"Do's and Don'ts" of Formal Academic Writing

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Rule no. 1. Do not use contractions (like "don't, wouldn't, shouldn't," etc.). Spell out both words fully e.g. "do not," "would not," "should not," etc.

Rule no. 2. Do not use slang. If you absolutely cannot live without slang, at least place it in quotation marks ("Like hey man, lose the groovy lingo. You dig? Later man.")

Rule no. 3. Do not use cliches. Overused and hackneyed old expressions need to be retired and are usually vague. Cliches are viewed with dismay by most readers. Using your own words leads to more precision in your word choice and more meaning for your sentence.

Rule no. 4. Do not use the words "really" or "very" to try to emphasize a point (e.g. It was "really, very" important.) These are almost always unnecessary filler words in spoken language and the written sentence will sound better without the unneeded redundancy (e.g. "It was important.")

Rule no. 5. Do not make up words by turning nouns into verbs e.g. "journaling" instead of the more correct and older "journalizing." Use your Merriam-Webster dictionary.

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Rule no. 6. Do use page numbers and a title. Make your title interesting rather something dull like "Written Assignment 57."

Rule no. 7. Do say exactly what you mean using precise word choices and giving specific information to support your proposition or thesis. Define your terms.

Rule no. 8. Do tell your reader something new about the subject. Say something significant and important. Do not blather on. Say something thoughtful and intelligent. This will usually require some brainstorming, list making, outlining, and other prewriting.

Rule no. 9. Do start off with a clear thesis statement of the main idea. Make sure the first paragraph leaves a good first impression with a thesis statement, fluent writing, and no mechanical errors.

Rule no. 10. Do write better than you speak. With writing you have the opportunity to catch and correct all of those sloppy little things we tend to do in our spoken English.