procedures used in the experiment in sufficient detail that the reader could replicate the experiment based on the information provided. With the latter, description of the subject's behavior and/or test performance, in clear and objective language, is critical.
Incorrect: The participants completed three questionnaires.
Correct: The participants completed questionnaires that assessed their depressive symptoms, participation in pleasant activities, and social support.
Incorrect: The child had strange facial features.
Correct: The child had wide-set eyes, small and low-set ears, and a smooth philtrum.
In all situations, verbs and pronouns are rarely in the first person, and the third person is heavily used. Sometimes, writing must use the passive voice to accommodate that restriction. Having to use third person and/or passive voice can make the writing seem awkward and stiff, but these are the rules.
Incorrect: We observed the participants for an hour.
Correct:The experimenters observed the participants for an hour.
Correct: The participants were observed for an hour.
Incorrect: During testing, the child threw the materials at me.
Correct: During testing, the child threw the materials at the examiner.
Good writing in psychology also tries to avoid labeling and bias.
Incorrect: Group homes commonly house the mentally retarded.
Correct: People with mental retardation often live in group homes.
Incorrect: Busy psychologists sometimes neglect their wives and children.
Correct: Busy psychologists sometimes neglect their spouses and children.
Even better: Busy psychologists sometimes neglect their families.
Incorrect: The participants were adults suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Correct: The participants were adults with Alzheimer's disease.
Correct: All of the participants had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
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