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New Zealand's specialist plain English editors |
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- Think about the audience, purpose and scope of your document.
- Write your thesis in one succinct sentence, post it prominently and refer to it at every stage of the writing process.
- Plan the structure before you start writing.
- Use keyword headings to gather your information.
- Analyse your information for conclusions, recommendations, further steps etc before your start writing.
- Write the biggest section (discussion, issues, argument) first.
- Make each successive section a précis of the one before.
- Write the executive summary or abstract last.
- Focus — avoid physical and mental distractions
- Always reread, redraft and polish.
- Get a colleague to read your work for general sense and accuracy of information.
- Use a language expert to check your language.
- Check spelling — use a dictionary (and directories for names).
- Check the formatting of all text — aim for consistency.
- Ensure that all necessary elements (title, date and authorship details, contents and index, glossary, references, charts, tables, illustrations & captions, headings) are in place.
- Add page numbers last — and check them against contents, index or in-text references.
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| © 2012 Plain English People Ltd |
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+64 9 817 9717 |
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