By Dana P Skopal, PhD

Writing is an essential communication tool in the workplace, and many documents are also edited. If you are asked to write or edit a document, do you understand what is involved?

It is rare to produce a clear coherent document without checking the facts and planning the document structure. Writing the information involves more than just putting words on a page. The structure relates to logically linking points, so the organisation of ideas is important. Once the initial draft is written, it is generally revised before reaching a final draft. Next, when a text is edited, what is involved? If you are to edit a colleague’s document, do you need to check key data and the grammar only? Finally, how long will this work take – either the writing or editing?

Writing and editing involve numerous steps, but the first key rule is ‘write for your reader’. This may be a simple rule, but it is one that is often forgotten when writers focus on the details instead of the clear key message that a reader needs to understand.

So let’s go to the basics of writing, but beyond grammar – good sentence structure is assumed (there are now many good apps to check your grammar). You need to know your content before you can write. Make notes on the evidence or data that you can use to support your argument or proposal. If you are uncertain about which way to analyse the information, make a list of the positives and negatives. If your mind is muddled, then your writing will not make sense.

Next, planning needs to be a part of the writing process as the order of the information is important for your reader. You can start to plan a structure once you know your main information or possible arguments. Do you plan with dot points or notes, even a mind-map? Or do you just sit and write as you work through the material that you want to tell your reader?  Both are planning steps, but you need to logically order the information for your reader. Ordering information can be going from ‘general to specific’ or using a timeline. This means focusing on your overall document structure and wording of your main headings, which is a practical step before any revising or editing.

When you have a final draft, check the logical order of your content before any final edit. One method is to take your headings and first sentence of each paragraph and check that they make sense to an independent reader (without the remaining paragraph content). This step adds time to the writing process but can improve the document for your reader.

Know your information, plan, draft and check your structure – before you send out your final version for editing. However, such checking processes often do not occur, so effective editing can take time if information needs to be re-structured for the document’s audience.

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