SBEditing Secrets

In a previous posting I introduced the KISS (keep it simple and specific) formula for writing and editing. I use this method myself and recommend that all my editing clients adopt it themselves. In that earlier posting I also discussed the importance of specificity when presenting research data and provided several examples. Now, I will address the “keep it simple” part of the KISS formula. Academic writing need not be complicated and as we all learned in high school geometry, the shortest distance between two points is the straight line connecting them. Similarly, when turning your research into manuscript form the same principal should be applied; use the fewest number of words to get from point A (the reader does not know/understand) to point B (the reader knows/understands).

Example 1.

Unedited original from the results section. When we compared the clinical features of dysplastic nevi in patients with a personal history of melanoma and without a personal history of melanoma, extremity location was significantly more in the group with a personal history of melanoma (37.5% vs. 17.7%, P = 0.042) although the most common location of the lesions in each group was trunk (62.5% vs. 76.1%). When presenting comparison results it is not necessary to tell the reader that you made a comparison; it is obvious, because you are presenting results for two or more groups. In addition, the fact that any particular comparison was made should be introduced in the methods and materials section. The edited version looks like this: Dysplastic nevi extremity localization was significantly more common in the patients with a personal history of melanoma than in those without (37.5% vs. 17.7%, P = 0.042), although the most common location of lesions in both groups was the trunk (62.5% vs. 76.1%). The original sentence is 60 words, whereas the corrected version is 43 words and is much easier to understand.

Example 2.

Unedited original from the results section: When we compared the differences according to drug dose and interval, the rate of amyloidosis, family history of amyloidosis and exertional leg pain were higher in the patients treated with 4 weeks interval than those treated with 8 week interval, but the differences did not reach statistical differences (Table-III). As in the case of Example 1, it is not necessary to inform the reader a comparison was made, because the results, as presented, clearly indicate a comparison. The edited version looks like this: The amyloidosis, family history of amyloidosis, and exertional leg pain rates were higher in the patients that received canakinumab every 4 weeks than in those that received canakinumab every 8 weeks, but the differences were not significant (Table 3). The original sentence is 49 words, whereas the edited version is 39 words and is much easier to understand.

?Example 3.

Unedited abstract/aim section. To observe and report the experience on discontinuation of anakinra in a large cohort of pediatric patients with colchicine-resistant familial Mediterranean fever (crFMF). To edit this sentence I used the entire KISS formula, keeping it simple and specific at the same time. When stating a study’s aim I don’t think observation constitutes a sufficient aim. The aim of a study should be to identify or determine something in particular. The edited version looks like this: To determine the feasibility of withdrawing anakinra in a large cohort of pediatric patients with colchicine-resistant familial Mediterranean fever (crFMF). The edited version is just a few words shorter, but simply states a particular aim.

Academic writing does not require complexity. Explaining what is required should be accomplished with the fewest words possible, while ensuring clarity and specificity. If you haven’t yet tried to adopt the KISS formula for your writing projects, I strongly recommend you do so as soon as possible; doing so might help limit the number of revisions required by editors and peer reviewers.