This presentation helps graduate students strengthen their academic writing by developing clarity and conciseness. Rather than relying on long, complex sentences or excessive jargon, effective graduate writing communicates sophisticated ideas in a precise, direct, and confident voice. In this session, students will learn how to recognize and revise common sources of wordiness—including redundancy, passive voice, and vague hedging—while practicing strategies that bring power and focus to their prose. Through real examples and practical tips, this workshop empowers writers to sharpen their sentences and elevate their scholarly voice.
Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:53 Why Writing Clearly and Concisely Matters 01:25 The Myth of Sounding Academic 02:00 Wordy vs Concise: A Simple Example 02:42 Common Sources of Wordiness 03:20 Writing with Verbs, Not Nouns 04:00 Strategies for Concise Writing 04:47 Editing Checklist for Clarity and Conciseness 05:36 Practice: Before and After 06:05 Final Thoughts 06:40 Thank you! (Contact info)
This recording is paid for by the LOGRAR grant.
CPP Graduate Resource Center - gradstudies@cpp.edu Dr. Karen Téllez-Chaires - ktrujillo@cpp.edu