Some of the first things teachers, prospective or current employers or potential readers will notice are incorrect grammar, punctuation and spelling. Always proofread your work to avoid these mistakes. You can familiarize yourself with these rules by researching them online or purchasing books on the subject. Word-processing programs, used to type computer documents also contain features to highlight commonly made errors in these areas and offer suggestions for correcting them.
Expanding your vocabulary can make your work more professional and interesting by helping you avoid repetition and incorrect or ineffective word usage. One of the best ways to expand your vocabulary is through frequent reading of books, newspapers and magazines. When you encounter an unfamiliar word look up its definition.
The goal of concise writing is to state a point as simply as possible, so eliminate unnecessary words and phrases when proofreading. Try to keep your sentences and paragraphs short to make your ideas clearer to readers. Also, choose words that best express your meaning, instead of choosing longer or more obscure words to "sound smarter," suggests OnlineColleges.net.
You may need to complete one or more drafts of a piece to make it satisfactory. The main focus of a rough draft is to get your ideas out before losing them. Write your rough draft quickly, without worrying about spelling, grammar or organization. Free-writing or brainstorming exercises may be helpful in finding ideas. After your rough draft is complete, focus on organization and adding or deleting information as necessary. Then proofread for grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors and problems with sentence structure and flow of information.
Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional copying of another person's words or ideas without giving them proper credit. Plagiarism is a serious offense in any type of writing and may result in legal consequences. To avoid this use original ideas as often as possible and familiarize yourself with the correct ways of citing sources in your work.