WORD COUNT REDUCTION

Good academic writing should be concise. Many academic journals specify word counts for different types of papers. Particularly, abstracts are frequently restricted to 150–250 words. This post offers a few tips for reducing your word count without losing content.

Nouns can often be used as adjectives (see earlier post); however, be aware that a few journals forbid this. (Check the author guidelines/instructions for your chosen journal.)

Words and phrases that contribute no information to the text (sometimes called filler words) can be deleted. These include:
actually;
etc.;
and so on;
indeed;
in order to (change to "to");
is located in (remove "located");
it was found that;
some;
the existence of.

Phrases can often be replaced with a single word or a shorter phrase (shown in brackets); for instance,
a lot of (many);
as a result (consequently);
at the same time (simultaneously);
a variety of (various);
carried out (performed or conducted);
has/have been (can sometimes be replaced with was/were);
in addition (additionally);
in general (generally);
in length (long);
in particular (particularly);
in the case of (for);
is still (remains);
need(s) to (must);
on the basis of (based on);
on the other hand (however);
point of view (viewpoint);
take place (occur).

Where the word "again" follows a verb, it can sometimes be deleted and the verb preceded with re-; e.g. "modified again" can be replaced with "remodified".

The words "colour" or "coloured" are unnecessary if the colour is specified; e.g. "blue crystals" rather than "blue-coloured crystals".

Where the word "not" precedes an adjective, both words can sometimes be replaced with a single word; e.g. "unnecessary" rather than "not necessary".

I hope this is helpful. The above points are based on my own editing experience.

ACADEMIC WRITING: USING NOUNS AS ADJECTIVES

When a noun is used as an adjective, it should (almost) always be singular, e.g. "metal-modified" rather than "metals-modified" and "electrode-based" rather than "electrodes-based".


Exceptions are:

• materials science – Although the Oxford Dictionary includes both "material science" and "materials science", the latter is more commonly used in scientific writing.
• use of "data" and "media" as adjectives, e.g. "data acquisition" and "media company". [1]
• clothes (clothes hanger), sports (sports bag), customs (customs office), accounts (accounts book), arms (arms store) [2]

If you are unsure whether a plural or singular noun should be used as an adjective, you can use Google Scholar to check this. For example, a search for "nanoparticle arrays" gives 26,000 results, while a search for "nanoparticles arrays" gives 1,200.

Using nouns as adjectives can improve the flow of your writing and also reduces the word count; for instance, "reaction product" (2 words) is more concise than "product of the reaction" (4 words).

It should be noted, however, that some publishers do not like nouns to be used as adjectives [3], so it is best to consult the author guidelines for your chosen journal before writing your paper.