It’s well known that academic writing must stay focused and that all information included in an essay/thesis should be relevant to the question/topic, but sometimes, that’s easier said than done! So, let’s discuss some strategies that you can use to keep your writing focused and avoid irrelevancies, both when researching and when writing.
Analysing the task
The first step in any academic writing process is analysing the task. What is the purpose of your paper? For instance, do you intend to compare two contrasting theories, to analyse a problem and propose a solution or to describe your experiment’s design and findings? Have you understood the essay question completely? What should be the scope of your response to the task your tutor has set? That is, how much detail do you need to provide and is there a word count limit for the task that will restrict what you can include? Often, excellent academic writing requires a balancing of depth and breadth in response. So, decide on the scope as early as possible (and review and revise if necessary during the researching phase). Consider using a mind map to jot down initial ideas. This analysis of the task should help you narrow your topic and identify both the purpose of your paper and its intended audience.
Planning the task
Perhaps your lecturer has provided you with guidelines or a template to structure your response to the task (e.g. the paper must include an abstract, a literature review, a methods section, etc.), or perhaps you have finalised a structure based on your analysis of the task. Next, to avoid irrelevancies, consider how much weight each section of your response should have. That is, how important is that section in conveying your thesis statement—your argument or viewpoint—or equivalent, depending on the style of writing you are undertaking? You might find it useful to think of this in terms of word count, or lines on a page.
A common mistake many novice researchers make is that they spend a huge chunk of their research time collecting background information (such as for a literature review). Remember that other sections—such as on the methods used and original results or viewpoints, and the related discussion—carry more weight than the background section. Then, you can allocate time efficiently to each section, reduce the overall research time and limit the time you will spend on collecting information that you will have to discard later.
Background information should only act to support your thesis statement; to present an overview of the influential related literature, including on findings or viewpoints that contrast with yours; or to identify a literature gap that your research intends to fill. While you should read extensively to understand your subject area, when you write your paper you need not discuss everything that you have read. In other words, discuss this information if you have used or built on the ideas in those works or if it is directly related to what you have to say and, of course, add the appropriate citations. To avoid unintentional plagiarism, when researching keep notes on sources you intend to use.
Keeping your purpose firmly in mind while writing
Throughout your writing process, ask yourself: Does this point support my thesis statement? If the answer is a clear NO, be ruthless. Delete the point/section (or copy and paste into a separate document, for future use). If unsure, ask yourself: How does this point support my thesis statement? If you cannot answer this question, delete it.
Some complementary questions worth asking: Have I adequately integrated this point into my text? Is it clear what I mean by including this point? Have I included the necessary supporting evidence for my point, or is it too vague/general to be meaningful? Am I relying on my readers to have certain background information, and is it fair to assume they have that background?
Summary
By establishing a clear sense of purpose from the beginning, and by clearly identifying what you should and should not include in your response, you will be able to streamline your researching and writing processes and your writing will reflect your clear focus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I keep my writing focused and how?
The ‘why’: By establishing a clear sense of purpose from the beginning, and by clearly identifying what you should and should not include in your response, you will be able to streamline your researching and writing processes. Maintaining focus will save you considerable time and reflect in your paper as well.
The ‘how’: Follow a 3-step process: (i) Analyse your task, (ii) plan your task and (iii) keep your purpose firmly in mind while writing.
How do I analyse the task?
Analysing the task should help you narrow your topic and identify both the purpose of your paper and its intended audience. Do you intend to compare two contrasting theories, to analyse a problem and propose a solution or to describe your experiment’s design and findings? Is there a word count limit for the task? Often, excellent academic writing requires a balancing of depth and breadth in response.
How do I plan the task?
Has your lecturer provided you with guidelines or a template to structure your response to the task? If not, you can finalise a structure based on Step (i)—your analysis. To avoid irrelevancies, consider how much weight each section of your response should have. That is, how important is that section in conveying your thesis statement—your argument or viewpoint—or equivalent, depending on the style of writing you are undertaking? You might find it useful to think of this in terms of word count, or lines on a page.
What should I do to keeping the purpose in mind while writing?
Throughout your writing process, ask yourself: Does this point support my thesis statement? If the answer is a clear NO, be ruthless. Delete it. If unsure, ask yourself: How does this point support my thesis statement? If you cannot answer this question, delete it.
Some complementary questions: Have I adequately integrated this point into my text? Is it clear what I mean by including this point? Have I included the necessary supporting evidence for my point, or is it too vague/general to be meaningful? Am I relying on my readers to have certain background information, and is it fair to assume they have that background?
Updated 31 January 2023
Ellen McRae, PhD, AE (IPEd), MNZSTI
Senior Managing Editor
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.