The difference between an article that has been written with excellent research and checks and an article that has not been given enough attention, lies in the details.
An example:
- Many people in the world are enrolled in our program.
- 20,000 people from all around the world are enrolled in our program.
A quick read is enough to list down the differences in these 2 sentences.
Sentence 1 does not specify any numbers.
- It is a statement which gives some information, but not enough for any thought to be formed.
- It is not clear in terms of what can be done with it.
Sentence 2 mentions a count of the enrolled people.
- It provides information based on which a next action can be defined.
- It is clear.
To conduct a research on a topic does not mean just a Google search result.
It involves:
- Deep diving to unearth different aspects
- Finding different viewpoints which then exposes the reader to a wider perspective
It includes fishing out:
- Details, theories, numbers to justify it’s validity/importance/ effectiveness
- Implementations and implications which give the reader enough information:
- To form an opinion
- To feel informed
- That answers questions
- That provides insights
A well researched article will cover all this whereas a partly researched article will leave the reader confused. The reader will be unsure of the information and about it’s validity.
A confused reader will have to look for more write ups to form a confident opinion and spend additional effort to find complete information.
Good writers will :
- Determine clearly the purpose and intended use of the write up
- Understand the target audience and their expectations
- Proof read articles to ensure they are error free (not just grammatically, but also for the data shared)
- Include in easy to read bullet points the main and most important take aways
- Include all necessary details which answer the questions the target audience will want answered
- Exclude all the extra details, which might be related to the topic, but aren’t contributing positively to the purpose of the document
- Ensure layout, font style and size, colours, headings conform to the style guide
More the research that went behind an article, more will be it’s information potential.
It doesn’t matter if you are writing for a technical or a non-technical audience, on a serious topic or on a light hearted one, for kids or for grown ups.
Each and every sentence written should add value and help towards the final goal and make sense overall for whoever comes across.
