8 tricks to slash that word count

Category: Education

The most nerve-wrecking situation when writing an academic paper is to fit into the word count restrictions of your target journal. To a writer, every word on the manuscript is a witness to the seconds or minutes he/she spent to type it in when drafting his/her manuscript. Yet, not every word is necessary to convey information pertaining to your research. Sometimes, we use words that only inflate our sentences and add to our word count. Other times, we are just oblivious to ways Microsoft word counts the words in a document. Therefore, here are a few tricks that most research paper editing services use to cut down your word count for concise writing. Select efficient verbs: Sentences can be easily shortened by using efficient verbs. For example: The blood pressure measurements were made at dawn. Blood pressure was measured at dawn. Remove filler phrases: The empty words in your sentences do nothing but eat up space in your manuscript. So, erase them. For example: We found that, It is, There are, It is known/suggested that We found that neither cohort showed an increase in insulin. Neither cohort showed an increase in insulin. Use abbreviations and acronyms: You need to be slightly cautious when you use this trick. Abbreviations are usually avoided if the original and abbreviated words have not been used more than thrice in the entire text. But, if used correctly, then this trick can miraculously slash down your word count. Reduce redundancy: Using two words that mean exactly the same thing is not only unnecessary but a unwelcomed in academic writing. For example: Fewer in number → Fewer; end result→ result; throughout the entire study → throughout the study; absolutely crucial→ crucial Eliminate unnecessary spaces: Spaces between numbers and degree symbols, percentage sign, non-mathematical (Greek) symbols or within fractions and ranges increase word count. For example: 1 – 3→ 1–3; 59 %→ 59% Avoid repeating units: Avoid repeating the units after every measure unless your target journal instructs you to do so. For example: 12 mL, 13 mL, and 15mL→ 12, 13, and 15 mL; 57%–60% → 57–60% Use parentheses: Putting forth all the additional information in parenthesis is a surprisingly effective way of including additional information without inflating the word count yet not omitting information. For example: MF activation initiates the synthesis of a new collagen-containing matrix, which consist highly hydrated molecules such as proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans. MF activation initiates the synthesis of a new collagen-containing matrix consisting highly hydrated molecules (proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans). Remove wordy transitions: Most wordy transitions at the beginning of your sentence have a more concise alternative to it. For example: In addition → Additionally, Furthermore; In contrast→ Conversely; As a result→ Therefore, Thus