When writing theses, dissertations, and other long academic papers, first-time authors may wonder how much detail is too much. How many words are too many? How much information is too little? You’ll want to keep a few principles in mind to answer these questions. Valid length for a research paper isn’t always about how much space it takes up. Sometimes the most critical factors are word count and character count. These measures can tell a document’s valid length more than its page count. When writing any lengthy paper, you should remember that quality beats quantity every time. By keeping your word count low and your character count high, you’ll create something concise but easy to read. Moreover, your readers will follow and understand your piece without feeling bogged down by unnecessary details or unimportant fluff. Writing a short paper may sound easier than writing a long one, but it’s much more complicated. If you’ve never written a short piece before, you should expect your first few attempts at writing one to be rough. Luckily, as with almost anything in life, practice makes perfect. The more you write, the better you’ll get at it. Higher educational levels demand both short and long papers. But what are the benefits of either?
Short papers are suitable for practice
Writing long papers is excellent for building stamina and endurance, but when it comes to perfecting your craft, it can be less than ideal. Writing short papers allows you to focus on improving one specific skill: brevity. Short papers are a great place to practice your ability to convey complex ideas in a few simple sentences. They can also be a great way to practice your communication skills and increase your confidence in your writing abilities. It’s an excellent way to experiment with new ways of writing and find the style that’s most comfortable for you.
Writing long papers improves endurance and determination
When you start writing long papers, you’ll be surprised by how challenging it can be to stay focused. You’ll be tempted to take breaks or procrastinate. You’ll probably experience self-doubts while trying to find the motivation to finish your work. Long papers are great for building your determination and helping you push through these challenges. When you first start writing long documents, you may feel overwhelmed. You’ll have many ideas to express and know that it’ll take a long time to finish your work, which is normal. However, as you continue down the path, you’ll get used to the process. You’ll learn to manage your time better and find the motivation to keep going.
Writing short papers improves our thinking
Long papers allow us to explore a wide range of ideas and topics. You’ll always realize that you’ve covered much ground before finishing your paper. Writing long articles is a great way to practice our thinking skills and improve our critical-thinking abilities. On the other hand, short essays allow us to hone in on one specific topic. You’re limited to a narrow range of ideas when writing short papers, which forces you to explore your topic from all different angles. You must think critically and explore every possible way of expressing your thoughts. This narrow-focused reasoning helps you improve your critical thinking and creates a better understanding of the topics you write about.
Writing short papers teaches conciseness
We live in an attention-deficit culture. The many distractions in our day-to-day lives have shortened our attention spans. Therefore, learning to communicate your ideas as concisely as possible is more important than ever. We can’t expect our readers to invest their time reading long, drawn-out articles or papers. You have a limited time, too, and you want to use it best. Short papers are a great way to learn to be more concise in your writing. They force you to cut out all the unnecessary jargon, overly complex sentences, and unnecessary details from your work.
Common issues to address when writing short and long papers
Know your audience: While this is true for all essays and papers, it’s especially true for short papers. The first step toward writing a short article is to narrow down your audience. Whom are you targeting? What level of reading comprehension do they have? What’s their age range? What are their general interests? And what is their level of familiarity with the subject of your paper? These questions will inform how you structure your writing and how much you should or shouldn’t include. A short report for an undergraduate course will likely be around two to three pages or about 1000 to 1500 words.
Start writing early: One of the best things about writing short papers is that you can usually finish them in one sitting. You don’t have to let it linger for a few months or even weeks. You should still plan out your short paper before writing it, but you have much more flexibility with deadlines than with a long paper. Starting early is critical for long pieces such as dissertations, proposals, and theses.
Use short sentences: You can use this trick with virtually any essay or paper, but it’s instrumental when writing a short article. By keeping your sentences short, you’ll pack more information into each sentence, allowing you to write fewer sentences overall and avoid the pitfalls of long-windedness. Also, avoid clichés and overly simple sentences.
Don’t waste words: Okay, you might be thinking, “If I’m being more concise and using shorter sentences and paragraphs, isn’t that the same thing as wasting words?” Kind of, but not really. To write a short paper, you must edit most of your sentences to the core of their meaning. You can’t include extraneous adjectives or use convoluted sentences to have more words. You want to identify the core, the most crucial idea in every sentence, and then form your sentence around it.
Bottom line
There are many benefits to writing short and long papers. Writing short papers is great for practicing, improving our thinking, and teaching conciseness. It is a great way to focus on one specific topic and explore it from all different angles. On the other hand, writing long papers teaches us endurance, focus, and patience. Long papers are not easy, but they are doable. They just need more of your time and dedication.
