In a previous post, we covered some of the common problems we support postgrad qualitative students with, to help you to tighten up your writing. In this post, we’re covering a few more.
1. Overuse of conjunctive adverbs
Conjunctive adverbs are words or short phrases used to transition from one clause to another. You’ve used them all your life, and you might not have known they had a term – words like “however”, “moreover”, “in conclusion” and “additionally” are all conjunctive adverbs, and can be useful for creating narrative direction or emphasis. However, over-use can make your writing clunky, cluttered and overly formal. Moreover, starting every sentence with a conjunctive adverb can be a jarring reading experience, detracting from the content of your writing.
Take those two previous sentences as an example; arguably (there’s another one), the “however” is a useful signifier of a change in direction (from the “usefulness of conjunctive adverbs” to “writer beware”). The following sentence didn’t need to start with “moreover” – it stands up fine on its own. I could have started the sentence before this one with another conjunctive adverb, such as “Arguably, the following sentence…”, but did it need it? Arguably, it didn’t. Next time you review your writing, try highlighting every time you use a conjunctive adverb – can some of them bear pruning?
Conjucntive adverbs can be useful linking devices but use them sparingly!
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2. Badly positioned ordinal and sequencing adverbs
In academic writing, we often use ordinal or sequencing adverbs to structure points in our argument – firstly, secondly, lastly, finally. They can help your reader to identify discrete points within a broader claim, or guide them through the order of your ideas. But use them wisely!
- If you’re going to use ordinal adverbs, use them clearly and consistently – for example, if you tell your reader that there are three main criticisms of a theory, don’t start with “firstly” and then fail to indicate “secondly” and “thirdly”, as they may not be able to clearly identify where one criticism ends and another begins.
- If you start a clause with “finally” or “lastly”, it really should be the final or last clause of that argument – don’t use “finally” in the middle of a paragraph and then go on to make several other points related to the argument.
3. Making analytical claims that aren’t properly supported by data
A common refrain from markers and reviewers everywhere is “citation needed”, usually referring to claims made that aren’t supported by published peer-reviewed literature. If you’re a qualitative researcher, you also need to ensure that analytical claims are clearly supported by your data. When you make statements about the phenomenon you’re researching, is it evidenced in the data you’re presenting, or does it just “feel right”? Make sure that your reader can follow your reasoning by presenting relevant quotations from your participants and explaining your analytic process.
4. Hedging
In writing, “hedging” is using language that indicates uncertainty. You might be familiar with the term “hedging your bets”, to protect yourself from potential losses by placing bets on multiple possible outcomes.
Sometimes, hedging can be appropriate, such as when you are exploring multiple possible interpretations of findings (e.g., “this may indicate…”). However, don’t hedge everything – overuse of hedging can make your writing less direct or certain, and this isn’t appropriate when you are stating things that are certain or unambiguous.
For example, instead of writing “In this chapter, I hope to demonstrate…”, simply state “In this chapter, I will demonstrate…” – not only will this make you sound less apologetic, but it also improves clarity and conciseness, reducing the burden on your reader (who otherwise has to cut through the waffles of mights and maybes!)
Don’t let your reader get lost in the hedge maze
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5. Using too many summaries and repetition
Clear metalinguistics – explaining “this is what I’m going to cover” and “in summary, this is what I’ve covered” – can be useful to guide your reader through your writing, but don’t overdo it. If you have just explained something in good detail, don’t start the subsequent subsection with a summary of what you’ve just covered. Not only is this repetitive, but the extra clutter it creates potentially makes it harder for your reader to follow the narrative thread of your writing.
Need help pruning your hedging or ordering your adverbs? We can help you to make your writing shine – just contact us via the box below!
