In high school, we would be penalised if we went more than 10% over or under the word limit given for a writing assignment. A similar rule was in place when I went to university.
As a student, the word limit is seen as a target to aim for because it means we can finish the assignment quicker … even if we really don’t need quite so many words to make our argument.
With this type of guidance, is it any wonder that a lot of researchers and academics often develop the habit of using five words (or more) when two will suffice?
The problem when it comes to writing a grant proposal, though, is twofold.
First, applicants are often up against tight word or page limits. Using extra words eats into space that could better be used to include more relevant information or clarify the project.
Second, unnecessary words can lead to convoluted sentences. Convoluted sentences are hard for reviewers to navigate, and part of the applicant’s job in writing a proposal is to avoid making the reviewers grumpy.
What this all boils down to is that it’s best to choose brevity over verbosity. Wordiness gets in the way of your ideas.
There are a few ways to do this when you’re editing a draft of a grant proposal or paper.
1️⃣ AVOID FILLER PHRASES: There are a number of filler phrases that can often be deleted without losing the intended meaning of a sentence. One such phrase? A number of.
For example: This project will benefit a number of different research areas, including but not limited to A, B, C, and others.
But it could easily be written to reduce words and make it more straightforward for the reader: This project benefits research areas such as A, B, and C.
2️⃣ LOOK AT YOUR PHRASING: Can it be made more concise in any way? The best way to illustrate this is with a real example I spotted during my days as an editor:
This project seeks to give clarity to … (7 words)
vs.
This project clarifies … (3 words)
The former not only takes up space, but it uses weasel words in an attempt to avoid directly saying what the project will do.
3️⃣ GAMIFY YOUR EDITING: Can you make a game of editing by trying to reduce the word count of each paragraph or section by 5-10%? The more you practice cutting words, the easier it will get over time.
There is a slight caveat: it’s not always about cutting things out. There will be times when you have to use a few more words to be crystal clear. You must use your best judgement as to what will help the reader understand your project.
See the other posts in the ACEing Academia series: