Guidelines

Credibility and Clarity

All rules about writing are rules of thumb; every rule about writing can be broken, provided that you know what you are trying to achieve by breaking it. What the rules are all about, though, is assuring that the text you write is one that your intended public can easily follow and that they have reason to believe in. If you are writing science fiction your readers won't necessarily believe in the possibility of faster-than-light travel but they should find the characters' actions credible. When you are writing a report of your chemistry research, you want your audience to be able to follow you through the tests and calculations. The trick with writing is anticipating the wants and needs of the intended audience and then providing them, keeping in mind that they can, and will, lay the text aside, unless their curiosity has been sufficiently enticed.

Clarity

The kind of language you use lays down certain borders as pertaining to the clarity of the text you are writing. In short, use language appropriate to the subject and to the intended audience. Delving deeply into Einstein's theory of special relativity when you are analyzing a poem for a Literature class might impress your teacher but is more likely to lower your grade because it was annoying. In sentences, as in paragraphs, put together what belongs together, avoid confusing your reader by using overly complicated sentence structures. Use terminology when necessary, but keep it to a practical minimum.
Assure yourself that you know the correct meaning, both explicit and implicit, of words you use; if you happen to write about primates, refresh your memory on the precise difference between apes and monkeys. Approach complex problems by analyzing their component parts in a logical order. When possible, use examples to illustrate your point and thus prevent yourself from falling into generalizations.

Credibility

Assuming that you want people to read what you write, clear writing alone isn't going to be enough. When your argument contains fallacies or when you confuse opinions with facts, your audience will notice and will doubt your knowledge. When writing an essay, be critical, both of your sources and of your reasoning. If you mean to convince someone of your point of view, use sound reasoning and sensible language, raving and ranting will more likely convince your readers that you're a madman and an overabundance of colloquialisms that you're no more than an uninformed country bumpkin.
Be sure to throw some light on possible counterclaims, and to discuss why they are meritable or, more likely, deceptive. Giving all parties some time to speak assures your audience that you are familiar with the opposition's standpoint, due to careful research. Outscoring your opposition works better than ignoring them. In your argument, take care to avoid fallacious reasoning, using words like 'we', or, 'everybody', will make your reader wonder how you came by this knowledge, can you prove that 'everybody' agrees with what you are positing? Probably not.



	Guidelines Credibility and Clarity All rules about writing are rules of thumb; every rule about writing can be broken, provided that you know what you are trying to achieve by breaking it. What the rules are all about, though, is assuring that the text you write is one that your intended public can easily follow and that they have reason to believe in. If you are writing science fiction your readers won't necessarily believe in the possibility of faster-than-light travel but they should find the characters' actions credible. When you are writing a report of your chemistry research, you want your audience to be able to follow you through the tests and calculations. The trick with writing is anticipating the wants and needs of the intended audience and then providing them, keeping in mind that they can, and will, lay the text aside, unless their curiosity has been sufficiently enticed. Clarity The kind of language you use lays down certain borders as pertaining to the clarity of the text you are writing. In short, use language appropriate to the subject and to the intended audience. Delving deeply into Einstein's theory of special relativity when you are analyzing a poem for a Literature class might impress your teacher but is more likely to lower your grade because it was annoying. In sentences, as in paragraphs, put together what belongs together, avoid confusing your reader by using overly complicated sentence structures. Use terminology when necessary, but keep it to a practical minimum. Assure yourself that you know the correct meaning, both explicit and implicit, of words you use; if you happen to write about primates, refresh your memory on the precise difference between apes and monkeys. Approach complex problems by analyzing their component parts in a logical order. When possible, use examples to illustrate your point and thus prevent yourself from falling into generalizations. Credibility Assuming that you want people to read what you write, clear writing alone isn't going to be enough. When your argument contains fallacies or when you confuse opinions with facts, your audience will notice and will doubt your knowledge. When writing an essay, be critical, both of your sources and of your reasoning. If you mean to convince someone of your point of view, use sound reasoning and sensible language, raving and ranting will more likely convince your readers that you're a madman and an overabundance of colloquialisms that you're no more than an uninformed country bumpkin. Be sure to throw some light on possible counterclaims, and to discuss why they are meritable or, more likely, deceptive. Giving all parties some time to speak assures your audience that you are familiar with the opposition's standpoint, due to careful research. Outscoring your opposition works better than ignoring them. In your argument, take care to avoid fallacious reasoning, using words like 'we', or, 'everybody', will make your reader wonder how you came by this knowledge, can you prove that 'everybody' agrees with what you are positing? Probably not.