This next common error is so prevalent in academic writing that I want to mention it in the very first sentence: avoid creating a wall of text. What is a wall of text you ask? This is when an author just keeps adding to a paragraph and, as a reader,
I think there tends to be a preconception in academia that complex ideas can only be communicated with complex language. That just isn’t the case. However, being able to explain complex ideas simply and succinctly often takes more time and thought to get right. Throw in the Curse of Knowledge,
I kicked off the ACEing Academia series with the Curse of Knowledge because this one error is the foundation of many other mistakes in grant writing, and it should be avoided at all costs. Which brings me to this content-related tip: You must clearly address the funder’s assessment criteria in
Please note: The ACEing Academia series was originally published on LinkedIn. Each category was represented by a suite from playing cards to reflect the “ACEing” theme, and each week ends with a brief review. Avoiding common errors in written communication is one of the simplest ways to boost the competitiveness
During the first lockdown, I started playing around with Duolingo. I found it a helpful way to brush up on my Spanish, while also dabbling in Japanese, Korean, and Welsh. The takeaway from this? Learning another language is blooming difficult. This is why I am in awe of anyone who
This probably seems obvious, but I feel the need to state it anyway: structure is a vital part of any writing you do. The entire document should have a structure that allows the reader to follow along from the introduction to the conclusion, with each section building on the one
The ACE in ACEingAcademia? It stands for Avoiding Common Errors. In the case of this current series, specifically errors in communication that can negatively impact the competitiveness of a grant proposal. The next tip might seem like a small thing, but it affects the clarity of a proposal (or paper).
The common errors I’ll be sharing as part of the ACEingAcademia series are grouped by topic—Content, Clarity, Structure, Style—but they’re not provided in any particular order. Life is too short to attempt to quantify the most common mistakes made in academic writing. Except for this one. I would be remiss
When it comes to writing a competitive grant proposal, it’s less about knowing the “right” way to do things and more about avoiding common errors. Why? Because there are many different ways to be “right”. What works perfectly well for Project X is probably going to be less appropriate for