Wordiness in Academic Papers

Introduction

The roaring word that describes the intentional use of abstract wording and long, convoluted sentences in texts or speeches is logorrhea. George Orwell brilliantly satirized logorrhea in political discourse with this example:

“Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.”

Sometimes, logorrhea aims to confuse readers. But often, it signals an author’s poor vocabulary or writing skills. Academic writers, who provide essay writing service, admit that it is a common sin of college students who come to them for help with essays:

What is Wordiness in Academic Papers?

Wordiness happens when writers overload sentences with unnecessary words, redundant phrases, or excessive clauses. Many hesitant writers believe this verbosity makes them sound more intelligent or competent. The harsh truth? It shatters all their efforts and turns their writing into confusing balderdash.

This article will guide you on how to prevent wordiness in your academic writing and make your papers clearer and stronger.

Quick Tips to Avoid Wordiness in Academic Papers

TIP	DESCRIPTION
Use clear language	Avoid vague, abstract phrases and overused truisms. Be specific and straightforward. For example, write “few” instead of “a small number of.”
Use concise sentences	Shorter sentences sound more confident and are easier to read. Break long, complex sentences into manageable chunks, but maintain a natural flow and rhythm.
Say no to passive voice	Active voice makes your writing more direct and impactful. Instead of “The experiment was conducted by the team,” say “The team conducted the experiment.”
Use strong verbs	Replace weak phrases with direct verbs. For example, say “investigated” instead of “conducted an investigation.” Look out for padded verbs and simplify: write “expect” instead of “have an expectation” and “decide” instead of “make a decision.”
Avoid jargon and cliches	Use plain language that everyone can understand. Define technical terms when necessary and steer clear of tired, overused phrases. Strive for originality in your expressions.
Eliminate unnecessary words and Formulaic Phrases	Replace verbosity with concise alternatives: Write “because” instead of “due to the fact that,” say “now” instead of “at the present time,” etc. Why write “for the purpose of” instead of “to” or say “with regard to” instead of “about”? They are vague and hard to read through the text.
Omit intensifiers and unnecessary modifiers	Words like “very,” “extremely,” “really,” “absolutely,” “definitely,” “a considerable amount of,” “to a certain extent,” etc., bring no meaning to your message. Aim for stronger words or give details to readers: Say “significant” instead of “very important;” When you write “a considerable amount,” how many do you mean? Give facts, numbers, and specifics, not abstractions. Write “essential” instead of “absolutely essential;” say “furious,” not “extremely angry;” consider “vital” or “important” instead of “vitally important.”
Remove synonyms	Check your sentences for words with the same meaning. Writers often add them for better rhythm, but such words don’t add meaningful context to the message. For example: “People share their views, opinions, and thoughts on social media.” Three words are synonyms here, so you can remove two without compromising the meaning. Let it be “People share their views on social media.”
Look for expletives	“Like,” “you know,” “it is a fact that,” “indeed,” and “there are” are examples of grammatical expletives writers use to emphasize the subject of the sentence. Experts also call them “empty words” because they add no meaning to a sentence. Using phrases like “there are” often weakens your writing and suggests a lack of confidence or clarity. Instead of saying, “There are many studies that have shown,” simply say, “Many studies have shown.” Don’t you agree that this sounds stronger and more direct?
Eliminate filler words	Phrases like “needless to say” or “some experts commonly believe” are often unnecessary. Who are “some experts,” and what does “commonly” add? Be specific and replace generic info with clear facts.
Minimize transitions	Transitional words and phrases bring a logical flow between sentences and paragraphs in academic papers. However, you can use shorter connections (“and” instead of “furthermore” or “hence” instead of “taking everything into account,” for example) and omit to place them in every second sentence.
Avoid redundant pairs and doubling of words	Choose one word when you see that two words imply the same thing. Examples of redundant pairs are “each and every,” “basic and fundamental,” and “whether or not.” Examples of doubling: “future prospects,” “mutual agreement,” “reconsider again,” and “consensus of opinion.”
Avoid the overuse of relative structures (“who,” “that,” “which,” etc.)	Omit them whenever possible. For example, write “Aristotle said…” instead of “It was Aristotle who said.” Or, say “the novel Ulysses,” not “the novel, which is entitled ‘Ulysses.”

How to Make a Paper Longer to Reach a Word Count

You have trimmed all the unnecessary words from your essay, but now there is a new problem: your paper does not meet the required word count! Do not worry—there are plenty of effective and “legal” ways to lengthen your text without sacrificing quality or clarity. Try these proven strategies:

1. Add more evidence: Examine more resources on your topic to get extra arguments or counterarguments for your work and include them in the paragraphs.
2. Use quotes: What do experts say on your topic? Add their quotations as supporting elements whenever appropriate. You can add one as a hook to start your paper, but choose a saying that will surprise the audience and encourage them to keep reading.
3. Add more examples: Strengthen your arguments by backing them up with detailed examples. Concrete illustrations make your claims more convincing and relatable.
4. Use descriptive language: Especially useful for personal or narrative essays—sprinkle in vivid adjectives, strong adverbs, and sensory details. Employ literary devices like metaphors, analogies, or contrasts to paint a more compelling picture.
5. Revise your introduction and conclusion: After completing your draft, revisit your opening and closing paragraphs. Maybe you missed a compelling hook, a clear thesis statement, or a thorough summary of your main points—adding these can boost your word count and improve your paper’s impact.
6. Avoid abbreviations: Here is a neat trick: spell out acronyms fully instead of using abbreviations. For example, write “American Center for Psychiatry and Neurology” instead of “ACPN.” This simple switch can add valuable words to your essay—every little bit helps!
7. Spell out numbers: Numbers and statistics are essential in academic writing. When formatting allows, write out numbers in words (e.g., “two hundred and twenty-five” instead of “225”) and use “percent” instead of the “%” symbol. Always double-check your style guide to be sure.

Final Thoughts

By mastering these tips, you can avoid wordiness in academic papers and produce writing that is clear, concise, and persuasive. Focus on the quality of your arguments and the clarity of your presentation, not on padding your paper with empty words. This approach will help you earn higher grades and build stronger writing skills.

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