As deadlines approach and you begin making the final adjustments to your paper, one very crucial element to bear in mind is the word limit. Although no specified figure is given for very large pieces of work, most undergraduate and graduate theses have a strict word limit.
The word limit is set for a reason: to demonstrate that you are capable of undertaking a substantial piece of work but also that you are able to be concise and focussed upon the question in hand. Coming in under the word limit implies that you have not undertaken enough research to answer your question fully, but coming in over it is equally damaging and implies you lack discipline.
In some institutions and universities you are given leeway of 10% both over and under the specified word limit but in others the person grading your work will simply stop reading once they reach the end of the word limit, making a high mark unlikely. In some cases you might be severely penalised for exceeding the word limit. It is very important that you check your university’s stance on this!
Planning
The best way to ensure you finish on or as close as possible to the word limit is by planning ahead. Before you begin writing, divide each section of your essay into a rough number of paragraphs or sections. You will then be able to work out roughly how many words each section should contain.
Planning ahead like this and restricting yourself to a certain number of words per section means that you won’t get into a ‘word deficit’ before the end of your paper!
Some Editing Tips
Often, despite our best planning efforts, we exceed the word limit. There are a few simple, practical things you can do to cut down on words:
- Long quotations can be cut down by the use of the ellipsis, which omits irrelevant clauses.
-Lists of adjectives can be cut down. Multiple synonyms are unnecessary.
- Check that you haven’t stated the obvious. Commonly used terms or well-known concepts do not need to be explained in detail!
-Cut surplus articles like ‘the’ or ‘a’ where they are unnecessary.
-Refer to your style guide to check whether you are allowed to abbreviate source titles after their first mention.
Finally, give yourself enough time to leave your work and come back to it the following day. Taking a break allows you to return to the editing process with fresh eyes and notice mistakes which you might otherwise have missed.
If you would like some more guidance and advice with your academic writing, or if you have finished your paper and would like to have it checked, get in touch with the professionals at Proofread My Document today!
The word limit is set for a reason: to demonstrate that you are capable of undertaking a substantial piece of work but also that you are able to be concise and focussed upon the question in hand. Coming in under the word limit implies that you have not undertaken enough research to answer your question fully, but coming in over it is equally damaging and implies you lack discipline.
In some institutions and universities you are given leeway of 10% both over and under the specified word limit but in others the person grading your work will simply stop reading once they reach the end of the word limit, making a high mark unlikely. In some cases you might be severely penalised for exceeding the word limit. It is very important that you check your university’s stance on this!
Planning
The best way to ensure you finish on or as close as possible to the word limit is by planning ahead. Before you begin writing, divide each section of your essay into a rough number of paragraphs or sections. You will then be able to work out roughly how many words each section should contain.
Planning ahead like this and restricting yourself to a certain number of words per section means that you won’t get into a ‘word deficit’ before the end of your paper!
Some Editing Tips
Often, despite our best planning efforts, we exceed the word limit. There are a few simple, practical things you can do to cut down on words:
- Long quotations can be cut down by the use of the ellipsis, which omits irrelevant clauses.
-Lists of adjectives can be cut down. Multiple synonyms are unnecessary.
- Check that you haven’t stated the obvious. Commonly used terms or well-known concepts do not need to be explained in detail!
-Cut surplus articles like ‘the’ or ‘a’ where they are unnecessary.
-Refer to your style guide to check whether you are allowed to abbreviate source titles after their first mention.
Finally, give yourself enough time to leave your work and come back to it the following day. Taking a break allows you to return to the editing process with fresh eyes and notice mistakes which you might otherwise have missed.
If you would like some more guidance and advice with your academic writing, or if you have finished your paper and would like to have it checked, get in touch with the professionals at Proofread My Document today!