Editing and Proofreading

Reducing your word count

1. Focus your key ideas

Most essays will only need to focus on 3-5 key points, ideas or perspectives from the literature. The quickest way to cut down your word count is to decide which of your key paragraphs are repeating or consolidating a previous idea without offering any new evidence or critical discussion. Cut (Ctrl+X) these 'padding' paragraphs and paste them into a new document to keep them safe. Then go back to your draft and check that your ideas flow and your paragraphs link clearly together.

2. Refine your introduction

It is often easy to include too much information in the introduction, but it should be no more than 10% of your overall word count. Ask yourself, how much background information does the reader need to know? For example, if you had been asked to "Critically reflect on how universities might work to decolonise the curriculum", it would not be relevant to give background information on how the curriculum has developed over the last 200 years up until present day, or to offer multiple definitions on what the curriculum is. Instead, you might give a key quote showing that this is a contemporary issue, or give a brief explanation of what it means to 'decolonise the curriculum'.

The introduction functions primarily as a road map that tells the reader what to expect from the essay, and should not be used to discuss detail on any key topics or examples.

3. Quality over quantity

Think about your evidence as offering quality over quantity. Include the sources that contribute most to your argument or offer an interesting perspective from the literature. The focus of your paragraphs should be on offering critical analysis and evaluation in your own words, rather than referring to a large number of sources.

4. Cut unnecessary adjectives

Look out for double adjectives – these are often a feature of creative or descriptive writing but are unnecessary in academic writing:

• One of the most significant and impactful changes in modern cinema has been the introduction of 3D technologies.

• This policy has serious and wide-reaching implications for mature students applying for university.

• Effective communication and productive conversations are an important and essential aspect of working in a team.

5. Replace verb phrases with nouns

Look for verb phrases that can be replaced with a noun:

• Verb phrase: Communicating with others in a timely and efficient manner… (9 words)
   
• Noun phrase: Effective communication… (2 words)
   
• Verb phrase: A search of the literature databases was carried out and any papers published more than five years ago were not included as these are not relevant to the current setting. The search also filtered out papers not written in English for the researcher’s understanding. (44 words)
   
• Noun phrase: Inclusion criteria for publication date and language ensured the literature search returned relevant papers. (14 words)