Reduce Redundancy to Enhance Understanding

In your writing, every word should do important work. It should add content, meaning, or coherence. Yet many documents have words that lack purpose. They are empty, redundant, and simply unnecessary.

In scientific writing, I see quite a few redundancies, or instances where a term or phrase unnecessarily repeats words or meanings. These redundancies can be condensed to boost clarity and reduce text length—a win-win for both your reader and you.

Below is a list of 40 common redundancies that can be condensed. Redundant words are italicized, and alternative versions are [in brackets].

1.    adequate enough

2.    aggregate together

3.    combine [fuse] together

4.    advance planning

5.    near to

6.    distinguish the difference

7.    each individual person

8.    eliminate altogether

9.    period of time, time period, point in time, interval of time

10. fewer in number

11. brief in duration

12. large [small, bulky] in size

13. lift [raise] up

14. completely full [empty]

15. major breakthrough

16. consensus of opinion

17. count [divide] up

18. outside of

19. oval [square, round] in shape

20. past history

21. empty out

22. enter into (exception: enter into a contract)

23. precedes in time

24. predict in advance

25. estimated at about

26. red in color

27. filled to capacity

28. rough [smooth] in texture

29. first initiated

30. future plans

31. skin rash

32. 2 out of 12

33. uniformly consistent

34. split up

35. whether or not (unless you want to equally emphasize the alternative)

36. still continues

37. sum total

38. tender to the touch

39. younger [older] than 50 years of age

40. true fact


Want a cheat sheet to help you find redundancies in your writing? Get access to our free writing toolkit!


Crystal Herron, PhD, ELS

Crystal is an editor, educator, coach, and speaker who helps scientists and clinicians communicate with clear, concise, and compelling writing. You can follow her on LinkedIn.

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How You Might Be Misusing 32 Common Clinical Terms