My editing advice column, Ask Dr. Editor, is available through UniversityAffairs.ca. This Ask Dr. Editor explains why starting your sentence with the word “this” can creative unnecessary ambiguity, and provides a straightforward fix: “Simple tricks to add clarity in complex sentences: The criticism that some academic writing can be difficult to read shouldn’t be ignored.”Continue reading “#AskDrEditor: Simple tricks to add clarity in complex sentences”
Author Archives: Letitia Henville
#AskDrEditor: Jargon can make for good academic writing
My editing advice column, Ask Dr. Editor, is available through UniversityAffairs.ca. This Ask Dr. Editor details three types of good and not-so-good jargon, and provides a tool for identifying when to edit–and when not to edit–the jargon in your work: “Jargon can make for good academic writing: The use of jargon can be effective inContinue reading “#AskDrEditor: Jargon can make for good academic writing”
#AskDrEditor: Reducing the weight of your words
My editing advice column, Ask Dr. Editor, is now available through UniversityAffairs.ca. This Ask Dr. Editor explains why you don’t want more than six words in between the main subject and verb of your sentence, and how to integrated plain language writing strategies into your work: “Reducing the weight of your words: How to lightenContinue reading “#AskDrEditor: Reducing the weight of your words”
#AskDrEditor: How to revise and resubmit without despair
My editing advice column, Ask Dr. Editor, is now available through UniversityAffairs.ca. This Ask Dr. Editor provides a six-step process for addressing seemingly impossible demands from peer reviewers: “How to revise and resubmit without despair: A six-step approach for doing the (seemingly) impossible task of applying reviewer feedback to your journal article.” Have a questionContinue reading “#AskDrEditor: How to revise and resubmit without despair”
#AskDrEditor: Three ways to use colour effectively in grant applications
My editing advice column, Ask Dr. Editor, is now available through UniversityAffairs.ca. This Ask Dr. Editor provides three strategies for choosing clear, legible colours in your next grant app: “Three ways to use colour effectively in grant applications: Ineffective colour can make an otherwise compelling image incomprehensible.” Have a question you want me to answer?Continue reading “#AskDrEditor: Three ways to use colour effectively in grant applications”
#AskDrEditor: The Politics of Pronouns
My editing advice column, Ask Dr. Editor, is now available through UniversityAffairs.ca. This Ask Dr. Editor column describes the political significance of the non-specific pronouns “he,” “she,” and “they”: “The politics of pronouns: The singular “they” and your power to choose as an academic writer.” Have a question you want me to answer? Contact me!
#AskDrEditor: How, when and why to use readability formulas to improve your academic writing
My editing advice column, Ask Dr. Editor, is now available through UniversityAffairs.ca. This Ask Dr. Editor column describes how readability formulas work, and the few academic contexts in which readability formulas are helpful and appropriate: “How, when and why to use readability formulas to improve your academic writing There are many tools that measure readabilityContinue reading “#AskDrEditor: How, when and why to use readability formulas to improve your academic writing”
#AskDrEditor: Integrating non-English words into academic writing
My editing advice column, Ask Dr. Editor, is now available through UniversityAffairs.ca. This Ask Dr. Editor column goes against my usual advice to keep it simple in favour of politicizing your text and risking making some of your readers a little uncomfortable: “Integrating non-English words into academic writing: The political and persuasive significance of beingContinue reading “#AskDrEditor: Integrating non-English words into academic writing”