Writing for ResearchOxywelder. (Image: Patrick White and his cat, The Telegraph by ROSS)
more like feather-stitching, when I have to adjust very fine details. But more like earth-
moving, when I have to move or delete whole chunks of text.
Either way I have learnt to be ruthless. It’s a basic mistake to fall in love with your own
text. In a journal article, where space is cramped, this is especially so. You must be
willing to rephrase, redraft, cut, condense, and cut again.
Admittedly this can feel like cutting your own legs off. In qualitative social research,
every researcher has a stack of wonderful quotes; in quantitative studies, every
researcher has many fascinating tables. Theorists have brilliant insights, fieldworkers
have splendid specimens. And dammit, most of them have to be thrown out!
The secret, when revising, is to look at the text through other people’s eyes. Above all,
put yourself in the position of your intended reader. [Sociologist alert: yes, this is Taking
the Attitude of the Other.] Ask what she really needs to know. Ask how much time she
has to spend on your work.
In short, revise for accuracy; for pithiness; for sufficiency; for clarity.