How Discussing Your Discussion Can Strengthen Your Writing

Good writing is concise. It is compact and smooth, with just enough words to give it energy and flow. With too many words, you will bury your ideas, and you will confuse and frustrate your reader. This reaction could surely lead to rejection—of your writing, of your ideas, of your ambitions.

When writing, every word should be used with intention. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, just as an experiment should contain no unnecessary variables or a machine no unnecessary parts. Similarly, a discussion should contain no unnecessary dialogue.

When we describe our actions and thoughts in our writing, we are padding our text with metadiscourse—or discussing the discussion. For example:

We found that…

We hypothesize that…

It is known that…

These data suggest…

Metadiscourse can be a helpful tool when writing. We use it to share our ideas (e.g., I believe, in summary), to structure our reasoning (e.g., first, further, importantly), and to create transitions that guide our readers through our writing (e.g., note that, consider). But too much metadiscourse will bury your message in words and confuse your reader.

How can you effectively use metadiscourse in your writing?

Develop Flow with Transitions

With metadiscourse, you can smoothly connect sentences and paragraphs, making your reader’s job easy. However, you need to avoid challenging your reader to dig through needless words to understand your content.

Example 1.1

In this paper, we will describe a novel mechanism that causes declines in blood pressure. Based on extensive literature, it is well known that blood pressure decreases as a result of inhibiting angiotensin II. However, through this work, we developed a novel compound that targets this enzyme to decrease blood pressure. (51 words) 

In this example, metadiscourse muddles the important details. Much of it can be cut. But by keeping some metadiscourse, you can create a more conversational flow.

Example 1.2

It is well known that inhibiting angiotensin II decreases blood pressure. In this work, we developed a novel compound that targets this enzyme to reduce blood pressure. (27 words)

Metadiscourse can also help to lead your reader through the text. But too much metadiscourse can be obvious or redundant.

Example 2.1

In the previous section of this paper, we described the structure of our novel compound that targets angiotensin II. In the next section, we will determine whether the compound decreases blood pressure. (32 words)

This example is unnecessarily wordy and can be easily reduced to just one sentence.

Example 2.2

Next, we determined whether the compound decreases blood pressure. (9 words)

With the right balance of metadiscourse in your writing, you can develop the flow of your argument and lead your reader through your content.

Exude Confidence with Strong Words

Metadiscourse also takes form in hedges and emphatics. When used skillfully, these words convey caution or confidence. But when used too much, they can make your writing wordy and give your reader the wrong impression of you.

Hedges convey uncertainty (e.g., often, may, could, suggest). You might argue that these words are a necessary part of objectively interpreting data. However, when you overuse them, you will sound unsure. This perception of uncertainty will strip away your reader’s confidence in you.

Example 3.1

We found that the drug was more likely to decrease blood pressure when combined with a statin. These results indicate that the drug’s effects may be augmented by the statin and suggest that the drug could be more effective when combined with cholesterol-lowering drugs. (44 words)

By changing some of these hedges to stronger and more definitive words, you can transform your writing into more concise and convincing language while still conveying your objective analysis.

Example 3.2

We found that the drug more significantly decreased blood pressure when combined with a statin. These results suggest that the drug is more effective when combined with cholesterol-lowering drugs. (29 words)

Emphatics are used for emphasis (e.g., clearly, very, indeed). You can use them to highlight important information and help your reader understand unfamiliar topics. Emphatics can also make your writing more compelling.

Example 4

Our novel drug provides an innovative approach to reducing blood pressure. By combining our drug with statins and genetic testing, we can create personalized treatment plans for patients suffering from heart disease.

By using hedges and emphatics effectively, your writing will exude confidence, convincing your readers that your work is remarkable, valuable, and impactful. 

Add Vigor with Active Voice

Some metadiscourse uses an “unspecified observer” who has seen or found something.

Example 5.1

High rates of blood pressure have been observed to occur in parts of the Southeast that have been determined to have especially high rates of obesity. (26 words)

This case raises concerns about whether to use passive or active voice. For example, some researchers resist saying “we found that the drug decreased blood pressure.” Instead, they insist on using passive voice, which is less clear: “the drug was found to decrease blood pressure.” But by eliminating the metadiscourse altogether, you can produce text that is clear, concise, and compelling: “The drug decreased blood pressure.”

If we apply this logic to the previous example, we get a more concise and vigorous statement:

Example 5.2

High rates of blood pressure occur in parts of the Southeast with especially high rates of obesity. (17 words)

Build Confidence with Balance

Metadiscourse is an effective tool to share your ideas, structure your text, and lead your readers through your writing. But too much metadiscourse, and you will breed caution and frustration in your reader. With the right balance, you will transform your writing into clear and compelling language that will instill a sense of confidence in your reader. That conviction is your ticket to effective writing.